A Quick Docker Bedtime Story…
Once upon a time, everyone was happy reading about virtual machines, and there wasn’t a need for the best Docker books.
There were all sorts of hybrid cloud books about VMware VMs, XenServer VMs, Hyper-V, KVM VMs, and Oracle VM.
Just about every major software company was coming up with a way to use virtualization. And new books about virtualization were always getting written.
Virtualization got so big that it seemed to be the only option. Here’s a review I wrote about 11Â virtual machine software alternatives. Wow, right?
Every day, happy sysadmins built clusters of hosts so that they could quickly deploy more VMs.
And companies like VMware figured out better and faster ways to offer more shiny features like NSX virtual networking and vSAN virtual storage so that sysadmins could keep deploying more and more VMs with less competition.
But then, one day, Solomon Hykes asked a good question.
Why do I need so many VMs?
I can just put the app in a container and run multiple containers on a single server or VM.
Then we don’t need to manage so many hosts. And then we don’t have to pay for expensive VMware software anymore.
So because of that question, Docker became an alternative to using VMs.
And a lot of sysadmins started learning to build and administer Docker containers.
Some admins even stopped using VMware because it wasn’t needed anymore when you’re using containers built on swarms of bare metal servers.
And because of that, many bookshelves that were once filled with books about VMware vSphere started to make room for new books about Docker.
That’s right. The best Docker books started showing up everywhere because smart people started writing books about all the ways you can use containers instead of VMs.
Until finally, there were almost as many Docker books on bookshelves as there are VMware books.
10 Best Selling Docker Books (Updated Daily)
The list of Docker books below is for beginners and advanced sysadmins and engineers.
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Schenker, Dr. Gabriel N. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 626 Pages - 08/31/2023 (Publication Date) - Packt Publishing (Publisher)
- Vasavada, Nisarg (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 534 Pages - 12/07/2021 (Publication Date) - BPB Publications (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Poulton, Nigel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 375 Pages - 09/19/2016 (Publication Date)
- Hohn, Alan (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 384 Pages - 09/06/2022 (Publication Date) - No Starch Press (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Poulton, Nigel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 476 Pages - 06/18/2017 (Publication Date)
- Weil, Arnaud (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 228 Pages - 01/30/2020 (Publication Date) - Lulu Press, Inc. (Publisher)
- Ortega Candel, José Manuel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 460 Pages - 02/22/2022 (Publication Date) - BPB Publications (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Schenker, Gabriel N. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 594 Pages - 03/13/2020 (Publication Date) - Packt Publishing (Publisher)
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Liebel, Oliver (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 2156 Pages - 05/20/2019 (Publication Date) - Kindle Direct Publishing (Publisher)
- Poulton, Nigel (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 115 Pages - 10/20/2023 (Publication Date) - Nielsen Book (Publisher)
BONUS: Before you leave here are some important statistics for you…
If you here looking for the best Docker book to study to future proof your skills – that’s a good idea.
Here’s why…
Docker statistics show that we can expect container technology growth to continue unabated.
In fact, global revenue for containers and container-related technologies is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 18%, reaching $13.7 billion in 2022.
And this doesn’t even account for other components in the ecosystem such as orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Mesosphere DC/OS. They’re forecasted to reach $6 billion by the end of 2021 and continue growing for years to come. Read more…
As these numbers illustrate, Docker has established itself as an important player in today’s IT landscape. And in order for any organization looking to stay competitive with their peers or simply keep up with the latest technology trends, they need a clear strategy around Docker.
If you need some more facts on why you should care about this container thing check out our blog post where we discuss some of the benefits of putting Docker on your tool belt. But today I am going to talk about why you should start your Docker training now.
Now, this is where I’m going to discuss a few benefits of learning Docker. Also, when you’re done reading, you might also want to check out the link above for Docker training while you still can get an early adopter’s advantage.
1) Early Adopters Have More Time To Potentially Gain Competitive Advantage
As I mentioned above, Docker is changing how traditional admin skills are being used. If you’re one of the few that already have experience with managing containers then this will give you a leg up on your peers if they don’t have comparable knowledge.
2) Early Adopters Have Less Risk Of Falling Behind Competitors If They Know What To Expect
Every industry has its own unique challenges. For example, in the financial services industry, it is common for organizations to need to conform to extremely high-security requirements because of the sensitive nature of their data. Couple this with increased government regulation and you have a recipe for disaster if you are not prepared. One area where Docker stands to have a great impact is in the storage industry. If you are an early adopter of Docker then there is a good chance that you will be able to work through security challenges faster than your peers because you would already be exposed to containers and how they work on a smaller scale.
3) Early Adopters Have More Time To Prepare For How Their Competitors Are Adopting Docker
One way to gain a competitive advantage is by understanding how your peers are using new technology like Docker. If you were an early adopter of Docker then this will give you critical information that can help you better prepare for changes in the future and build a strategy around them.
4) Early Adopters Are More Likely To Gain Early Access To New Features
As Docker’s customer base continues to grow, so too will the product they are offering. If you adopt early you’ll have more opportunities to get access to new features before your peers which gives you a potential advantage over them.
5) Early Adopters Will Have More Opportunities To Potentially Influence The Direction Of Docker
As more organizations start to adopt Docker, the more it is likely that they’ll begin to voice their opinions on how this technology could be improved. If you were an early adopter then there’s a good chance that your opinion will carry more weight than those coming in later with less experience.
I know there are a lot of other great reasons to learn Docker but I’ll leave it here for now. If you have some other thoughts on why being an early adopter is a good idea then I encourage you to share them in the comments below.
Now go find a Docker book and let me know how it goes!
FAQ
How Docker works – A while back, I wanted to experience for myself how Docker works so I bought “The Docker Book” and built a lab. Read more about my first encounter with Docker.
How Docker swarm works – Imagine VMware vCenter managing 100s of VMs. Now imagine containers as a bunch of bees and Swarm is the hive where the bees are managed by the queen in neat, orderly boxes. But, if you want an alternative to Swarm, there is always Rancher and Kubernetes…
Can Docker run on Windows? Yes. In my review mentioned above, I was able to install Docker on my Windows desktop. Here is a link to the Windows Docker installer. And they provide plenty of documentation for you to follow.
Can Docker run on a virtual machine? Absolutely, yes. From the beginning, VMware has seen to risk of going toe to toe with containers, and they have made it very easy to run Docker on VMs. So basically, you get the best of both worlds, all the features of vSphere – combined with containers.
What’s the best Docker book? Hmmm… That’s a tough question. It depends on what you’re trying to do. If you’re a beginner and want to learn the basics about Docker, Then “The Docker Book” is a good place to start. Whereas, if you’re using Docker on AWS to deploy apps, then you’ll need to be more a more advanced book that covers your use case.
Do you have a favorite Docker book you’d like to recommend to our community?
Please feel free to share your book suggestion through the comments section below.
And to further your learning, we also suggest this list of related Boks about DevOps and Network Security Books for Beginners.
VMinstall.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, and other Amazon stores worldwide. *Best Sellers last updated on 2024-04-26 at 06:27.
