5 Reasons to Learn Docker

Docker is an awesome and powerful tool that has the IT world scrambling to take advantage of its features. Without a clear understanding of what Docker is and what it does, there's no way to know if you should be using it in your environment. But I suspect you should. Here are 5 reasons to learn Docker so you can use it in your server room:

1. Dockerized apps don't require their own operating system. So maintaining apps doesn't also mean maintaining the system on which they run. Only your host system's OS needs to be updated and secured, leaving you time to do the thousand other things SysAdmins need to do!

2. Each Dockerized app gets its own set of dependencies. There's no longer any need to worry about conflicting versions of libraries. If one app needs PHP version 5.2 and another needs 5.4, with Docker that's no problem!

3. Most of the heavy lifting is already done. The Docker community maintains the images at Docker Hub, which means setting up complete application environments is a simple one-line command. Rather than taking the time to set up the system your app requires, you can devote your time to developing your application.

4. Controlling Docker containers can be fully automated. Remember that single-line command for setting up an environment? It can be scripted or automated like any other command line tool. That means you can programmatically scale and deploy applications without wasting valuable hands-on time.

5. It's easy! Truly, Docker is a time saving tool that is easy to learn and integrate into your environment. There's no reason to avoid learning Docker, as it will benefit almost every server room to some degree. Its Open Source nature also means those benefits can be realized without a large investment. Check out Docker today, you won't regret it!

Learn more about Docker by checking out our recorded webinar, Diving into Docker. And you can deepen your learning by exploring the in-progress Docker course!