Docker Desktop is an user-friendly tool that simplifies the deployment of Docker containerized applications on your local machine. It provides a graphical interface for managing containers, images, and volumes, making it accessible for developers and DevOps professionals. In this guide, we will walk you through the essential steps of using Docker Desktop, from installation to deploying a simple Nginx application.

What is Docker Desktop?

Docker Desktop is a lightweight virtualization platform that enables you to run containers on your local machine. Docker Containers are portable and self-contained units that encapsulate an application and its dependencies. Docker Desktop streamlines the development, testing, and deployment processes, making it an integral part of modern application development workflows.

Installation of Docker Desktop

Before we delve into deploying containerized applications, let’s get Docker Desktop installed on your machine. Follow these steps based on your operating system:

1. Windows Installation

Visit the Docker website and download the Docker Desktop installer for Windows. Run the installer, following the on-screen instructions. Upon installation, Docker Desktop may prompt you to enable virtualization in your system’s BIOS settings. Make sure to do this for optimal performance.

• For further installation guide refer How to install Docker on Windows.

2. MacOS Installation

Download the Docker Desktop installer for macOS from the official Docker website. Open the downloaded package and drag the Docker icon to your Applications folder. Launch Docker Desktop from the Applications folder.

• For further installation guide refer How to install Docker on MacOS.

3. Linux Installation

Install Docker Engine on your Linux distribution by following the official documentation. Download the Docker Desktop package for Linux from the Docker website. Install Docker Desktop by executing the provided commands in the terminal.

Getting Started with Docker Desktop

Now that Docker Desktop is installed, let’s explore the basic functionalities.

1. Access to DockerHub: Upon launching Docker Desktop, you may be prompted to sign in with your Docker ID. If you don’t have one, you can create it for free. Logging in allows you to access Docker Hub, a cloud-based registry for Docker images.
2. Dashboard: The Dashboard serves as the command center, providing an overview of your running containers, available images, and other essential information. It’s the first screen you see upon launching Docker Desktop.
3. Containers: In the Containers section, you can manage your running containers. Docker Desktop allows you to start, stop, and remove containers with a simple click, making it a user-friendly way to interact with your applications.
4. Images:The Images section displays the Docker images available on your system. You can pull images from Docker Hub, create custom images, and manage image repositories effortlessly.
5. Docker Volumes: Volumes in Docker Desktop are where you manage persistent data storage for your containers. This is crucial for applications that require data persistence beyond the lifespan of a container.

How to Deploy your First Docker Container with Docker Desktop?

Now that Docker Desktop is up and running, let’s deploy a basic containerized application using the GUI. For starters, if you want to explore more.

• Open Docker Desktop and navigate to the “Dashboard.” Use the search bar to find an image. For example, let’s search for the official Nginx image.
• Click on the image to pull it to your local machine. Then Click on run button run the ubuntu, after doing this it show the status “In use” instead of unused. With the container running, open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080.
• You should see the default Nginx welcome page, indicating a successfully deployed containerized application.

• We can try other images availabe on DockerHub as per our need. But in this article, we will be focusing more on how to run a custom container.

Creating a Dockerfile

• To deploy a custom application, you’ll need to create a Dockerfile. This file contains instructions for building a Docker image.
• Here’s a simple Dockerfile for an Nginx application:

# Use the official Nginx image
FROM nginx:latest

# Copy your HTML files into the container
COPY ./html /usr/share/nginx/html

Building and Running the Docker Image

• Open a terminal in the directory containing your Dockerfile. Build the Docker image:

docker build -t my-nginx-app .

• Run the Docker container:

docker run -d -p 8080:80 my-nginx-app

• This command maps port 8080 on your host machine to port 80 on the container.

Managing Multi-Container Applications with Docker Compose

Docker Desktop seamlessly integrates with Docker Compose, allowing you to define and manage multi-container applications using a YAML file. The following are the steps that guides you on how to manage the multi-container applications with docker compose:

Step 1: Create a docker-compose.yml File

• In your project directory, create a docker-compose.yml file with the following content:

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
  db:
    image: mysql
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
      MYSQL_DATABASE: mydatabase

• This example defines two services: web (Nginx) and db (MySQL). It specifies port mapping for the Nginx service and sets environment variables for the MySQL service.

Step 2: Run Docker Compose

• On the Docker Desktop Dashboard, go to the “File” menu and select “Open Compose.” Choose your docker-compose.yml file.
• Docker Desktop will recognize the file and present options to build and run the defined services.

Step 3: Access Your Multi-Container Application

• With Docker Compose running, your multi-container application is accessible just like a single-container application. On visiting the following link, we can interact with the Nginx service in this example:

http://localhost:8080

Difference between Docker and Docker Compose

The following are the difference between Docker and Docker Compose:

netstat -tnlp