If you’re a web developer, chances are you’ve at least heard of Docker. But what is it, and why should you care? In this blog post, we’ll take a look at what Docker is and how it can help simplify your development workflow. You can read more about it here in this JFrog beginners guide.

What Is Docker?

Docker is a containerization platform that allows you to run your applications in isolated environments. This isolation ensures that your application will always run the same, regardless of the environment it’s running in. This benefits both development and production environments, as it eliminates the “It works on my machine!” problem.

How Can Docker Help You?

If you’ve ever experienced the frustration of trying to get an application to run on someone else’s machine only to find out that it relies on a specific version of a programming language or database that isn’t installed, then you know how valuable Docker can be. 

With Docker, you must provide a `Dockerfile` that specifies your application’s dependencies and which port it should be exposed to. Then, anyone who wants to run your application can simply issue the `docker build` and `docker run` commands, and they’ll have a complete replica of your development environment up and running in seconds! No more headaches trying to track down the right versions of dependencies—Docker will take care of that for you.

Why Should You Dockerize Your Web App? 

There are several reasons why you might want to Dockerize your web app. First, it makes it easier to deploy your app in different environments—on-premises or in the cloud. Containers also make it simpler to scale your app up or down as needed since all you have to do is add or remove containers from your cluster. And if you need to update your app, you can just create a new container with the updated code and deploy it alongside the old one—no downtime required! 

Not only that, but Dockerized apps tend to be more reliable since they’re completely isolated from other apps and services running on the same host. That means there’s less chance of something going wrong with your app due to changes made elsewhere on the system. And if something goes wrong with one of your containers, you can simply delete it and spin up a new one—again, with no downtime.

How to Dockerize Your Web App 

Now that we’ve covered some of the benefits of Dockerizing your web app let’s look at how actually to do it. The first step is to create a `Dockerfile.` This file will contain all the instructions Docker needs to build your image.

A `Dockerfile` typically starts with a `FROM` instruction, which specifies the base image that your image will be built on top of. For a web app, you’ll probably want to use a basic Linux image such as `Debian` or `ubuntu.` Next, you’ll need to install any dependencies that your app requires. This can be done with the `RUN` instruction, followed by the usual `apt-get` command. Then, you’ll need to copy your app’s code into the image. This can be done with the `COPY` instruction. Finally, you’ll need to specify the `ENTRYPOINT` or `CMD` instruction, which tells Docker what command to run when the container is started.

How Is It Any Better Than A Regular VM?

Docker containers are much more lightweight than virtual machines. They take up less space on your hard drive and start up faster since they don’t have to boot an entire operating system each time. In addition, you can run multiple containers on the same host without them interfering with each other, whereas VMs can conflict with each other if they’re not correctly configured.

A virtual machine (VM) is a software emulation of a physical computer. VMs are typically used to run multiple operating systems on a single physical server—known as server virtualization. However, they can also be used for desktop virtualization, where the user interacts with the VM just like a physical computer.

VMs have several advantages over traditional physical machines. For one, they’re much more flexible since you can easily move them from one server to another. They’re also more efficient since you can run multiple VMs on a single physical server. Finally, they offer better isolation since each VM runs in its own isolated environment. So, if you’re looking to test your app in a different environment or you want to run multiple apps on the same server, VMs are an excellent option.

However, VMs also have some disadvantages. First, they’re much heavier than containers, so they take up more space on your hard drive and start up more slowly. In addition, they can conflict with each other if they’re not correctly configured. And finally, they require more resources than containers—so if you’re running multiple VMs on the same physical server, you’ll need to ensure that the server has enough RAM and CPU power to handle the load.

Docker containers are similar to VMs because they allow you to run your app in an isolated environment. However, they’re much more lightweight than VMs, so they take up less space on your hard drive and start up faster. In addition, you can run multiple containers on the same host without them interfering with each other. So, if you’re looking for a more efficient way to run your app in an isolated environment, Docker is a good option.