ASP.NET Core Complete Tutorial (ShopNest)
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Docker and Containerization for ASP.NET Core

1 · 5 min · 5/24/2026

Learn Docker and Containerization for ASP.NET Core in our free ASP.NET Core Complete Tutorial (ShopNest) series. Step-by-step explanations, examples, and interview tips on Toolliyo Academy.

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Docker and Containerization for ASP.NET Core — ShopNest
Article 60 of 75 · Module 8: Deployment & DevOps · ShopNest Microservices Application
Target keyword: docker asp.net core · Read time: ~34 min · .NET: 8 / 9 · Project: ShopNest Microservices Application

Introduction

Docker packages ShopNest API + dependencies into portable images — same container runs on your laptop, Azure, or client data center. Multi-stage builds keep images small.

After this article you will

  • Write multi-stage Dockerfile
  • Use Docker Compose with SQL + Redis
  • Configure env vars and volumes
  • Add HEALTHCHECK and .dockerignore
  • Push to Azure Container Registry

Prerequisites

Concept deep-dive

# Dockerfile — ShopNest.Api
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS build
WORKDIR /src
COPY . .
RUN dotnet restore ShopNest.Api/ShopNest.Api.csproj
RUN dotnet publish ShopNest.Api/ShopNest.Api.csproj -c Release -o /app

FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/aspnet:8.0 AS final
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app .
EXPOSE 8080
HEALTHCHECK CMD curl -f http://localhost:8080/health/ready || exit 1
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "ShopNest.Api.dll"]
# docker-compose.yml
services:
  api:
    build: .
    ports: ["8080:8080"]
    environment:
      ConnectionStrings__Default: "Server=sql;Database=ShopNest;User=sa;Password=..."
    depends_on: [sql, redis]
  sql:
    image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine

Hands-on — ShopNest Microservices Application

  1. docker build -t shopnest-api .
  2. docker-compose up — API + SQL + Redis.
  3. .dockerignore excludes bin/obj.
  4. VS 2022 Container Tools attach debugger.

Common errors & best practices

  • SDK image in production — use aspnet runtime only in final stage.
  • Linux container on Windows without switching — mode mismatch.
  • Secrets in Dockerfile ENV — use secrets/compose env files.

Interview questions

Q: Container vs VM?
A: Containers share OS kernel — lighter, faster start than full VMs.

Q: Multi-stage build?
A: Build in SDK image; copy published output to slim runtime image.

Summary

  • Multi-stage Dockerfile for small production images
  • Compose runs full ShopNest stack locally
  • Health checks integrate with orchestrators
  • ACR for private Azure images

Previous: Deploying to IIS
Next: Azure App Service

FAQ

Docker Hub vs ACR?

ACR private registry integrated with Azure RBAC.

Image size tips?

Alpine-based runtime, .dockerignore, no SDK in final stage.

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ASP.NET Core Complete Tutorial (ShopNest)

On this page

Introduction After this article you will Prerequisites Concept deep-dive Hands-on — ShopNest Microservices Application Common errors & best practices Interview questions Summary FAQ Docker Hub vs ACR? Image size tips?
Module 1: Foundations
What is ASP.NET Core? Complete Guide Setting Up ASP.NET Core Development Environment ASP.NET Core Project Structure Explained MVC Architecture in ASP.NET Core — Complete Guide Controllers and Actions in ASP.NET Core Routing in ASP.NET Core — Conventional and Attribute Routing Views and Razor Syntax in ASP.NET Core Layouts, Partial Views and View Components Models and ViewModels in ASP.NET Core Forms, Model Binding and Validation in ASP.NET Core Tag Helpers in ASP.NET Core — Complete Guide Static Files, Bundling and Minification in ASP.NET Core
Module 2: Entity Framework Core
Entity Framework Core — Introduction and Setup EF Core Code First — Models, Migrations, Database EF Core CRUD Operations — Create, Read, Update, Delete EF Core LINQ Queries — Beginner to Advanced EF Core Relationships — One-to-One, One-to-Many, Many-to-Many EF Core Fluent API — Advanced Configuration EF Core Repository Pattern and Unit of Work EF Core Performance Optimization Database First Approach with EF Core (Scaffold) EF Core with SQL Server — Advanced Features
Module 3: Dependency Injection & Middleware
Dependency Injection in ASP.NET Core — Complete Guide Middleware in ASP.NET Core — Complete Guide Configuration in ASP.NET Core — appsettings, Environment Variables, Secrets Filters in ASP.NET Core — Action, Authorization, Exception, Resource, Result Logging in ASP.NET Core — ILogger, Serilog, NLog Error Handling and Exception Management in ASP.NET Core
Module 4: Authentication & Security
ASP.NET Core Identity — Complete Setup Guide Authentication in ASP.NET Core — Cookie and JWT Authorization in ASP.NET Core — Roles, Policies, Claims JWT Authentication with Refresh Tokens — Complete Implementation OAuth2 and External Login (Google, Facebook, Microsoft) Data Protection and Encryption in ASP.NET Core HTTPS, SSL Certificates and Security Best Practices
Module 5: Web API
Building REST APIs with ASP.NET Core — Complete Guide API Versioning in ASP.NET Core Swagger / OpenAPI Documentation in ASP.NET Core Input Validation in Web APIs — FluentValidation and Data Annotations Pagination, Filtering and Sorting in ASP.NET Core APIs HTTP Client and Consuming External APIs in ASP.NET Core Minimal APIs in ASP.NET Core .NET 8 SignalR — Real-Time Web Applications
Module 6: Advanced Architecture
Clean Architecture in ASP.NET Core CQRS Pattern with MediatR in ASP.NET Core Repository Pattern — Deep Dive with Generic Repository Background Services and Hosted Services in ASP.NET Core Caching in ASP.NET Core — In-Memory, Distributed, Redis Health Checks in ASP.NET Core AutoMapper in ASP.NET Core Microservices with ASP.NET Core — Introduction Message Queues with RabbitMQ / Azure Service Bus in ASP.NET Core gRPC with ASP.NET Core
Module 7: Testing
Unit Testing ASP.NET Core with xUnit and Moq Integration Testing in ASP.NET Core Testing EF Core — In-Memory vs SQLite Performance Testing and Load Testing ASP.NET Core APIs Test-Driven Development (TDD) in ASP.NET Core
Module 8: Deployment & DevOps
Deploying ASP.NET Core to IIS on Windows Server Docker and Containerization for ASP.NET Core Deploying ASP.NET Core to Azure App Service CI/CD with GitHub Actions for ASP.NET Core Azure SQL Database with ASP.NET Core Environment Configuration and Secrets Management
Module 9: Real-World Projects
Build a Complete Blog Website with ASP.NET Core MVC Build an E-Commerce Product Catalog API (ASP.NET Core Web API) Build a Student Management System (Complete CRUD App) Build a Job Portal (Full Stack ASP.NET Core) Build a REST API with Clean Architecture — Complete Guide Build a Real-Time Chat App with SignalR and ASP.NET Core
Module 10: Advanced Topics
Blazor WebAssembly and Blazor Server — Complete Guide gRPC, GraphQL and Alternative API Styles in ASP.NET Core Rate Limiting and API Throttling in ASP.NET Core .NET 8 Output Caching in ASP.NET Core .NET 8 ASP.NET Core .NET 9 New Features — Complete Guide