Docker and Kubernetes: The Big Picture

Course Overview
Docker and Kubernetes. Everyone's talking about them, tons of people are using them, and it is high time we all got our heads around them. And that's the aim of this course, to get you up and running with the most important bits of what are probably the two most important technologies since the cloud itself. Well, my name's Nigel Poulton, and I'm going to be your instructor for the course. I'm a Docker captain, I've got a ton of Docker and Kubernetes courses already here on Pluralsight, and I've written books on the topic. And to say I'm excited about delivering this course would be an understatement. Anyway, it's a no-previous-experience- required course. In fact, it's designed to be your first step into the world of containers and cloud native. So, from the start, we'll cover all the basics of containers. Obviously, we'll be all over Docker and Kubernetes, but we'll also explain microservices and cloud native. Then, as well as the tech, we'll be looking at ways to prepare ourselves and our businesses to thrive in a container world, and we'll discuss the current state of the union. So like, is this stuff ready for your company and your business-critical production environment? Now then, this course is important because Docker and Kubernetes are literally changing the IT world, and if you're involved in IT, which I assume you are, and you want to position yourself as best you can for the future, then you absolutely need to know this stuff. It's just not an option. But you know what? As well as being important, the technologies are a bit special as well. I mean, it's not often a couple of technologies come along and reshape our world like these are. So, two promises from me: One, by the time you're done with the course, you'll be well up to speed, and two, the course is going to be a lot of fun. Sound good? Alright then, let's crack on.

Containers: Primer
Okay, like we said, a proper understanding of containers is fundamental to any journey with Docker and Kubernetes. So, that's what we'll do now, give you an understanding of what a container is. In fact, we'll even see one in action at the end, but as well, we'll talk a bit around what microservices are and what all this cloud-native stuff means. So, here's the plan: We'll start out by covering a bit of IT history, we'll spend some time talking about virtual machines, pros and cons, then we'll get into containers. We'll see one in action, and then we'll recap the major points. Okay, the bad old days.

Docker
Docker, Docker, Docker. No conversation about containers or even microservices is complete without Docker, which I think is, without question, the company and the technology that gave us modern containers. So cheers! Nice one Docker. So, this is how we'll do this. Docker is, at the very least, two things: There's the company Docker, Inc., and there's the technology Docker. And as we'll see, they're closely linked, but they are not the same. So, we'll talk about them separately, and we'll start with the company. And you know what? We might even do a bit of a demo. We'll see. Let's go talk about Docker the company.

Kubernetes
Kubernetes. Everyone's talking about it, and to be fair, loads of people are using it. So, this is what we'll cover: We'll set the scene with a bit of history and background stuff, the kind of stuff you really need to know before taking your first steps. Then, we'll just go for it. What is it? How does it work? And what does it do for us? Then we'll finish with a recap. So, let's do it.

Preparing to Thrive in a Container World
Okay, so we're at the point where most people have heard of containers, and actually, quite a few have gotten awareness of the potential changes they bring, and sometimes they're worried, which, actually, I think is fair enough. I mean, change represents the unknown, and a lot of us, including a lot of organizations, just don't like unknowns, or, at least, they're wary of them. That all said though, more often than not, people accept that at some point they're going to have to deal with containers, which is why I'm always asked, how can we prepare? Well, obviously, that's the topic for this module. How can we prepare ourselves and our organizations so that we can not only live, but thrive in a world of containers? And we'll look at it from these two aspects: One, how do we prepare ourselves as individuals, you know, make sure we look after our own careers and make sure we're personally ready for the opportunities that are coming, but also, we'll talk about how we can prepare our teams and organizations. So, exciting times ahead, and everybody has their chance to be a winner or a loser. It's up to you. Let's crack on.

Enterprise and Production Readiness
Okay, a couple of questions that come up a lot: Are these technologies production ready, and are they for the enterprise? And they're good questions, so this is how we'll go about it. We'll cover Docker first because it was here first. Then we'll do Kubernetes. After that, we'll give the ecosystem a quick mention. Then we'll wrap up. But before just plowing in, and I don't want to patronize any of you here, but irrespective of what I say, obviously, deciding if something of production ready or ready for your business is your call, not mine because you know your business way better than I do. However, that said, I have spent a significant chunk of my career working in the financial sector, and for a big part of that, I was a storage guy at large retail banks. So believe me, I've personally been Mr. Risk Averse in some of the most risk-averse organizations out there. So, I'm not particularly quick to declare something production worthy. I mean, it's not like I've spent my entire life building web startups in the cloud. No. I know a thing or two about the enterprise. Anyway, even though I may feel that some things are production ready, the final decision is yours. Magic. Let's go talk about Docker.