Some of the best free courses to learn Docker in 2019 from scratch.
If you are an application developer working in Java or C# or any other language and wants to become a DevOps engineer or someone who wants to learn Docker then you have come to the right place. In this article, I am going to share some of the free Docker courses you can use take online to learn Docker by yourself.
These courses are great for both beginners and intermediate developers who have basic ideas about Docker. If you don’t know what is a Docker and how it works then let me give you a brief introduction.
Before starting just look at the Docker’s logo which is a whale carrying containers, does that strike something? Well, if you add this image with the name Docker you might think about shipping companies, which carry containers from one part of the world to another.
Long ago when there were no containers everything which needs to be transported are individually loaded into the ship but that makes the loading and unloading of goods difficult. Then shipping companies came up with the idea of a container of different size, which can be quickly loaded or unloaded using cranes. This helps them to transport goods more easily.
Docker works in the same concept but instead of goods, it carries software. If you know that software is not a monolithic piece but a collection of many different technologies like database, web server, application server, configuration files, shell scripts, etc.
It’s not easy to set up an instance of a complex real-world Java application because you need many different things, Docker solves this problem by putting everything you need into a container and deploy wherever you want like on Linux, Mac, or Windows.
This seriously helps all the DevOps guys who are trying to automate and simplify every step of software development. So, if you want to improve your productivity or want to move into DevOps space, good knowledge of Docker is essential.
Btw, if you are a Java developer and can spend few bucks like $9.99 then Docker for Java Developers is a great course to start with. It’s written especially for Java developers.
Docker for Java Developers | Udemy
5 Free Courses to Learn Docker Online
In this article, I’ll share 5 free courses to learn Docker and Containerization online. These courses will teach you Docker from scratch right from the beginning of containerization and the benefit of deploying your application in a container and how Docker helps to achieve that.
In these courses, you will learn what is a Docker, how it works and what benefits it provides. You will also learn how you can automate your software development and deployment process using Docker and other automation tools like Selenium.
Some of the courses also explain Docker in depth by discussing Advanced Docker concepts and tools which can help you to both web developers and DevOps engineers like how you to set up a development environment with Docker quickly for a new developer or someone like designers, BAs and QAs. You can use Docker images to run the whole of your application on their machine.
1. Docker Course Made for Developers
This is one of the best course to learn Docker, particularly for developers. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Java or Web developer, you will learn a lot about Docker in this course.
I started this course as a complete beginner, just heard the buzz around Docker and Containerization. This course not only explains to me what is a Docker and how it works but also clears many of my misconceptions.
You will not only learn about Docker basics like what is Docker and why user docker but also learn a lot about practical stuff like the course will teach you how to install Docker in Windows and Mac and how to set up your own development environment.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE: Docker Course Made for Developers
It will also explain Docker Machine and Docker client and how you can add your source code into a container, building custom images with Dockerfile, communicating between Docker Containers, and managing Containers with Docker Compose.
Overall, a great course to start with Docker. Btw, this was a paid course on Udemy which its author made it free for a limited time, so you should join and learn Docker before the course becomes paid again.
2. Beginners’ guide to software containerization and Docker
This is another beginner level course on Docker. If you want to learn some basic concept of containerization and Docker like images and container and how they help the software deployment process then this is the right course for you.
You will not only learn about containerization of applications but also learn how to install Docker in your local environment. The course also explains some basic Docker commands to get you going.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE: Beginners’ guide to software containerization and Docker
In short, a good introductory course on Docker and software containerization for software engineers, programmers, DevOps guys, and IT professionals in general.
3. Getting Started With Docker: Key Concepts for Beginners
If you have heard all the buzz around Docker and containers and are wondering what they are and how to get started using them, then this course is for you.
In this course, you will learn how to install Docker, configure it to use on your local system, clone and work with Docker images, instantiate containers, mount host volumes, redirect ports and understand how to manage images and containers.
After completing the course, you will be well on your way to implementing containers in your environment while having a firm understanding of their use cases, both for and against.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE:Getting Started With Docker: Key Concepts for Beginners
In short, a great course for anyone who wants to learn what Docker containers are and how to use them in their environment.
4. Understanding Docker and using it for Selenium automation
This is a little bit a different kind of course on Docker. The course is focused on testing automation using Docker.
In this course, you will not only learn about Docker like what is a Docker and how to setup Docker instance in your local environment but also how you can integrate Selenium with Docker for automation testing.
This course is divided into three parts1. Understanding the Docker Fundamentals2. Docker Compose3. Selenium Grid with Docker
All three parts are intrinsic, meaning they are interdependent on each other and hence sometimes you may need to go back and forth to get into some related concepts.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE:
Understanding Docker and using it for Selenium automation
First two parts deal with Docker and its related commands, whereas in third section one much have knowledge on Selenium with C# to write code on the visual studio for running tests in parallel on multiple containers and multiple browsers.
Overall a great course to learn Docker basics for Developers and Testers. Even DevOps Engineers can benefit from this course because it talks about infrastructure and Automation.
5. Deploying Containerized Applications Technical Overview
This is an official Docker training course from Red Hat. In this course, Jim Rigsbee, a curriculum architect for Red Hat Training, will introduce you to container technology using Docker running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.
In this course, you will learn container technology and deploy a single three-tiered Java EE application using several container-based platforms, including Docker, Kubernetes, and OpenShift Enterprise by Red Hat
Here is the link to join this course for FREE:
Deploying Containerized Applications Technical Overview
In last a couple of years, Docker has become the de facto standard for defining and running containers in the Linux operating system, while Kubernetes is Red Hat’s choice for container orchestration.
OpenShift, built upon Docker, Kubernetes, and other open source software projects, provides Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for the ultimate in deploying applications within containers.
In short, a great course for System administrators, application software developers, and anyone who wants basic foundations on Docker, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and Platform-as-a-Service capabilities.
That’s all about some of the free online courses to learn Docker for DevOps, Java and Web developers. Docker has become an important part of how you deploy your web application and this container based model of deployment is getting more and more popular.
Docker is a great tool to have on your resume, particularly if you want to move on DevOps space, as there is a lot of demand for developers with automation skills like Docker, Jenkins, Kubernetes, and Selenium.
Some Other Docker Articles on Medium Which are Worth Reading
- A Beginner-Friendly Introduction to Containers, VMs, and Docker by Preethi Kasireddy
- The Missing Introduction to Containerization by Aymen El Amri
- A beginner’s guide to Docker — how to create your first Docker application by Gaël Thomas
- Learn Enough Docker to be Useful by Jeff Hale
- Docker Tutorial Series: Writing a Dockerfile by Romin Irani
- Understanding how uid and gid work in Docker containers by Marc Campbell
Closing Notes
Thanks for reading this article so far. You might be thinking that there is so many stuff to learn, so many courses to join, but you don’t need to worry.
There is a good chance that you may already know most of the stuff, and there are also a lot of useful free resources which you can use, I have also linked them here and there along with best resources, which are certainly not free, but worth of money.
At the end of the day, you should have enough knowledge and experience about the things mentioned here.
Good luck with your Docker journey! It’s certainly not going to be easy, but by following this roadmap and guide, you are one step closer to becoming the DevOps engineer, you always wanted to be
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