View this page on GitHub

Before You Start

Welcome to the Docker Kickstart course! The course starts with a theoretical introduction to containers and Docker, followed by extensive hands-on exercises reinforced by additional theory throughout.

Before the course begins, work through this page to make sure your system is ready.

Course Materials

The slides used during the course are available here: Docker Training Presentation

Checklist

  • Docker Desktop installed and running
  • Git client installed
  • IDE / text editor installed
  • GitHub account created
  • Docker Hub account created

1. Docker Desktop

All exercises are built around Docker Desktop. Install it for your OS:

Commands in this course work in bash and in PowerShell on Windows.

Verify the installation:

$ docker container run hello-world
Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.

2. Git Client

You will need Git to clone repositories during the exercises. Install one:

  • Git CLI — works in any terminal

    GitHub requires a Personal Access Token (PAT) instead of your password for HTTPS git operations. Create a fine-grained PAT under Settings → Developer settings → Personal access tokens → Fine-grained tokens: select the repositories you need and grant Contents: Read and Write access. Use the token in place of your password when git prompts you.

    To store the token securely across sessions, install Git Credential Manager (included with Git for Windows; available separately for macOS and Linux).

  • GitHub Desktop — graphical client; handles GitHub authentication automatically via browser login, no PAT needed

Verify:

$ git --version
git version 2.x.x

3. IDE / Text Editor

Any editor works. Recommendations:

4. GitHub Account

You will need a GitHub account to clone and push repositories during the exercises.

→ Create a free account

5. Docker Hub Account

You will need a Docker Hub account to pull and push container images.

→ Create a free account

Next Steps

Once all five items are checked off, you’re ready to go.

Head over to Running your first container to begin!