15 Amazing and Practical Ways to Use Docker

Docker is an incredibly powerful tool that can be used for a wide range of tasks, making it the most efficient, secure, and popular tool in today’s IT environments. And today I am going to show you 15 awesome and practical ways to use Docker in your daily IT routines and tasks, so get ready to have fun with Docker!

1.) Full GUI Browser – In A Container

Our first use case is a containerized browser, this can be useful when testing a Web-App and you want to see how it responds and behaves in different web browsers e.g. FireFox, Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera etc. To set this up, you can simply go to “linuxserver.io”, pull and run the browser image that you want to work with e.g. Firefox. Using your main browser, you can navigate to localhost:3000 (or whatever port you mapped) and boom! You will have your containerized browsing (more like a new browser running in your main browser). And because it’s browsing the web in a container, it inherits all the Docker security benefits. The magic behind this setup is an open-source GUI tool called “KasmVNC”.

2.) Obsidian – In A Container

Ever heard of Obsidian? It’s an amazing note-taking app, and yes, we can run it in Docker! Again, you can pull and run this from “linuxserver.io”. Make sure to map those service ports (shouldn’t conflict with already running ports). This setup is also supported by the KasmVNC GUI.

 3.) LibreOffice – In A Container

Need a full office suite? No problem – Docker has got our back. Again, go to “linuxserver.io”, pull and run the latest LibreOffice image, map those ports to make it accessible using KasmVNC GUI.

4.) Folding@Home (FAH or F@h) – In A Container

Now let’s put those containers to work for a good cause! F@h is a distributed computing project that allows volunteers to contribute their computer’s processing power to help scientists simulate protein dynamics, including the process of protein folding and the movements of proteins implicated in various diseases. We can run this too in a Docker Container. And if you have a GPU, you can even accelerate the research. Super simple to set up and start contributing.

5.) Docker Desktop

If you are a techie like me, then i sure know that you love the CLI, but sometimes a GUI is just nicer and more convenient and that’s where Docker Desktop comes in! Available for all major Operating Systems (Mac, Windows, Linux). Docker Desktop helps you to see your containers, their resource usage, and more – all in one place. It’s a lifesaver for people who prefer visual stuff to CLIs.

 6.) Portainer

Ready to take your container management to the next level? And by this, I mean container management on steroids! If your answer is yes, then allow me to introduce to you Portainer! We can install it directly as a Docker Desktop extension. Portainer gives you awesome visualizations, easy management, and even helps with deploying complex applications. This tool is a must-have for taming your Docker environment!

7.) Dangerzone

Ever get a file that just feels suspicious? Don’t risk it! Dangerzone is here to save the day! It converts potentially dangerous files into safe PDFs. And guess what? It uses Docker for sandboxing, keeping those nasty exploits away from your system. And there you have it, containerized security – what’s not to love about docker?

8.) Building Your Own Images (Dockerfiles)

Are you ready to unleash your inner Docker wizard? Well, Dockerfiles are your superpowers! This use case lets you build your own images! How cool is this? Dockerfiles give you the power to define your app’s entire environment, build it once, and run it anywhere. Let’s take an example of “Fabric.so”, an awesome AI text generation tool (if you want to learn more about the Fabric project, you can read it here in my previous article), let’s say we want to run Fabric.so, we will define the environment in our Dockerfile, including all the dependencies, build the image, run it in a container and boom! AI superpowers! All neatly contained and secure within Docker container! Now this is like magic, only better!

9.) Docker Scout

Okay, let’s talk security! Container security is absolutely crucial and Docker Scout is our new best friend! It scans your images for any known vulnerabilities and generates for you a full report; vulnerabilities, severity, even recommendations on how to fix them! This tool lets you sleep easy knowing your containers are secure.

10.) Run Containerized Ethical Hacking Labs with Kali Linux

Time to put on our ethical hacking hats! Setting up a safe ethical hacking lab is essential, could be for your educational purposes or for your professional IT security activities, and Docker makes it a breeze! To set this up, go to “linuxserver.io”, pull and run the latest Kali Linux image. Again, this uses KasmVNC for GUI access.

11.) DVWA – Damn Vulnerable Web App

Every good ethical hacking lab needs some targets to test, right? And that where DVWA comes in. DVWA stands for the Damn Vulnerable Web App. It’s intentionally full of security holes – perfect for honing your ethical hacking skills. DVWA can easily be deployed with docker and test attacks simulated within an isolated docker network.

12.) Docker Compose – Orchestration Made Easy

Containerization is fun, but if your number of containers grows, it get tedious and sometimes messy! That’s where Docker Compose comes in – our orchestration savior! Docker Compose lets define our entire deployment in a single YAML file; containers, networks, the whole menu and it will take only one command to spin it all up – it’s magical!

13.) Experimenting With Different Operating Systems

Another practical use case of docker is that it lets you play with different Operating Systems without the risk of messing up your host system? Let’s say we want to try out Rocky Linux or any other Linux distro, all we have to do is pull the image, run it, and boom! We have a fresh operating system! It’s like having an OS playground right on your computer. This is very helpful in scenarios where you want to first test an OS before you can decide on whether it will be best for your application or solution.

14.) Full Raspberry Pi Environment in a Container

Docker can run almost anything! we can even run a Raspberry Pi in a container! That’s right, experiment with IoT projects, explore ARM architecture, all without needing the physical hardware. This use case unlocks the ability to interact with emulated hardware and the possibilities are endless!

15.) IT-Tools – Your Swiss Army Knife

Last but not least, a survival kit for all you IT folks, There’s a treasure trove of handy IT tools available as Docker containers. IT-Tools is one example; bcrypt generators, QR code makers, IP address converters, you name it. It’s like having a Swiss Army knife of IT utilities, all ready to go in a container. Need a quick IT tool? There’s probably a container for that!

So, there you have it—my Docker arsenal in all its glory! I hope this has inspired you to explore the incredible world of containers. From software development to systems administration to IT security to just plain fun, Docker can do it all. Start exploring today and see what amazing things you can containerize! Have fun!