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# Introduction
Before jumping into projects, let’s clear up what Docker is and why people care about it. Docker is an application and everything it needs in a container. A container is a lightweight, isolated environment that runs the same everywhere. No “doesn’t work on my machine”. If it runs on your laptop, it runs the same on a server or in the cloud. Developers love it because sharing code becomes easy and predictable. In this “5 Fun Projects” series, our focus is on learning by doing. Each project teaches a basic Docker skill. In the end, you won’t just know Docker in theory – you’ll understand how to use it.
# 1. Hosting a static website with Ninx and Docker
This video by Tech Docs Shows you how to host a website nginx In Docker you containerize a web server, add your site files, and run everything in a single container. The tutorial walks through a simple build Dockerfile (or Docker Compose), set up nginx to serve your pages, and start the container so the site is live. There is no need to install nginx on your machine because it all runs inside Docker. This keeps the setup clean and reproducible.
# 2. Multi-container Docker applications with Docker Compose
This Video Shows how to use Docker Compose to run two services together: a Python Flask backend and a Redis database. All service configurations, including architectures, ports and connections, are defined in one docker-compose.yml file you start everything with a single command, docker compose up. Containers communicate automatically, and environment settings are centralized. It makes it easy to run and manage apps on any machine, giving a practical example of handling multiple services in Docker.
# 3. A database is shared by multiple containers
In this A database service for multiple Docker container services In the video, the author shows how to run a single database container and allow multiple application containers to connect to it. Once you’ve set up a SQL or other database in Docker, each service runs in its own container but connects to the same database via a shared Docker network or appropriate port mapping. You learn how to configure networking, expose database ports, and link containers for secure communication. This approach helps conserve resources by centralizing the database and also teaches when a shared database performs better than separate instances.
# 4. Automated continuous integration with Jenkins in Docker
These videos show how to build using a complete continuous integration (CI) pipeline Jenkins Inside Docker to automatically create Docker images when code changes. first video, Build and push Docker image with Jenkins pipelinewalks you through setting up a Jenkins container, pulling source code, building a Docker image, and optionally creating a pipeline to run tests or push the image to a registry. Second video, Automated CI with Jenkins on Docker to build Docker imagesfocuses on a React app, showing how to integrate Jenkins with a source repository, build and tag Docker images, and push them automatically. Both tutorials show how containerizing Jenkins keeps your build environment isolated, reproducible, and persistent. Once set up, each code update triggers a fresh build, making deployment reliable and automated.
# 5. Logging and Monitoring Docker
These videos show how to build a complete observability stack using Docker. Prometheus Collects system and container metrics. Loki Stores Login Grafana Shows everything in real-time dashboards. In the first video, Loki, Prometheus, Grafana and Docker: Logging and Monitoringyou’ll learn to set up Docker for each service, integrate them correctly, and link metrics with logs to see how your containers are performing. Second video, Server Monitoring: Prometheus and Grafana Tutorialfocuses on monitoring servers or container environments using Prometheus and Grafana in a portable, reproducible setup. It shows how to configure Prometheus as a data source for Grafana, set up metrics endpoints, and create dashboards to track CPU, memory, and container performance. Both approaches rely on containerization, which makes it easy to run, replicate, and deploy the stack on any machine.
# wrap up
These five projects build your Docker skills one layer at a time. You host a website, integrate multiple services, share databases, automate builds and monitor everything. Each project imparts practical skills that you can use in real work. Now it’s your turn to try out these projects and explore Docker yourself.
Kanwal Mehreen is a machine learning engineer and technical writer with a deep passion for data science and the intersection of AI with medicine. He co-authored the eBook “Maximizing Productivity with ChatGPT.” As a 2022 Google Generation Scholar for APAC, she champions diversity and academic excellence. He has also been recognized as a Teradata Diversity in Tech Scholar, a MITACS GlobalLink Research Scholar, and a Harvard Wicked Scholar. Kanwal is a passionate advocate for change, having founded the Fame Code to empower women in stem fields.