docs/content/guides/walkthroughs/run-a-container.md

title	keywords	description	aliases
How do I run a container?	get started, quick start, intro, concepts	Learn how to build your own image and run it as a container	/get-started/run-your-own-container/

In this walkthrough, you'll learn the basic steps of building an image and running your own container. This walkthrough uses a sample Node.js application, but it's not necessary to know Node.js.

Before you start, get Docker Desktop.

Step 1: Get the sample application

If you have git, you can clone the repository for the sample application. Otherwise, you can download the sample application. Choose one of the following options.

{{< tabs >}} {{< tab name="Clone with git" >}}

Use the following command in a terminal to clone the sample application repository.

$ git clone https://github.com/docker/welcome-to-docker

{{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Download" >}}

Download the source and extract it.

{{< button url="https://github.com/docker/welcome-to-docker/archive/refs/heads/main.zip" text="Download the source" >}}

{{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}}

Step 2: View the Dockerfile in your project folder

To run your code in a container, the most fundamental thing you need is a Dockerfile. A Dockerfile describes what goes into a container. This sample already contains a Dockerfile. For your own projects, you'll need to create your own Dockerfile. You can open the Dockerfile in a code or text editor and explore its contents.

Step 3: Build your first image

You always need an image to run a container. In a terminal, run the following commands to build the image. Replace /path/to/welcome-to-docker/ with the path to your welcome-to-docker directory.

{{< include "open-terminal.md" >}}

$ cd /path/to/welcome-to-docker/

$ docker build -t welcome-to-docker .

Building the image may take some time. After your image is built, you can view your image in the Images tab in Docker Desktop.

Step 4: Run your container

To run your image as a container:

1. In Docker Desktop, go to the Images tab.
2. Next to your image, select Run.
3. Expand the Optional settings.
4. In Host port, specify 8089.
5. Select Run.

Step 5: View the frontend

You can use Docker Desktop to access your running container. Select the link next to your container in Docker Desktop or go to http://localhost:8089 to view the frontend.

Summary

In this walkthrough, you built your own image and ran it as a container. In addition to building and running your own images, you can run images from Docker Hub.

Related information:

• Deep dive into building images in the Build with Docker guide

Next steps

Continue to the next walkthrough to learn how you can run one of over 100,000 pre-made images from Docker Hub.

{{< button url="./run-hub-images.md" text="Run Docker Hub images" >}}