Docker Engine, Docker Hub, and Docker
Compose: Overview and Key Roles
Docker Engine
Core containerization technology that enables building and running
containerized applications.
Follows a client-server architecture:
Docker Daemon (dockerd): The core background service that manages
images, containers, networks, and storage.
Docker CLI (docker): Command-line interface used by users and
automation tools. It communicates with the daemon via REST APIs.
Creates and runs Docker objects like images and containers, manages
networks and volumes, and maintains the declarative state of your
containers.
Built with security, portability, and efficiency in mind. Works on Linux,
Windows, and Mac (often through virtualization or Docker Desktop).
Open source under the Apache License 2.0.
Docker Hub
A cloud-based registry service for storing, sharing, and managing
Docker images.
Provides access to:
Public repositories (free to use; shared with the world)
Private repositories (controlled, secure sharing for teams and
organizations)
Features:
Image search, management, and distribution—find, store, pull, and
push images easily.
Automation: Automated builds from GitHub/Bitbucket, webhooks for
CI/CD.
Integration: Works with popular DevOps tools and useful for
collaborative development.
Security scans: Automated image checks and vulnerability reporting for
better security.
Developers can push images they build to Docker Hub, which can then
be pulled by other team members or in deployment environments,
ensuring consistency.
Docker Compose
A powerful tool for defining and running multi-container Docker
applications with ease.
Uses a YAML file (docker-compose.yml):
Defines all the containers (services), their relationships (e.g., networks),
configurations (environment vars, ports), and storage (volumes) for an
application stack.
Key Features:
Spin up an entire multi-container application with a single command
(docker-compose up).
Handles networking, volume attachment, and container orchestration
automatically.
Boosts consistency across dev, testing, and production environments;
minimises misconfiguration.
Frequently used for microservices setups, where each service (API, DB,
cache, etc.) lives in its own container.
Popular for:
Rapid development and testing of complex app stacks.
Simplifying the management and teardown of environments with a single
command.
How They Work Together
Docker Engine runs containers on your host machine.
Docker Compose configures and orchestrates multiple containers as a
cohesive application using a YAML file.
Docker Hub serves as the registry from which images are pulled or to
which images are pushed, streamlining collaboration and deployment.
Example Workflow
1. Build your app image locally with Docker Engine.
2. Push the image to Docker Hub for access anywhere.
3. Define your application stack in docker-compose.yml (multiple
images/services, config, networks, etc).
4. Run the full stack with docker-compose up, with all service images being
pulled from Docker Hub if not found locally.
These components form the foundation of modern containerized
development, continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD), and cloud-
native application delivery.
