Introduction to Docker

This workshop is meant to introduce you to the set of virtualization tools referred to as Docker, which allow you to use, create, and share container images and build computational environment that are useful for ensuring reproducibility in research.

Docker dark background icon Retrieved from Bo-Yi Wu on Flicker, CC BY 2.0

Containers create small reproducible computing workspaces on your computer, to which you can assign specific libraries and constraints to replicate specific environments.

Workshop Objectives

We’ll first discuss broader concepts from the computing virtualization space, disambiguate the many interrelated components of the Docker ecosystem, and explore some use cases demonstrating the value of containers in both tech and academia.

Then, we’ll walk through an overview of installation pathways for different operating systems and intended uses, touching on some general troubleshooting points and the cognitive competencies cultivated by dev ops tools like these.

Finally we’ll undertake some group learning activities to explore the nuts and bolts of Docker without getting bogged down in the install process.

Prerequisites

As we settle in to begin the workshop, please review the Participating Online page for the norms which will guide this session.
Optional: Set up Docker on your computer so you have a reference point during the group learning activities. You will be able to follow along without having Docker installed locally.
Some familiarity with computer science concepts and command shell will be helpful, but feel free to ask for clarification when you’re not familiar with something mentioned in the session.

You may need to walk through the Docker installation process in more than one sitting. This workshop is intended to equip you with the tools to pursue a local install on your own eventually, but we will focus primarily on establishing a higher level understanding of the Docker ecosystem.