Docker import	Docker load
Docker import is a Docker command that creates a Docker image by importing material from an archive or tarball generated after exporting a container.	Docker load loads an image from a tar archive as STDIN, containing images and tags.
Import command is used with tars made using Docker export; it dumps the container to a file and flattens the image by deleting the container’s history.	Load command is used with tar files generated using Docker save.
Docker import also generates a tarball, but without any layer/history.	Docker load will create a tarball including all parent layers, tags, and versions.
syntax of Docker import is $ docker import [options] file |URL|- [REPOSITORY[:TAG]]	Syntax of Docker load is docker image ls REPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZE

Docker Import

Docker import is a Docker command that creates a Docker image by importing material from an archive or tarball generated after exporting a Docker container. An imported container is imported as a Docker image and functions using the file system of the exported container.

Syntax

$ docker import [options] file|URL|- [REPOSITORY[:TAG]]

Step By Step Guidelines To Import Docker Image

Step 1: Using the Dockerfile below, first make a Docker image.

$ docker build -t my-image:v2 .docker 

Step 2: Use the following command to run the container with that image.

$ docker run my-image:v2.21

• Check the container status of the above created one with the following command:

 $ docker ps –a

Step 3: Use the following command to export the container to a tar file called helloworld.tar

$ docker export <container_ID> > <file_name>

( or )

$ docker export <container_name> > <file_name>

• The following practical screenshot illustrates the archiving the container file.
  

Import from a remote location

Utilizing a file, URL, or pipe, the docker import function imports content and builds a Docker image. Docker import https://<domain>.com/<image> in the example provided. The URL tgz refers to a file (.tgz) that contains compressed pictures. When Docker runs, the archive is downloaded from the URL, its contents are taken out, and a Docker image is generated. You can import custom images or images from other sources into your Docker environment through the use of the following command.

docker import https://<domain>.com/<image>.tgz

Import from a local file

Import from a Local File via Pipe and STDIN:

Using the docker import command, this command imports a Docker image from a compressed file (<filename>.tgz). The compressed file’s contents are piped (|) and streamed (cat <filename>.tgz) into the docker import command. Upon being imported via the given <image-name>, the image is tagged with :new. This removes the need for you to manually extract the compressed file’s contents to generating a Docker image from it.

cat <filename>.tgz | docker import - <image-name>:new

Import with a Commit Message:

Utilizing a specific tag, this command imports a tarball file’s contents (a compressed archive, typically ending in.tgz) into Docker as a new image. Here’s how it works:

• cat <filename>.tgz: This section of the command line reads the tar file's contents.
• |: This symbol, which resembling a pipe, transfers the output of a single command as input to other.
• docker import: To import a file system archives as a new reputation, use this Docker command.
• --message "New image imported from tarball": Using the help of the corresponding flag, you can add a message to the imported image which acts as a justification or explanation of the import process.
• -: This dash indicates that standard input (stdin), which is being piped from the cat command, will be the starting point of input for the import command.
• <imagename>:new: This is the newly imported image’s name and tag. You may alter new for the desired tag and <imagename> to the picture you want to name.

cat <filename>.tgz | docker import --message "New image imported from tarball" - <imagename>:new

Import from a Local Archive:

A Docker image can be loaded into the local Docker environment via the command “docker import /path/to/exampleimage.tgz” from a tarball file at “/path/to/exampleimage.tgz.” Taking the data contained in the tarball file as a foundation, this tool creates an entirely new Docker image.

docker import /path/to/exampleimage.tgz

Import from a local directory

The current directory, specified by “.”, is generated as a tar archive by this command, which pipes (|) the output to the docker import command. The tar archive is read from standard input by the docker import command, and it then imports it as a Docker image named “exampleimagedir.” In basic terms, it uses the contents of the current directory for building a Docker image. In order to make sure the tar command has sufficient rights to read all files in the directory, use the sudo command.

sudo tar -c . | docker import - <dirname>

Import from a local directory with new configurations

Utilizing tar to archive the directory contents (. ), this command generates a Docker image from the current directory, and then gets piped (|) to docker import. Inside the Docker image, the environment variable DEBUG is changed to true via the –change “ENV DEBUG=true” flag. Last but not least, the path to the directory or repository where the Docker image will be kept is specified by <dirname>.

sudo tar -c . | docker import --change "ENV DEBUG=true" - <dirname>

Docker Load

Docker load loads an image from a tar archive as STDIN, containing images and tags. Docker loads saves an image to a tar archive stream to STDOUT, including all parent layers, tags, and versions .

Syntax

$ docker load [OPTIONS] < <Archived files>

Step by Step Guidelines to Load Docker Image

Step 1: Checking the Images list with the following docker command:

$ docker image ls

Step 2: To export a container’s filesystem as a tar archive, use the docker export command. To generate a filesystem image, use the docker import command to import the contents of a tarball.Loading Docker image from the Archived file to create busybox.tar.gz.

 $ docker load < busybox.tar.gz

Step 3: Load an repository from a tar archive .It restores both the photos and the tags. Save one or more images to a tar archive using the docker save command (streamed to STDOUT by default).When it is finished, we can use CMD to see that the file has been loaded as a Docker image:

 $ docker load --input fatra.tar

Conclusion

In Conclusion, Docker import is a Docker command that creates a Docker image by importing material from an archive or tarball generated after exporting a container. Docker load loads an image from a tar archive as STDIN, containing images and tags.

Docker Import and Docker Load – FAQs

Why is Docker Load so Slow?

The primary cause of the problem is that Windows 10 utilises WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), an intermediary layer that sits between Linux and Windows.

What is Load Command in Docker?

docker load – Load an image or repository from a tar archive. It restores both images and tags.

How do I import a docker container?

To import a Docker container, you can use the command docker import with a tarball file: docker import <path_to_tarball> <image_name>. This creates a Docker image from the tarball, which can then be used to run containers.

How do I add docker to an existing project?

To add Docker to an existing project, create a Dockerfile in the project’s root directory with the necessary instructions to build your application’s environment, and then build the Docker image using docker build -t your-image-name ..

How do I copy a docker container to another machine?

To copy a Docker container to another machine, first save the container as an image using docker commit <container_id> <image_name>, then export the image with docker save -o <image_name>.tar <image_name> and transfer the .tar file to the other machine. On the destination machine, load the image using docker load -i <image_name>.tar.