Complete Intro to Containers. Review.

Container carrier. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portalhubwagen.jpg
Container carrier. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portalhubwagen.jpg

In short

Six months ago I completed course: Complete Intro to Containers (feat. Docker) and in this short review, I would like to share especially how it improved my life as a software architect. Frontend masters (now Master.dev) has ever been my favourite learning platform. Brian Holt is one of teacher I highly value. After half a year I can admit that the time I put into learning Docker payed off. Now it has its own slot in the toolbelt next to git and CLI.

Docker, Docker, where are you?

My life became easier because…

  1. When backend guys are busy I can solve issues myself.

  2. When setup on specific OS X is problematic (e.g Mongo) I can use Docker image.

  3. My local setup for screenshot testing with Playwright resembles setup on GitHub

  4. I can use Docker via Colima on OS X Ventura

I always wanted to use Docker with less friction. Yet, there were other skills on my TO-DO list. The end of year is often more relaxed period and December last year I decided to set aside some time and move Docker to the top of that list.

The course made me more independent in setups where backend was partly dependent on Docker. If you are a frontend developer probably you can recall a situation: backend is broken and backend guys are busy. You cannot start working on your part until you revive the backend. Sometimes is not that easy. My desire to learn Docker was purely because I wanted to set up/prepare backend myself without waiting for busy backend developers.

Complete Intro to Containers…

Brian Holt is a great teacher who can explain how Docker works under the hood. Even though that knowledge is not required on a daily basis, it helps you demystify the tool you’d using on a daily basis. But the course is not about mimicking virtualization in Linux: it is all about what is really useful in your daily routine. I would not say that it will make you an expert. Yet, you will be competent enough.

Snapshot from one of the lessons
Snapshot from one of the lessons
Tip

Always check if the course page mentions course udpates. At the time I started the course I overlooked info that Complete Intro to Containers, v2 was released.

Armed with the knowledge you will feel more confident what to choose. Should I struggle with Mongo on OS X? No, use Mongo via Docker! How can I have similar (or very same) environment for Playwright screenshot testing on local and Github? Short answer! Use Docker.

Is more than intro

On of my Apple device, iMac uses Ventura which does not longer support Docker Desktop. Until I finished Complete Intro to Containers… I thought that I could not use Docker. Fortunately the course also mentioned Colima. Quoting: Colima is a container runtime for macOS (and Linux) with minimal setup. It supports Docker, Containerd, and Kubernetes out of the box. Knowing Colima I got another benefit form Brian Holt’s course.

Summary

I highly recommend Complete Intro to Containers, especially when you are a frontend developer. Time you invest will pay off: you will become less dependent on others, help yourself by reducing time spend on setting up architecture-dependent tools. When you know how to build Docker image, it also gives you lots of fun.