Orientation brief

Data Persistence

So far, we've treated containers as ephemeral—they start, they run, they stop, and when they're removed, they're gone. But real applications need to store data that survives container restarts. Databases need to persist data. Applications need to save uploaded files. Logs should be preserved even if the container crashes. This module solves the persistence challenge. You'll learn about Docker volumes, bind mounts, and tmpfs mounts. You'll understand when to use each type, how to back up data, and how to manage persistent storage in production. By the end, you'll never lose data when a container stops.

Understand the problem this module is here to solve.

Read 6 chapters in order, from context to application.

Practice the module concepts through focused exercises.

Chapter route

Read in order

Chapter 10.1 The Ephemeral Problem
Chapter 10.2 Docker Volumes
Chapter 10.3 Bind Mounts
Chapter 10.4 tmpfs Mounts
Chapter 10.5 Choosing the Right Storage Type
Chapter 10.6 Backup and Restore

Practice

Module exercises

Move from reading to investigation with scenario-based practice for this module.

Open exercises →