Working with Docker Volumes: Creating an Nginx Container with Volumes

When working with Docker, volumes plays a crucial role in managing data persistence. Docker volumes are essential for persistent data storage and sharing between containers and host systems. In this guide, I'll walk through creating a Dockerfile that uses Nginx as the base image with two volumes, perfect for a web development project.

Understanding Docker Volumes

Docker volumes are the preferred mechanism for persisting data generated by and used by Docker containers. Unlike bind mounts, volumes are completely managed by Docker and have several advantages:

• Volumes are easier to back up or migrate

• You can manage volumes using Docker CLI commands or the Docker API

• Volumes work on both Linux and Windows containers

• Volumes can be more safely shared among multiple container

Creating the Dockerfile

Note for our project we will use nginx as the base image.

First sign in as a rootuser: sudo su

To create Dockerfile: vi Dockerfile

Enter the following: Note the following serve as instructions on which the docker image will be built on, also remember that we are supposed to create two volumes as well.

FROM nginx

VOLUME /usr/share/nginx/html

VOLUME /var/log/nginx

WORKDIR /usr/share/nginx/html

• Save and exit the file.

• Build the image: docker build -t la/nextgen:latest -f Dockerfile .

  

  Next is to Create a Volume for the HTML Files

  Lets name the volume nginx-code : run docker volume create nginx-code

  

  Create a second Volume for Nginx Logs

  To Create a second volume called nginx-logs: run docker volume create nginx-logs

  

  Next is to Create a Docker Container.

  • Create a container called nextgen-dev: run docker run -d --name=nextgen-dev -p 80:80 --mount source=nginx-code,target=/usr/share/nginx/html --mount source=nginx-logs,target=/var/log/nginx la/nextgen:latest

    

    Check the container status: run docker ps

    

    Check out the volume: run cd /var/lib/docker/volumes

  • ls

    

    Change directory: run cd nginx-code/_data/

    ls

    

    • Modify the HTML file: run vi index.html

      

    • i was able to effect change to it by adding my name

    • Save and exit the file. run esc : wq

      

    • In a browser tab, paste in the public ip of your Local host. This should return the "Welcome to nginx!" web page.

      

Docker volumes transformed our workflow by decoupling data from containers, enabling seamless collaboration, and ensuring consistency across environments. This project reinforced how powerful Docker can be when paired with thoughtful volume design whether for NGINX configurations, databases, or shared assets.