What Is The Best Way to Learn Docker?

Key takeaways

• The best way to learn Docker varies from person to person, whether you gravitate more toward formal training or self-guided tutorials; both give you hands-on skills with Docker.

• One of the best ways to learn Docker for beginners is to work through the 45-minute, nine-part Docker workshop that takes you through the basics.

• The Docker tutorial, available on Docker's website, is a beginner-level guide included in the Docker documentation to help you build foundational skills with the platform.

You can also learn Docker through self-paced learning using online resources or by pursuing a Docker certification. Explore this open-source platform in more detail, including popular positions that use it and various learning options to find the best way to learn Docker for your needs.

If you're ready to build your development skills, consider enrolling in the IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate, where you'll have the opportunity to build applications composed of microservices and deploy using containers, including Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift, and serverless technologies.

What is Docker?

Docker is a containerization operating system that helps virtualize server operating systems. The Docker Engine, which is known as the runtime, allows you to build and run your containers. This is an open-source project supported by the company that produces the commercial version of Docker and individuals.

If you work in application development or DevOps, learning how to use Docker to containerize your applications is a core skill. Docker containers run on nearly any operating system (OS) and work with cloud computing applications like Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud, and IBM Cloud. According to the analytics provided by 6sense, Docker accounts for 86 percent of the containerization market share [1].

What is Docker used for?

You can use Docker to deliver applications and easily manage all the code in one place, making the development lifecycle much more efficient. It lets you separate applications into different containers while living on the same server infrastructure. Some common use cases for Docker containers include:

• Microservices: Docker is a reliable way to integrate a microservices architecture into your application development by containerizing each aspect.

• Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD): Docker allows for maintenance without downtime as developers can use containers to share code, test code, and then deploy the code.

• DevOps: Docker’s creation of microservices and containerization allows a DevOps team to manage each aspect of the application quickly.

• Cloud: Docker allows you to run containers in cloud environments, where you can migrate data or entirely run your application from a cloud provider.

Why learn Docker?

The multi-faceted uses of Docker make it a flexible program and an important one to know since it is so heavily adopted in development workflows. By learning how to use Docker, you can build skills in containerization, building images, DevOps workflows, and CI/CD.

Is Docker difficult to learn?

While containerization as a concept may be new if you are beginning as a developer, Docker itself is not necessarily difficult to learn. It is a popular and feature-rich technology that makes it intimidating for beginners. However, Docker provides extensive documentation, workshops, and training all within the Docker Desktop application. You can also always explore third-party courses to learn Docker.

Who uses Docker?

Since Docker helps development teams, common roles where you would want to learn Docker include DevOps professionals, application developers, and cloud engineers. Examine each job, its median total annual income, and the job outlook below to begin envisioning the professional possibilities you could pursue.

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of July 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

DevOps engineer

Total median pay (Glassdoor): $145,000 [2]

Job outlook (estimated growth from 2024 to 2034): 15 percent [3]

Managing containers in Docker or Kubernetes is a core skill of aDevOps engineer. Additionally, as aDevOps engineer, you will also likely manage the CI/CD that comes with Docker and containerization as you examine the development lifecycle.

Application developer

Total median pay (Glassdoor): $142,000 [4]

Job outlook (estimated growth from 2024 to 2034): 15 percent [3]

Developers use Docker to build applications, share them, run them, and build test environments for development or bug fixes. Docker helps reduce the need to manually configure and manage environments.

Cloud engineer

Total median pay (Glassdoor): $152,000 [5]

Job outlook (estimated growth from 2024 to 2034): 20 percent [6]

Cloud engineers can leverage Docker Build Cloud and its integration with other cloud platforms like AWS to use Docker as part of a cloud-based workflow. Docker containers allow you to create better cloud infrastructure while maintaining the simplicity of containers.

Read more: DevOps Engineer vs. Cloud Engineer: Which Career Path Is Right for You?

Best way to learn Docker for beginners

You can explore various options for learning Docker, and you’ll likely need to begin by downloading the Docker Desktop software. Head to the Docker installation page and download the version you need, whether your OS is Windows, Mac, or Linux. To become more familiar with Docker Desktop’s user interface, explore Docker’s extensive documentation.

Once you have an overview of what each part of the software does, you can start learning. Three ways you learn Docker include:

• Docker’s documentation and tutorials

• Self-paced learning through YouTube, blogs, and experience

• Docker Certified Associate

Explore each method below.

Docker tutorial and documentation

You can use Docker’s own beginner tutorial in its documentation to begin gaining foundational knowledge of containerization. Docker estimates the entire tutorial to take around 15 minutes, and it has no prerequisites. This tutorial teaches you how to download and set up Docker, and by the end of it, you will have run a container, built an image, and published your image in the Docker Hub.

Docker workshop

After you’ve completed this basic tutorial to learn about the core functions of Docker, it recommends that you further explore the core concepts and their capabilities. After this, you are ready to begin the Docker workshop, a 45-minute, nine-part instructional guide that gives you a more thorough view of how to [7]:

• Containerize, update, and share applications

• Persist the database using volume mounts

• Use bind mounts to share directories

• Work with multi-container apps

• Use Docker Compose with multi-container apps

• Explore best practices for building images

• Access resources you might consider after finishing the workshop

For a more thorough overview, you can follow the Docker “Getting Started with Docker” video on YouTube. After you’ve completed the workshop, you can continue to learn about container orchestration and the cloud native computing foundation projects.

Self-paced learning

If you want to continue learning Docker after completing its introductory tutorial and the Docker workshop, you might consider exploring online courses and self-paced opportunities such as:

• LearnDocker

• Container.Training

• Additional Docker Training

• Docker Crash Course for Absolute Beginners

• Complete Docker Course

Docker Certified Associate

You can earn the Docker Certified Associate by passing the exam from the Docker Enterprise Platform Business. You have 90 minutes to complete 13 multiple-choice questions and 42 discrete option multiple-choice (DOMC) questions. You take the exam remotely, and it costs $199 [8].

Explore our free resource for developers

Subscribe to Career Chat on LinkedIn to get timely updates on popular skills, tools, and certifications in software development. Build or refresh your skills with our other free resources as well:

• Watch on YouTube: What Is DevOps? A Beginner-Friendly Explanation

• Hear from a learner: How One Software Developer’s Leadership Aspirations Led Her to Graduate School

• Continue learning: How to Start Learning Docker: A Custom Course Guide

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