Docker: Up & Running: Shipping Reliable Containers in Production, Third Edition

Docker is more than a way to package an application: it changes how software is built, tested, delivered, and operated. Docker: Up & Running takes that full production-focused view, guiding readers from container fundamentals toward the everyday work of building dependable delivery workflows and running containers at scale.

In this third edition, Sean P. Kane and Karl Matthias update the guide with coverage of BuildKit, multiarchitecture images, and rootless containers. The focus stays practical: understand the tools, see how the pieces fit together, and consider what changes when containers move into real production environments.

Follow the container from build to production 💻

The book moves through the Docker workflow, including image creation and optimization, container operation, testing, packaging, and deployment. That end-to-end perspective helps connect individual commands and concepts to the larger task of delivering software consistently.

Explore the wider Docker ecosystem

Docker does not operate in isolation. The coverage places Linux containers alongside cloud services, Kubernetes, orchestration, networking, storage, security, and configuration. Readers can build a clearer picture of how container tools support modern development and operations practices.

What the third edition adds

• Updated coverage of BuildKit and multiarchitecture image support.
• Attention to rootless containers and other changes in Docker practice.
• Discussion of deploying, testing, and managing containers in production.
• Examples spanning image workflows, container operations, and production-scale concerns.

Who may find it useful

This guide is aimed at developers, operators, architects, and technical managers who want to understand Docker in the context of software delivery and production systems. It is especially relevant to readers working with Linux containers, DevOps workflows, Kubernetes, or cloud-based infrastructure.

For a practical view of Docker beyond the first successful container launch, this book follows the work through to the questions that matter in production: how to build, deliver, operate, and improve containerized systems.