Featured resource
2025 Tech Upskilling Playbook
Tech Upskilling Playbook

Build future-ready tech teams and hit key business milestones with seven proven plays from industry leaders.

Check it out
  • Lab
    • Libraries: If you want this lab, consider one of these libraries.
    • Cloud
Google Cloud Platform icon
Labs

Using Storage Volumes with Docker Swarm

Storage volumes provide a powerful and flexible way to add persistent storage to your containers, but what if you need to share storage volumes across multiple Docker hosts, such as a Swarm cluster? In this lab, you will have the opportunity to work with a simple method of creating shared volumes usable across multiple swarm nodes using the `sshfs` volume driver.

Google Cloud Platform icon
Lab platform
Lab Info
Level
Intermediate
Last updated
Sep 18, 2025
Duration
45m

Contact sales

By filling out this form and clicking submit, you acknowledge our privacy policy.
Table of Contents
  1. Challenge

    Set up the external storage location.
    1. On the storage server, create the storage directory.
    sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker/storage
    sudo chown cloud_user:cloud_user /etc/docker/storage
    
    1. Copy the nginx configuration file into the storage directory.
    cp /home/cloud_user/nginx.conf /etc/docker/storage
    
  2. Challenge

    Install the vieux/sshfs plugin.
    1. Install the vieux/sshfs plugin on the swarm manager and worker node.
    docker plugin install --grant-all-permissions vieux/sshfs
    
  3. Challenge

    Create the nginx service that uses the shared volume.
    1. Create the nginx-web service.

    Create the container. Be sure to replace <cloud_user password> with the actual password.

    docker service create -d 
       --replicas=3 
       --name nginx-web 
       -p 8080:9773 
       --mount volume-driver=vieux/sshfs,source=nginx-config-vol,target=/etc/nginx/,[email protected]:/etc/docker/storage,volume-opt=password="<cloud_user password>" nginx:latest
    
    1. Verify that the service is working properly.
    curl localhost:8080
    

    If everything is set up correctly, you should see HTML from the nginx Welcome page.

About the author

Pluralsight Skills gives leaders confidence they have the skills needed to execute technology strategy. Technology teams can benchmark expertise across roles, speed up release cycles and build reliable, secure products. By leveraging our expert content, skill assessments and one-of-a-kind analytics, keep up with the pace of change, put the right people on the right projects and boost productivity. It's the most effective path to developing tech skills at scale.

Real skill practice before real-world application

Hands-on Labs are real environments created by industry experts to help you learn. These environments help you gain knowledge and experience, practice without compromising your system, test without risk, destroy without fear, and let you learn from your mistakes. Hands-on Labs: practice your skills before delivering in the real world.

Learn by doing

Engage hands-on with the tools and technologies you’re learning. You pick the skill, we provide the credentials and environment.

Follow your guide

All labs have detailed instructions and objectives, guiding you through the learning process and ensuring you understand every step.

Turn time into mastery

On average, you retain 75% more of your learning if you take time to practice. Hands-on labs set you up for success to make those skills stick.

Get started with Pluralsight