Be safe, don't use root

Not giving access to the root user in your images makes images more foolproof, as users only have access to what's relevant to the use case you intended for the image. Additionally, it is one of the best options to increase their security. We've built an image for you from the following Dockerfile, which tries to install python3 as soon as you start it.

FROM ubuntu
RUN useradd -m repl
USER repl
CMD apt-get install python3

Let's see what happens if we try to install python3 at startup as the repl user.

This exercise is part of the course

Introduction to Docker

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Use docker to run the repl_try_install image.

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Introduction to Docker

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You'll go from starting and stopping your first container to seeing how to clean your environment by removing all containers and images. You'll see how to debug issues by running commands inside a container or executing bash commands in a container interactively. All of this is done using the Docker Command Line Interface.

Exercise 1: Running Docker containers Exercise 2: Running your first container Exercise 3: Running a container in the background Exercise 4: An interactive container Exercise 5: Working with Docker containers Exercise 6: Helping a colleague Exercise 7: Cleaning up containers Exercise 8: Managing local docker images Exercise 9: Pulling your first image Exercise 10: Pulling a specific tag Exercise 11: Cleaning up images

Once you are able to manage images and containers, it's time to know how to share images with colleagues or your entire company and to understand how to create your own. Now, you'll build your own images using Dockerfiles. Dockerfiles are text files that include everything needed for Docker to build an image. You'll learn how to create images and will get an introduction to all the essential Dockerfile instructions like FROM, RUN, COPY, and more. By the end of this chapter, you'll have insight into how Docker makes images and be able to create optimized Docker images from scratch.

Exercise 1: Distributing Docker Images Exercise 2: Sharing your work using a Docker registry Exercise 3: Saving an image to a file Exercise 4: Receiving Docker Images Exercise 5: Creating your own Docker images Exercise 6: Building your first image Exercise 7: Working in the command-line Exercise 8: Editing a Dockerfile Exercise 9: Creating your own Dockerfile Exercise 10: Managing files in your image Exercise 11: Copying files into an image Exercise 12: Copying folders Exercise 13: Working with downloaded files Exercise 14: Choosing a start command for your Docker image Exercise 15: Overriding the default command Exercise 16: Pulling a specific tag Exercise 17: Adding a CMD

In this final chapter, you’ll focus on making your Dockerfiles configurable and secure. You'll learn how to make your Dockerfiles configurable using the ARG and ENV instructions. You’ll see why changing the user in your images makes them more secure and how to use the USER Dockerfile instruction to do so. To wrap things up, you’ll learn about some essential security best practices when creating Docker Images.

Exercise 1: Introduction to Docker caching Exercise 2: Docker caching Exercise 3: Ordering Dockerfile instructions Exercise 4: Changing users and working directory Exercise 5: WORKDIR and USER Exercise 6: Setting the user Exercise 7: Setting the working directory Exercise 8: Variables in Dockerfiles Exercise 9: Understanding ARG and ENV Exercise 10: Overriding ARG in a build Exercise 11: Changing behavior when starting a container Exercise 12: Creating Secure Docker Images Exercise 13: Security best practices Exercise 14: Keeping packages up-to-date Exercise 15: Be safe, don't use root

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