Updated June 2026

Mastering Docker and Kubernetes with AWS

Class Duration

35 hours of live training delivered over 5 days.

Student Prerequisites

Familiarity with basic Linux commands
No prior Docker or Kubernetes experience required

Target Audience

This course is designed for developers and administrators who would like to leverage the advantages of containers by learning the fundamentals of Docker and Kubernetes for deploying applications both on-premises and in the Amazon cloud. Teams on Microsoft's platform can take the Mastering Docker and Kubernetes with Azure variant instead.

Description

Docker has emerged as one of the most popular software platforms for managing applications, enabling them to be developed, shipped, and run in a standardized, lightweight, and portable fashion through the use of containers, while Kubernetes has become the de facto standard for managing containerized applications by automating the processes for deploying, scaling, and managing containers. This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of Docker and Kubernetes for developers and administrators wishing to deploy applications both on-premises and in the cloud using Amazon Web Services. The course begins with Docker fundamentals - architecture, containers, images, storage, and networking - then moves through Kubernetes deployments, services, and Ingress, and multi-container applications with Docker Compose. It concludes with the full range of AWS container services, from the Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR) through the Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) with its AWS Fargate and Amazon EC2 compute options, to the Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS), and finishes with packaging and managing Kubernetes applications using Helm.

Learning Outcomes

Understand the features, design goals, and architecture of both Docker and Kubernetes, and install the tools necessary to work with each.
Use the Docker command line interface (CLI) to browse, create, build, and run images and manage containers.
Create and manage Kubernetes resources using commands and YAML files, and deploy applications you can scale, update, and roll back.
Create services to communicate with Kubernetes applications and expose services using Ingress.
Deploy multi-container applications with Docker Compose, convert Docker Compose applications to Kubernetes, and build and deploy a Node.js application to Docker and Kubernetes.
Store and share images using the Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR).
Create app deployments with the Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), understanding the available AWS container compute options (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and AWS Fargate), and leverage the full set of Kubernetes deployment features with the Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS).
Install and manage Kubernetes applications using Helm.

Training Materials

Comprehensive courseware is distributed online at the start of class. All students receive a downloadable MP4 recording of the training.

Software Requirements

Modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
AWS account with permission to create resources (ECR, ECS, EKS) and manage IAM credentials
AWS CLI v2
SSH client for connecting to an Ubuntu virtual machine
Visual Studio Code with the Container Tools extension
Docker Engine, kubectl, Minikube, and Helm (installation is covered in class)

Training Topics

Introduction to Docker

What is Docker?
Containers: introduction and benefits
Docker architecture
- Client (docker CLI)
- Daemon and client-daemon communication
- Images, registries, and the Docker Engine
Installation
- Creating and connecting to an Ubuntu virtual machine
- Testing and updating the installation
- Configuring Visual Studio Code for Docker

Containers and Images

Container operations
- Listing containers
- Start, stop, pause, and unpause
- Removing containers
Images
- Docker Hub
- Dockerfiles
- Creating and running images
- Removing images

Docker Storage and Networking

Volume mounts
Bind mounts
tmpfs mounts
Bridge networks: default and user-defined
Host networks

Introduction to Kubernetes

What is Kubernetes?
Architecture overview: clusters, nodes, Pods, and the control plane
Tools, installation, and basic commands
- Minikube
- kubectl
Creating a simple "Hello World" deployment

Kubernetes Deployments

Architecture details
- Pods and nodes
- Objects and resources
- Workloads and ReplicaSets
Deployments
- Creating from the command line
- Creating from a YAML file
- Updating and rolling back
- Scaling
- Pausing and resuming

Kubernetes Networking: Services

The Kubernetes networking model
Selectors, labels, and endpoints
Service types: ClusterIP, NodePort, LoadBalancer, and ExternalName
Creating services from the CLI and from YAML
Exposing services within the cluster, externally, and with local port forwarding

Kubernetes Networking: Ingress

Ingress vs. NodePort and LoadBalancer
Ingress controllers: the NGINX Ingress controller
Defining an Ingress resource in YAML
DNS
Usage patterns: fanout and name-based virtual hosting

Multi-Container Applications with Docker Compose

What is Docker Compose?
The Compose file and the Compose Specification
- Defining services, networks, and volumes
- Merging multiple Compose files
docker compose commands: create, start, list, stop, and remove
Converting Compose applications to Kubernetes with Kompose

Amazon Elastic Container Registry (ECR)

Introduction
Creating private and public repositories
Logging in
- Installing the AWS CLI
- Identity and Access Management (IAM)
- Configuring credentials
Pushing, pulling, and viewing images

Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS)

Introduction
Creation and configuration
- Creating a cluster
- Creating a task definition
- Creating and viewing a service
AWS Fargate vs. Amazon EC2
- Configuration and features
- Cost
- Usage scenarios

Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS)

What is EKS?
Creating an EKS cluster
Managing an application in EKS: configuring, running, scaling, and updating

Helm

What is Helm?
Installation and architecture
Charts
- Searching Artifact Hub and chart repositories
- Adding and installing charts
- Setting default values
Releases: create, upgrade, rollback, and uninstall