Common Pitfalls and Next Steps

Watch for these traps

• Forgetting -p and wondering why the browser cannot connect
• Editing files inside a container and losing them after rm
• Relying on latest tags in shared or production setups
• Running containers as root in images meant for production without a plan
• Pruning volumes and wiping a local database by accident

Networks and names

Containers on the same Compose network can reach each other by service name (for example, db as a hostname). From your host machine, use published ports instead.

Security habits early

Treat images like software you install: prefer official or known publishers, pin versions, and never put real passwords in Dockerfiles or public repos.

Where to go next

• Multi-stage Dockerfiles for smaller images
• Healthchecks and restart policies
• Docker networks in more depth
• Container registries and tagging strategies
• Orchestration basics (Swarm or Kubernetes) when one host is not enough