🧱 1. What is Docker?
Docker is a containerization platform that allows developers to package applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers.
A Docker container:
Includes your app + runtime + libraries.
Runs identically everywhere — local, staging, or production.
Eliminates the "works on my machine" problem.
In short:
🧩 Docker makes your .NET apps portable, predictable, and easy to deploy.
⚙️ 2. Why Use Docker for Full Stack .NET Development?
Benefit Description
Consistency Same environment across dev, test, and prod.
Portability Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, or any cloud.
Isolation Each service runs in its own container.
Microservices Ready Easily run multiple APIs or databases.
Faster Onboarding New developers start immediately with docker-compose up.
Easy CI/CD Build and deploy containers directly from pipelines.
💡 3. Typical Full Stack .NET Architecture with Docker
A Full Stack .NET app might include:
Component Technology Docker Container
Frontend React / Angular / Blazor Node.js or Nginx container
Backend ASP.NET Core Web API .NET 8 SDK / Runtime container
Database SQL Server / PostgreSQL SQL Server Linux container
Reverse Proxy (Optional) Nginx / Traefik Load balancing container
Example structure:
/FullStackApp
├── /ClientApp → React/Angular (frontend)
├── /ServerApp → ASP.NET Core Web API (backend)
├── /docker-compose.yml
└── /Dockerfile (per service)
🧩 4. Setting Up Docker for .NET Development
Step 1: Install Tools
Install Docker Desktop
Install .NET SDK 8.0+
Verify:
docker --version
dotnet --version
🐳 5. Dockerizing Your .NET Backend (ASP.NET Core API)
Dockerfile Example
Inside your ServerApp folder, create a file named Dockerfile:
# Stage 1: Build the app
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY . .
RUN dotnet restore
RUN dotnet publish -c Release -o /app/publish
# Stage 2: Run the app
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0 AS runtime
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app/publish .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "ServerApp.dll"]
Build and Run
docker build -t my-dotnet-api .
docker run -d -p 5000:80 my-dotnet-api
✅ Now your API runs inside a container on http://localhost:5000
.
🎨 6. Dockerizing Your Frontend (React Example)
If your frontend uses React, create a Dockerfile in /ClientApp:
# Stage 1: Build the app
FROM node:20 AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install
COPY . .
RUN npm run build
# Stage 2: Serve static files
FROM nginx:alpine
COPY --from=build /app/build /usr/share/nginx/html
EXPOSE 80
CMD ["nginx", "-g", "daemon off;"]
Build and Run
docker build -t my-react-app .
docker run -d -p 3000:80 my-react-app
✅ Access your frontend at http://localhost:3000
.
🗄️ 7. Adding a Database (SQL Server in Docker)
Add an SQL Server container for local development:
# docker-compose.yml (excerpt)
services:
db:
image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
container_name: sqlserver
environment:
- ACCEPT_EULA=Y
- SA_PASSWORD=Your_password123
ports:
- "1433:1433"
✅ Connect from your .NET app using:
"ConnectionStrings": {
"DefaultConnection": "Server=db;Database=myappdb;User ID=sa;Password=Your_password123;"
}
🧩 8. Using Docker Compose for Multi-Container Setup
In a full stack project, you’ll want to run frontend, backend, and database together.
Here’s a sample docker-compose.yml:
version: '3.9'
services:
backend:
build:
context: ./ServerApp
container_name: dotnet-api
ports:
- "5000:80"
depends_on:
- db
frontend:
build:
context: ./ClientApp
container_name: react-ui
ports:
- "3000:80"
depends_on:
- backend
db:
image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
container_name: sqlserver
environment:
SA_PASSWORD: "Your_password123"
ACCEPT_EULA: "Y"
ports:
- "1433:1433"
Then run:
docker-compose up --build
✅ All three components (frontend, backend, database) run together seamlessly.
When you stop the project:
docker-compose down
🔄 9. Local Development Workflow
Modify code in your local editor (VS Code or Visual Studio).
Rebuild your Docker image:
docker-compose build backend
docker-compose up -d
Test endpoints and frontend locally.
Commit code → Push to GitHub → CI/CD triggers deployment.
⚙️ 10. Debugging .NET Inside Docker
If using Visual Studio / VS Code:
Open the project.
Add a Docker launch configuration.
Press F5 to debug inside a container.
You can set breakpoints, inspect variables, and hot-reload code.
Visual Studio even auto-generates a Dockerfile and docker-compose.yml for you.
🧠 11. CI/CD with Dockerized .NET Apps
You can easily deploy Dockerized .NET apps to:
Azure App Service (Containers)
AWS ECS / App Runner
Google Cloud Run
Kubernetes (AKS / EKS / GKE)
Example GitHub Actions workflow:
name: Build and Push Docker Image
on:
push:
branches: [ "main" ]
jobs:
build:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v3
- name: Build and Push
uses: docker/build-push-action@v5
with:
context: .
push: true
tags: ghcr.io/myuser/my-dotnet-app:latest
📊 12. Common Docker Commands for .NET Developers
Command Description
docker build -t myapp . Build an image
docker run -p 5000:80 myapp Run the container
docker ps List running containers
docker stop <id> Stop container
docker-compose up Start multi-container app
docker-compose down Stop and remove all containers
docker logs <container> View logs
docker exec -it <container> bash Access container shell
🔐 13. Security and Best Practices
Use multi-stage builds to reduce image size.
Don’t include secrets in Dockerfiles — use environment variables or secret managers.
Use official Microsoft .NET base images (e.g., mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0).
Regularly scan images for vulnerabilities (docker scan myapp).
Tag images with version numbers (e.g., myapp:v1.0).
🚀 14. Example Full Stack Folder Structure
FullStackApp/
├── ClientApp/
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── src/
│ └── package.json
│
├── ServerApp/
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ ├── Controllers/
│ ├── Models/
│ └── Program.cs
│
├── docker-compose.yml
└── README.md
Running this setup:
docker-compose up --build
Starts everything:
React UI → http://localhost:3000
.NET API → http://localhost:5000
SQL Server → localhost:1433
✅ 15. Summary — Why Docker for .NET Full Stack?
Benefit Impact
Unified Environment Eliminates dependency issues between dev machines
Rapid Deployment Deploy containers anywhere
Scalability Works seamlessly with Kubernetes or cloud PaaS
Automation Integrates easily with CI/CD pipelines
Reproducibility Consistent behavior across all environments
🏆 Final Thoughts
Using Docker for Full Stack .NET development transforms your workflow into a modern, cloud-ready, and DevOps-friendly process.
You can:
Build once, run anywhere.
Simplify collaboration across teams.
Scale effortlessly in the cloud.
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