What is Docker?
Docker is an open-source platform designed to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of applications. It uses container technology to package applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers. These containers ensure that your application runs consistently regardless of where it’s deployed.
Why use docker?
Docker offers several practical benefits:
- Consistency: Docker containers encapsulate all dependencies, configurations, and the application itself, ensuring that it runs the same way in development, testing, and production environments.
- Isolation: Each container runs in its isolated environment, which improves security and prevents conflicts between applications.
- Portability: Docker containers can run on any system that supports Docker, making it easy to move applications between different environments, such as from a developer’s laptop to a cloud server.
- Efficiency: Containers are lightweight and share the host system’s kernel, which allows for higher density of applications compared to virtual machines.
- Scalability: Docker integrates well with orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm, enabling easy management and scaling of containerized applications.
Deploying a WordPress Website
Step 1: Create a docker-compose.yml
File
version: '3.8'
services:
db:
image: mysql:5.7
container_name: wordpress_db
volumes:
- db_data:/var/lib/mysql
environment:
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example_root_password
MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
MYSQL_USER: wordpress_user
MYSQL_PASSWORD: example_password
wordpress:
image: wordpress:latest
container_name: wordpress_app
depends_on:
- db
ports:
- "8000:80"
environment:
WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db:3306
WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wordpress_user
WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: example_password
WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
volumes:
db_data: {}
Step 2: Run Docker Compose
docker-compose up -d
Access WordPress at http://localhost:8000
and follow the setup wizard to configure your site.