Course overview
Modern data engineering requires reproducible environments that work the same on every machine. Docker creates isolated containers that bundle everything your code needs to run—dependencies, databases, configuration—eliminating “it worked on my machine” problems. This course takes you from Docker fundamentals through production-ready containerization. You’ll start by running PostgreSQL in a container, connecting to it, and persisting data with volumes. Then you’ll use Docker Compose to orchestrate complete data pipelines: a Python ETL script that connects to a database, all defined in a single file and started with one command. Finally, you’ll learn the production patterns that DevOps teams expect—health checks that prevent startup race conditions, multi-stage builds that create slim images, security hardening with non-root users, and proper secret management with environment files. By the end, you’ll build containerized data workflows that are portable, maintainable, and ready for production deployment.
Key skills
- Running databases and services in isolated Docker containers
- Managing container lifecycles using Docker CLI and Docker Desktop
- Persisting data across container restarts with Docker volumes
- Defining and running multi-service data pipelines with Docker Compose
- Building custom Docker images for data processing workflows
- Connecting services together in Compose for complete data stacks
- Implementing production-ready patterns including health checks and multi-stage builds
- Securing containers and managing configuration for staging and production environments
Course outline
Docker Fundamentals [3 lessons]
Introduction to Docker 2h
Lesson Objectives- Install Docker Desktop and verify installation using CLI commands
- Pull and run containerized services like PostgreSQL from Docker Hub
- Connect to and query databases running inside Docker containers
- Persist data across container lifecycles using Docker volumes
- Manage containers using both CLI commands and Docker Desktop GUI
Intro to Docker Compose 2h
Lesson Objectives- Define multi-container applications using docker-compose.yaml files
- Connect containerized services over shared Docker networks
- Build custom Docker images with Dockerfiles for Python applications
- Manage persistent data storage using Docker named volumes
- Orchestrate ETL pipelines with PostgreSQL and Python containers
Advanced Concepts in Docker Compose 2h
Lesson Objectives- Add health checks to prevent container race conditions
- Implement multi-stage Docker builds to reduce image size
- Configure containers to run as non-root users for security
- Externalize secrets using environment files and .env configuration
- Apply production-ready patterns for reliable containerized pipelines
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