Docker Hands-On Labs

A one-day, hands-on Docker course — 9:00 am to 5:00 pm — that takes you from your first containers to orchestrating with Docker Swarm. You learn by typing and running commands, not by watching slides.

Before the training day: install Docker by following INSTALL.md. Installation is a prerequisite — we start at 9:00 am with a quick check that everyone's Docker works, then go straight into the labs.

All labs are self-contained: they use public Docker Hub images (nginx, ubuntu, php, mysql, wordpress, phpmyadmin, mailhog), so nothing depends on an internal server.

Labs

#	Lab	You'll be able to...
1	Basic Docker Commands	Run, list, inspect, and manage containers
2	Docker Run & Port Mapping	Serve an app and reach it from the browser
3	Build Your First Image	Write a Dockerfile and build an image
4	Web App Image	Use env vars and a custom port in an image
5	Image with Dependencies	Install packages/extensions in a build
6	Data Persistence with Volumes	Keep data across container removal
7	Docker Compose	Run a multi-service app from one file
8	WordPress Stack	Wire app + DB + admin with volumes
9	Docker Swarm	Deploy, scale, self-heal, rolling-update

Schedule (9:00 am – 5:00 pm)

Time	Session
09:00 – 09:15	Welcome & verify your setup
09:15 – 09:45	Docker concepts (image vs container, architecture)
09:45 – 10:25	Lab 1 — Basic commands
10:25 – 11:05	Lab 2 — Run & port mapping
11:05 – 11:20	Break
11:20 – 12:00	Lab 3 — Build your first image
12:00 – 12:45	Lab 4 — Build a web app image
12:45 – 13:00	Q&A / buffer
13:00 – 14:00	Lunch
14:00 – 14:40	Lab 5 — Image with dependencies
14:40 – 15:15	Lab 6 — Data persistence with volumes
15:15 – 15:30	Break
15:30 – 16:05	Lab 7 — Docker Compose
16:05 – 16:30	Lab 8 — Full WordPress stack
16:30 – 16:55	Lab 9 — Docker Swarm
16:55 – 17:00	Wrap-up & closing

How each lab works

Every lab folder has a README.md with the Objective, Steps, and Expected result, plus any files you need (Dockerfile, script.sh, index.php, compose.yaml) ready to run. Type the commands yourself — the muscle memory is the point.

Cleanup (careful — deletes things)

docker swarm leave --force          # if a swarm is still active
docker compose down -v              # in any compose folder you used
docker rm -f $(docker ps -aq)       # remove all containers
docker system prune -a --volumes    # reclaim disk (images, networks, volumes)

Where to go next

• Multi-stage builds to shrink production images
• Image security: scanning, minimal/official base images, non-root users
• docker stack deploy to run Compose files on a Swarm
• Kubernetes as a dedicated, more advanced course once Swarm feels comfortable
• Docs: https://docs.docker.com • Free practice: https://labs.play-with-docker.com