Docker Certified Associate study plan

Install Docker Engine on a Linux VM and confirm the client and daemon versions with docker version and docker info

Configure the daemon through /etc/docker/daemon.json (log driver, storage driver, default address pool) and restart to prove the settings apply

Create, switch between, and remove Docker contexts to point the CLI at a second host

Enable Docker at boot and diagnose a deliberately broken daemon config using journalctl -u docker

Write a multi-stage Dockerfile that uses build args and a .dockerignore, then build and tag the image

Run a local registry:2 container, push the image to it, delete it locally, and pull it back by tag

Shrink the image by switching to a slim base and compare layer sizes with docker history

Prune dangling images and volumes and interpret the output of docker system df

Create user-defined bridge, host, and none networks and attach a container to each

Prove name-based DNS resolution between two containers on the same user-defined network

Publish a container port with -p and contrast the result with host networking

Inspect and troubleshoot a broken network path using docker network inspect and docker exec diagnostics

Initialize a swarm with one manager and two workers using join tokens

Deploy a replicated service and perform a rolling update followed by a rollback

Write a compose v3 stack file with a service, config, and secret and deploy it with docker stack deploy

Drain a node, confirm task rescheduling with docker node ls and docker service ps, then reactivate it

Create a swarm secret and mount it into a service, then verify it appears only under /run/secrets

Run a container as a non-root user via USER in the Dockerfile and --user on the CLI, confirming with id

Apply --memory, --cpus, and a read-only root filesystem, then test that the limits and read-only mount are enforced

Scan an image with a scanner of your choice and remediate at least one reported vulnerability

Create a named volume and a bind mount and demonstrate that data survives container removal only where expected

List, inspect, and prune volumes and explain which volumes are safe to remove

Mount a tmpfs volume and contrast its contents after a container restart with a named volume

Back up and restore a named volume using a helper container that archives to the host

Take a timed 60-question practice exam and record scores per domain

Rebuild the two lowest-scoring domains by redoing their labs from scratch

Write a one-page command cheat sheet covering all six domains, verifying each command actually runs

Fix every missed practice question by reading the relevant official documentation section

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under exam conditions with no notes

Map every missed question to the specific documentation page and summarize the fix

Re-run all prior lab deliverables end-to-end to confirm nothing has decayed

Review the six-domain cheat sheet and trim it to only items you can reproduce from memory