Master Docker over lunch breaks and stay relevant in today’s fast-paced, containerized world. Many developers know the name but feel overwhelmed by the commands, tooling, and ecosystem. Others struggle to bridge the gap between experimenting with containers and applying them confidently to real projects. What if you could learn Docker in manageable, hands-on sessions without devoting long weekends or chasing scattered resources?
- 22 bite-size lessons: Turn theory into working containers in under an hour each.
- Cross-platform labs: Follow along on Windows, macOS, or Linux without extra setup pain.
- Language-agnostic examples: Containerize Go, Java, .NET, and Node apps for broad, transferable skills.
- Compose & CI/CD coverage: Model multi-service stacks and automate builds for reliable releases.
- Cloud and Kubernetes primer: Move workloads to the cloud and orchestrate them with confidence.
- Built-in observability: Add dashboards to spot issues early and keep services healthy.
Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition by Docker Captain Elton Stoneman delivers a proven, hands-on format trusted by thousands of developers.
Each self-contained chapter explains one essential concept, then walks you through a working lab. Screenshots, commands, and clear diagrams guarantee success on any OS. Updated coverage spans Compose v2, container security, and first-steps Kubernetes.
By the final lunch, you will package applications, streamline pipelines, and migrate legacy systems without breaking a sweat. Your builds ship faster and your infrastructure becomes portable.
Ideal for developers, sysadmins, and DevOps engineers seeking quick, practical Docker mastery.
Table of Contents:
PART 1 UNDERSTANDING DOCKER CONTAINERS AND IMAGES
1 BEFORE YOU BEGIN
2 UNDERSTANDING DOCKER AND RUNNING HELLO WORLD
3 BUILDING YOUR OWN DOCKER IMAGES
4 PACKAGING APPLICATIONS FROM SOURCE CODE INTO DOCKER IMAGES
5 SHARING IMAGES WITH DOCKER HUB AND OTHER REGISTRIES
6 USING DOCKER VOLUMES FOR PERSISTENT STORAGE
PART 2 RUNNING DISTRIBUTED APPLICATIONS IN CONTAINERS
7 RUNNING MULTI-CONTAINER APPS WITH DOCKER COMPOSE
8 SUPPORTING RELIABILITY WITH HEALTH CHECKS AND DEPENDENCY CHECKS
9 ADDING OBSERVABILITY WITH CONTAINERIZED MONITORING
10 RUNNING MULTIPLE ENVIRONMENTS WITH DOCKER COMPOSE
11 BUILDING AND TESTING APPLICATIONS WITH DOCKER AND DOCKER COMPOSE
PART 3 RUNNING CONTAINERS ANYWHERE
12 RUNNING CONTAINERS ON DIFFERENT PLATFORMS
13 REPLATFORMING THE LEGACY: PACKAGING AND RUNNING WINDOWS APPS IN DOCKER
14 CONTAINERS IN THE CLOUD WITH MICROSOFT AZURE AND GOOGLE CLOUD
15 KUBERNETES: A PRIMER
16 CI/CD IN THE CLOUD WITH DOCKER AND GITHUB ACTIONS
PART 4 GETTING YOUR CONTAINERS READY FOR PRODUCTION
17 OPTIMIZING YOUR DOCKER IMAGES FOR SIZE, SPEED, AND SECURITY
18 APPLICATION CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT IN CONTAINERS
19 WRITING AND MANAGING APPLICATION LOGS WITH DOCKER
20 CONTROLLING HTTP TRAFFIC TO CONTAINERS WITH A REVERSE PROXY
21 ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION WITH A MESSAGE QUEUE
22 NEVER THE END
About the Author :
Elton Stoneman is a Docker Captain and long-time Microsoft MVP known for accelerating enterprise container adoption. With decades designing large systems, Elton brings pragmatic clarity and battle-tested examples to every page. He distills deep DevOps expertise into focused lessons that let readers containerize and deploy with confidence.
Review :
- Deep technical knowledge delivered in digestible daily lessons with hands-on exercises.
Brandon Hunt, Intrado
- Breaks down Docker into manageable, bite-sized lessons perfect for a busy developer.
David Cardozo, Updata
- Accessible without being shallow and focused relentlessly on what you actually need to know.
Jason Schmidt, Oxide Computer Company
