In this new series, I'm going to guide you through the process of learning how to use Docker to deploy containerized applications. I've been using Docker for years to deploy applications and services that I need to be productive. With the help of Docker, I've been able to quickly make use of project management platforms, invoicing, office suites, automation tools, and just about everything in between. In fact, with the help of containers, I've been able to deploy a host of services and tools I need for everyday productivity and collaboration (either for business or personal usage).

But what exactly is a container and what does Docker have to do with them? Let me explain.

What are containers?

Let me explain containers in such a way that anyone can understand them. Simply put, containers are packaged applications and/or services that contain everything they need to run (including code, runtime, system tools, system libraries, and settings) properly and can be deployed (think "installed") almost anywhere. 

Think about it this way. Say, for example, you want to install WordPress. To do this the traditional way, you'd have to first install a full LAMP (Linux Apache MySQL PHP) stack, create the database, and then install WordPress on top of that. Or, you could deploy WordPress as a container with a single command or by building a much more complex installation using what's called a Dockerfile (we'll talk about that later on in the series).

That single command (such as docker run -d -p 80:80 wordpress:latest) makes it possible for you to quickly deploy WordPress in seconds. And that's really the heart of containers