Running Docker Containers

Overview

Teaching: 25 min
Exercises: 15 min

Questions

• Where do Docker images come from?

• How do I run a Docker container based on a Docker image?

• How do I access a running Docker container?

• How do I make my research project files accessible inside a Docker container?

• How do a delete a Docker container when I no longer need it?

Objectives

• Pull a Docker image from DockerHub.

• Run a Docker container based on a Docker image.

• Access an interactive shell inside a running Docker container.

• Mount a directory on your local machine into a Docker container.

• Delete a Docker container when it is no longer needed.

Docker Client is the primary way you’ll interact with Docker. When you use the Docker Command Line Interface (CLI) you type a command into your terminal that starts with docker. Docker Client then uses the Docker API to send the command to the Docker Daemon.

Key Points

• Existing Docker images can be pulled from container registries such as DockerHub.

• To run a Docker container based on a Docker image use the docker container run command.

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• Mount a directory on the host into a container by passing the --volume option to the docker container run command.

• Pass the --rm flag when using the docker container run command to automatically remove the container when it exits.