Docker Glossary

Browse 10 docker terms defined in plain English, from the cultural dictionary of computing.

10 Docker Terms

Build Context
In Docker, the set of files and directories sent to the Docker daemon when building an image — defined by the path (or URL) argument to docker build — which...
Container
A container is a lightweight, standalone executable package that bundles application code with everything needed to run: runtime, system tools, libraries, and...
Image
In containerization, a lightweight, standalone, read-only template containing an application and all its dependencies, from which containers are instantiated....
Moby
The open-source project providing core container technology components associated with Docker and related tooling. In container culture, Moby represents the...
Multi-Arch Build
A container image build process — typically using Docker Buildx — that compiles and packages the same Dockerfile for multiple CPU architectures (e.g., amd64...
Multi-Stage Build
A Dockerfile technique that uses multiple `FROM` statements to create intermediate build stages — compiling code and installing dev dependencies in early...
Swarm
Docker Swarm — Docker's native container orchestration tool, offering simpler setup than Kubernetes at the cost of fewer features. The 'we don't need...
Test Container
A library (most commonly Testcontainers for Java, Python, Node, Go, and .NET) that programmatically spins up lightweight Docker containers for dependencies...
Volume
A persistent storage unit managed by a container runtime (such as Docker or Kubernetes) that exists independently of any single container's lifecycle, allowing...
Volume Mount
The act of attaching a volume or host directory to a specific path inside a container, making external storage accessible to the containerized application as...

Related Topics