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Hello devs, it's no secret that Docker has become one of the most popular containerization technologies in recent years, revolutionizing the way software is developed, shipped, and deployed.

It provides a platform-independent way of packaging applications along with their dependencies and configurations, making them portable and easy to run on any platform.

As a result, Docker has become an essential skill for developers, DevOps engineers, and system administrators and that's why I think every developer and DevOps should learn Docker in 2025.

I have been answering a lot of questions about what programmers should learn in 2025, and Docker Container is one such skill.

Docker and containers are a whole new way of developing and delivering applications and IT infrastructure. In this post, I'll talk about what Docker is and why a programmer should learn Docker..

In today's world of massive scalability, where every single mobile app and web application needs to support billions of users (think of YouTube, WhatsApp, Uber), software application development and deployment have become increasingly complex. Gone are the days when the software is developed by a small team of onshore people.

Today's mobile apps and web applications are mostly developed by larger teams that are geographically distributed. They build these large applications by stitching together a collection of services, APIs, or microservices.

These services use a variety of stacks and are independent of each other. The services run on clusters spanning thousands or tens of thousands of servers or nodes in the cloud. And the consumers use these applications over the cloud and the public internet using their mobile, tablet, laptops, and desktop computers.

Deployment, management, and operationalizing these large complex infrastructures is a daunting task, and the Containerization of the apps and services helps to simplify these tasks.

Docker is open-source software that can help you automate the deployment of applications inside a software container. It came first into the picture in 2013 and has been gaining popularity ever since. It has over 150 million downloads, and over 100K applications are running as dockerized applications that is a LOT!

Fortunately, there are many free courses available online that can help you learn Docker from scratch and I am going to share many of them in this article.

By the way, if you don't mind investing in yourself and looking for the most up-to-date, comprehensive, and engaging course to learn Docker then you can also check out Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide course on Udemy. This one is my favorite and it's also very affordable, I bought it for just $10 on the Udemy sale.

Why Developer Should Learn Docker in 2025?

Developers should learn Docker because it provides a reliable and efficient way to package, distribute, and run their applications in any environment, regardless of the underlying operating system or infrastructure.

Docker allows developers to create lightweight, portable, and isolated containers that encapsulate all the dependencies and libraries required to run their applications, eliminating the issues caused by differences in software versions or configurations.

Using Docker also enables developers to easily replicate the same development and production environments, making it easier to test and deploy their applications consistently across different platforms.

Additionally, Docker provides a secure way to share and distribute applications, allowing developers to easily collaborate with others and deploy their applications to production environments with confidence.

Overall, learning Docker can significantly improve a developer's productivity and enable them to build more robust and scalable applications.

In this article, I Am going to share my favorite free courses to learn Docker but if you can afford $10 then I also recommend you to check Docker & Kubernetes: The Practical Guide course by Maximilian Schwarzmuller of AcadMind on Udemy. It's one of the most engaging and up-to-date course to learn Docker and K8s in 2025.

10 Free Udemy Online Courses to Learn Docker in 2025

Knowledge and experience of Docker could be precious for your career, especially in 2025. The latest stats and figures show some amazing numbers like jobs requiring these skill sets pay higher than most of the jobs posted on public job boards within the US, and annual salaries for professionals could be as high as $100,000.

That is the exact reason why you should learn Docker in 2025 and take your career to the next level, and nothing is better than starting with some free resources.

I have been sharing some free resources, like books and courses for quite some time, and if you are the first time here, you may want to search through the box to find out about free online classes on Java, Spring, Kotlin, DevOps, Eclipse, Jenkins, Rails, PHP and MySQL, Oracle, Linux, etc.

In this article, I am going to share 10 free Docker online courses you can use to learn the Docker and Containerization of applications.

As I said, Docker and containers are a whole new way of developing and delivering applications and IT infrastructure, and here is my list of some of the free courses Java developers can use to learn Docker.

1. Docker Essential (Free Course)

If you have heard all the buzz around Docker and containers and are wondering what they are and how to get started using them, then this course is for you.

In this course, you will learn how to install Docker, configure it for use on your local system, clone and work with Docker images, instantiate containers, mount host volumes, redirect ports, and understand how to manage images and containers.

After completing the course, you should be able to implement containers in your projects/environment while having a firm understanding of their use cases, both for and against.

In short, one of the best courses for Java developers who want to learn basics, e.g. what Docker containers are and how to use them in their environment.

2. Learn Docker: Images, Containers, DevOps & CI/CD - Hands On! [Free]

This is another good course to learn and understand the basics of Docker while learning about DevOps and CI/CD . The course is specially designed for DevOps engineers, automation guys, testers, and developers.

The course is divided into three main parts: Introduction of Docker, Docker Compose, and Docker images, containers etc.

The three sections are independent of each other, and you can learn in parallel or switch back and forth

Here is the link to join this course - Learn Docker: Images, Containers, DevOps & CI/CD - Hands On

3. Learn Docker Quickly: A Hands-on approach to learning docker [Free]

This is one of the best sources to learn the big picture of Docker and containerization. If you know a little bit about virtualization, networking, and cloud computing, then you can join this course. It provides an excellent introduction to the current software development trend and what problem Docker solves.

In short, an excellent course for Software and IT architects, Programmers, IT administrator, and anyone who want to understand the role of Docker in current world application development.

4. HANDS ON DOCKER for JAVA Developers [Free]

Docker and containers are a whole new way of developing and delivering applications and IT infrastructure. This course will cover Docker and containers, container registries, container orchestration, understand if this will work for the enterprise, and how to prepare yourself for it.

In short, an excellent course for anyone who wants to get up to speed with containers and Docker.

5. Docker, Docker SWARM and Kubernetes crash course for DevOps [Free]

Managing Docker at scale is the next challenge facing IT. This free Udemy course, Docker, Docker SWARM and Kubernetes crash course for DevOps , will teach you everything you need to know about Docker Swarm, the native solution for managing Docker environments at scale.

It's an excellent course for Developers, Networking Teams, DevOps Engineers, and Networking infrastructure teams. This was a paid course earlier on Udemy, but it's free for a limited time, join this course before it becomes paid again.

6. Learn CI/CD Pipeline With Jenkins, Python, Docker, DockerHub [Free]

Whether or not you're a Developer, anyone who works with code or servers will boost their productivity with Docker's open app-building platform.

In this course, you will learn how to use Docker products, e.g. Docker Toolbox, Docker Client, Docker Machine, Docker Compose, Kinematic, and Docker Cloud.

You will also learn how to work with images and containers, how to get your project running, and how to push it to the cloud, among other valuable lessons.

7. Docker on Windows 10 and Server 2016

If you are thinking too of learning to use Docker on Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, then this is the right course for you.

In this free Docker online course, you will understand what Docker On Windows is all about and how Docker on Windows is the same as Linux Containers.

You will also learn Hyper-V, namespace isolation, and server containers in depth.

8. Deploying Containerized Applications Technical Overview

Docker has become the de facto standard for defining and running containers in the Linux operating system. Kubernetes is Red Hat's choice for container orchestration.

OpenShift, built upon Docker, Kubernetes, and other open-source software projects, provides Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) for the ultimate in deploying applications within containers.

This is an Official Red Hat course about containers using Docker running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

In this course, Jim Rigsbee, a curriculum architect for Red Hat Training, will introduce you to container technology using Docker running on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

9. Docker Deep Dive [Free Trial]

As the title suggests, this is a great course to learn Docker in-depth. It provides a good experience for core Docker technologies, including the Docker Engine, Images, Containers, Registries, Networking, Storage, and more.

You will also learn theory, and all concepts are clearly demonstrated on the command line.

And the best part of this course is that no prior knowledge of Docker or Linux is required.

10. Docker and Containers: The Big Picture [Free Trial]

In this course, you'll learn how this is going to impact you as an individual, as well as the teams and organizations you work for. This course will cover Docker and containers, container registries, container orchestration, whether this stuff is for the enterprise, and how to prepare yourself for it.

Btw, these two courses from Pluralsight is not really free course, you need a Pluralsight membership to get this course, monthly membership costs around $29, and the annual membership cost around $299, but you will not only gain access to this course but over 7500 courses as well.

I have an annual membership because I have to learn a lot of new stuff all the time. Btw, even if you are not a member, you can get this course for free by signing up a free trial. Pluralsight provides a 10-day free trial with no obligation.

That's all about some of the my favorite free Docker container courses for developers, programmers, and DevOps Engineers. It's one of the essential skills if you are developing a mobile application or web application; hence, I suggest every application developer learn Docker in 2025.

You will not only gain an essential skill but also take your career to the next level, given the high demand for Docker specialist and developer who knows Docker.

Other Java, DevOps, and Programming Resources you may like

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these free Docker courses for beginners, then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback regarding these free Docker online training courses and classes, or anything about Docker then please drop a note.

P. S. - If you don't mind spending a few bucks to learn a valuable skill like Docker and Kubernetes, then you can also check out Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide course. It contains some of the best courses to learn Docker and Kubernetes which is also very affordable and completely online.

My Favorite Free Courses to Learn Docker and Containers in 2025