With real-world Docker Compose setups, GitHub Actions CI pipelines, and practical command recipes.

Everything you need to master Docker to Compose & CI/CD pipelines — from dev to deployment — in one place.

Docker Fundamentals

Whether you’re debugging a container, cleaning up images, or building complex multi-stage setups, this is your one-stop command reference.

Getting Started with Docker

Check Docker Version

docker --version
docker version

Check Docker Info

docker info

Working with Images

Pull an Image

docker pull ubuntu:22.04

List Images

docker images

Remove Image

docker rmi ubuntu:22.04

Build Image from Dockerfile

docker build -t my-app-image .

Tag Image

docker tag my-app-image myrepo/my-app-image:latest

Push Image to Registry

docker push myrepo/my-app-image:latest

Working with Containers

Run Container

docker run -it ubuntu /bin/bash
docker run --name mycontainer -d nginx

List Running Containers

docker ps

List All Containers (including stopped)

docker ps -a

Stop Container

docker stop mycontainer

Start Container

docker start mycontainer

Remove Container

docker rm mycontainer

Debugging & Logs

View Logs of a Container

docker logs mycontainer

Attach to a Running Container

docker attach mycontainer

Exec into a Running Container

docker exec -it mycontainer /bin/bash

Cleaning Up

Remove All Stopped Containers

docker container prune

Remove All Unused Images

docker image prune

Remove Everything (Careful!)

docker system prune -a

Networking

List Networks

docker network ls

Create Network

docker network create my-network

Run Container with Network

docker run --network=my-network nginx

Volumes & Persistence

List Volumes

docker volume ls

Create Volume

docker volume create my-volume

Run with Volume

docker run -v my-volume:/app/data nginx

Bind Mount Local Directory

docker run -v $(pwd)/config:/app/config nginx

Advanced Usage

Multi-Stage Build (Dockerfile)

FROM node:18 AS builder
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN npm install && npm run build

FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=builder /app/dist /usr/share/nginx/html

Build with Build Args

docker build --build-arg VERSION=1.0 -t myapp .

Monitoring & Stats

View Container Stats

docker stats

Inspect Container

docker inspect mycontainer

TL;DR: Most Useful Everyday Commands

docker ps -a              # List all containers
docker images             # List all images
docker logs <id>          # Logs from container
docker exec -it <id> bash # Shell into container
docker rm <id>            # Remove container
docker rmi <id>           # Remove image

From Docker to Compose

Now we are going for Scaling Multi-Container Apps…!

What is Docker Compose?

Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. You define services, networks, and volumes in a single YAML file (docker-compose.yml).

It simplifies local development, staging, testing, and even production deployments for small- to mid-size apps.

Basic docker-compose.yml Structure

docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'
services:
  app:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=development
    volumes:
      - .:/app
  redis:
    image: redis:alpine

Key Options —

• build: Context for Dockerfile

• ports: Map host:container ports

• environment: Inject ENV vars

• volumes: Sync host and container files

Real-World Docker Compose Examples

1. Node.js App + MongoDB

version: '3.8'
services:
  backend:
    build: ./backend
    ports:
      - "4000:4000"
    depends_on:
      - mongo
  mongo:
    image: mongo
    volumes:
      - mongo_data:/data/db
volumes:
  mongo_data:

2. Next.js + Redis + MySQL + Nginx + PHPMyAdmin

version: '3.9'

services:
  app:
    build: ./app
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
      MYSQL_DATABASE: myapp
    volumes:
      - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql

  phpmyadmin:
    image: phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin
    ports:
      - "8081:80"
    environment:
      PMA_HOST: db
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root
    depends_on:
      - db

  nginx:
    image: nginx
    ports:
      - "8080:80"

volumes:
  mysql_data:

Useful Commands

# Start all services
docker-compose up

# Rebuild on changes
docker-compose up --build

# Start in background (detached mode)
docker-compose up -d

# Stop all services
docker-compose down

# List running containers
docker-compose ps

# Run a one-off command
docker-compose exec web sh

CI/CD with Docker

Using GitHub Actions Example

Let’s automate builds + tests with GitHub Actions.

📁 .github/workflows/docker.yml

name: Docker CI
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
    - name: Checkout code
      uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Set up Docker
      uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@v2

    - name: Build Docker image
      run: docker build -t myapp .

    - name: Run tests
      run: docker run myapp npm test

CI/CD with Docker Compose

In GitHub Actions

name: Docker Compose CI
on: [push]

jobs:
  test:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    services:
      docker:
        image: docker:20.10.16

    steps:
    - uses: actions/checkout@v3

    - name: Set up Docker Compose
      run: |
        sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.5.0/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
        sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

    - name: Run Integration Tests
      run: |
        docker-compose up -d
        docker-compose exec web npm test

Bonus: Secrets in Docker Compose

  environment:
    - DB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}

Set in .env file or CI/CD secrets manager.

Best Practices Recap

Area	Tip
Build Caching	Use .dockerignore + multistage builds
Secrets	Avoid hardcoding in YAML, use ENV or secrets manager
Clean Up	docker-compose down -v to remove volumes too
Logs	Use docker-compose logs -f for debugging
Healthchecks	Add to services for better orchestration