Docker Containerization

Build once, run anywhere with container technology

The Container Revolution

Before containers, deploying applications was painful. Code works on developer's laptop running macOS. Ops team tries to run it on Linux servers: missing dependencies, conflicting library versions, environment differences. Container technology eliminates this: package application with all dependencies in an image, deploy that image anywhere, and it runs identically every time.

Docker popularized containerization. An image is a lightweight, standalone executable containing code, runtime, system tools, libraries, settings. Containers run that image in isolated environments with predictable behavior. Docker enables consistent development, testing, staging, and production environments. DevOps teams can deploy applications reliably. Developers stop saying "it works on my machine."

We build Docker images for your applications, configure Docker Compose for multi-container development, optimize for production deployments, and provide guidance on container orchestration with Kubernetes. Whether you need containerization strategy, Dockerfile optimization, or help scaling containerized applications, we handle the technical complexity.

Our Docker Services

Dockerfile Development

We write efficient Dockerfiles that create lean images for your applications. Multi-stage builds reduce image size by separating build dependencies from runtime. Layer caching optimization speeds up builds. Security best practices: minimal base images, non-root users, security scanning. The result: production-ready images that are small, fast, and secure.

Optimization:

  • β€’ Multi-stage builds
  • β€’ Layer caching
  • β€’ Minimal base images
  • β€’ Distroless images
  • β€’ Image size reduction

Security:

  • β€’ Non-root users
  • β€’ Read-only filesystems
  • β€’ Security scanning
  • β€’ Vulnerability patching
  • β€’ Image signing

Best Practices:

  • β€’ .dockerignore files
  • β€’ Health checks
  • β€’ Signal handling
  • β€’ Version pinning
  • β€’ Documentation

Docker Compose

Multi-container applications need orchestration. Docker Compose defines all services (web app, database, cache, queue) in a single file. One command starts the entire stack locally. Perfect for development, testing, and small deployments. We configure Compose files with proper networking, volume management, environment variables, and startup dependencies.

Services coordinated: application, PostgreSQL/MySQL, Redis cache, background workers, reverse proxy. All configured declaratively in docker-compose.yml.

Registry Management

Built images need storage. We set up container registries (Docker Hub, Amazon ECR, Google Container Registry, private registries) and manage image versioning, tagging, and deployment pipelines. Automated builds triggered by code commits. Image scanning for vulnerabilities. Version control for reproducible deployments.

Registries: Docker Hub, AWS ECR, GCP Artifact Registry, Azure Container Registry, private on-prem registries. Automated CI/CD integration for continuous deployment.

Container Orchestration Guidance

Docker runs individual containers. Kubernetes orchestrates hundreds or thousands. We help migrate containerized applications to Kubernetes: configuring deployments, services, ingress, persistent volumes. Container strategies, scaling policies, resource limits, health checks. Go from Docker on one machine to Kubernetes clusters on cloud infrastructure.

Kubernetes management: deployment manifests, service configuration, ingress setup, persistent storage, auto-scaling, resource management, monitoring integration.

Docker Best Practices

Use Minimal Base Images

Alpine Linux is 5MB. Official language images (python:3.11-alpine) are tiny. Avoid Ubuntu/CentOS bases for production (700MB+). Distroless images have zero dependencies beyond app. Smaller images deploy faster, use less disk, reduce attack surface.

Multi-Stage Builds

Separate build stage (compile dependencies) from runtime stage (only runtime libs needed). Build in one stage, copy artifacts to small runtime image. Result: Java app in 200MB instead of 1.5GB. Go app in 10MB instead of 500MB.

Run as Non-Root

If a container is compromised, running as non-root limits damage. Create unprivileged user in Dockerfile. Container escapes are still serious but non-root mitigates some attacks.

Health Checks

Declare how orchestrators determine if container is healthy. HTTP endpoint, script execution, or TCP port check. Failing containers restart automatically. Prevents zombie containers consuming resources without working.

Signal Handling

Container receives SIGTERM before SIGKILL. App must handle graceful shutdown: flush buffers, close connections, save state. Don't use shell scripts as PID 1 (they ignore signals). Use exec form in Dockerfile.

Scan for Vulnerabilities

Registries automatically scan images for known CVEs. Keep base images updated. Don't build once and keep forever. Rebuild periodically with patched dependencies. Automated scanning catches vulnerabilities early.

Need Docker Containerization?

Let's containerize your applications for consistent, reliable deployments.

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