Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition

Docker becomes easier to understand when you learn by doing: run a container, build an image, connect services, and see how each piece fits into a working application. In Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition, Elton Stoneman guides readers through that progression in 22 concise lessons with hands-on labs.

Start with containers, then build your own

The lessons begin with Docker’s core ideas: containers, images, and registries. From there, readers work through packaging applications, optimizing images, and using volumes for persistent data. The practical sequence helps connect the commands and concepts to the everyday tasks of preparing software to run reliably in different environments.

Bring services together with Docker Compose

Once the fundamentals are in place, the book turns to distributed applications. It explores Compose, multiple environments, health and dependency checks, containerized monitoring, and using Docker in application build and test workflows. This wider view helps readers see how containers interact as parts of a system—not just as isolated processes.

Follow Docker beyond the development machine

Further topics include running containers across platforms, replatforming legacy Windows applications, cloud container services, Kubernetes fundamentals, and CI/CD with GitHub Actions. Together, these lessons introduce the steps and considerations involved in moving containerized applications toward production use.

A practical route for developers and operations teams

The book is aimed at new and improving Docker users, including developers, administrators, and DevOps practitioners. Its examples support Linux, Windows, and macOS environments, and the lesson-and-lab format gives readers opportunities to apply each idea as they go. If you want a guided way to build Docker skills from first container to broader deployment patterns, this edition offers a focused place to begin. 💻