Docker is an open-source platform for developers and testers to make a versatile container for testing applications or software. The docker security is important to the runtime, build, and orchestration of containers. The safe container ensures the security of images, configuring applications, safe instructions, and the docker daemon.
If you working with a large team on a big project then the security of the container is quite important. So, today we will discuss top docker security best practices to securely build and test applications. Also, these security practices are followed by our docker experts.
What is Docker?
Docker offers a container service to build, run, configure, and test different applications. This is an open-source platform ideal solution for web hosting. Docker has come with all the required services including code, libraries, runtimes, system tools, and settings.
Docker containers are important for faster deployment, isolation, configuration, and portability. You have to maintain your docker container for web hosting securely.
9 Best Practices for Docker Security
Here, we have discussed the best docker container security practices to reduce the risk during the testing of the application.
1. Keep Docker up-to-date
Updates are important to explore new features, mitigate risk, and improve efficiency. When a docker’s expert finds new security holes in the system then they come up with a new update after mitigating this risk.
So, you have to automate your update process to reduce the risk of manual errors. You can use Docker Compose or Kubernetes tools to automate your updates. This proactive approach helps to maintain a robust web environment.
2. Use Original Images
Images contain copyright tags and attributes in the background. It’s a smart choice to choose original images for the docker container. The docker team itself verifies these images. The originality of images helps to maintain a reliable foundation for your application.
You can also minimize the base size of the image to upload, manage, download, and run faster. There are various tools available that help to reduce the image size within a second. You can also restrict the image access by Implementing role-based access control (RBAC). This helps to reduce the suspicious activity for hacking.
3. Limit Container Privilages
You can limit the performed tasks in the container reducing the potential impacts of malicious activities. A container requires limited power to perform a task to keep your website safe. Sometimes, programs in containers utilize more power than they need. So, you have to find out how much power a program requires to perform its task.
In addition, a container can face other potential breaches while running as root. They also make things more secure by stopping attacks that try to mess up your services while using tons of resources all at once.
4. Avoid Root Permissions
A root access allows you to access and customize everything whenever you want. I think root is the simplest way to perform tasks, but it is not safe. But when we talk about Docker Containers, they don’t run as root by default.
Docker comes with a secret key to get access to root files. If you are using a Kubernetes tool to manage your containers, you can ensure more safety than others. Keep in mind, that you do not have to share your key with anyone.
5. Use Docker Content Trust
The integrity of container images is the most important part of making a strong security foundation for your web hosting. Harmful images can be the cause of potential security breaches. Docker Content Trust (DCT) is a security platform for images that verifies every image before downloading or deploying.
Docker Content Trust (DCT) uses a digital signature to verify image authenticity. This is important to minimize the deployment of malicious images. So, you have to enable it before working on a docker container.
6. Implement Network Segmentation
Segmentation is a part of creating a strong web hosting environment. Segmentation is important because it ensures the security of one part without affecting other things. Implementing network segmentation means creating separate networks for each application in the docker container.
This segmentation approach helps to improve the overall security of the hosting environment. Docker tool gives you these features to manage these networks separately. You can also set rules for each network to minimize the potential risk of application. This smart network setup in Docker helps keep your applications safe.
7. Monitor and Log Container Image
As a DevOps engineer, you have sufficient visibility of container activity while creating a secure web hosting infrastructure. Monitoring of web hosting environment and keeping an eye on unusual activity helps to detect potential threats in your system.
Collecting these container logs provides valuable information about suspicious behavior in the system before it becomes larger. These monitoring system helps to monitor real-time data.
8. Save Creantials Securely
Securing your sensitive info like login creadiants, API Keys, passwords, and tokens are quite important. Any individual has to make sure not to save this information in your container images. You have to keep them in a secure place that can only be accessed by an authorized person.
To secure these credentials, you can also use other third-party external tools like HashiCorp Vault, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Secrets Manager, or Azure Key Vault. These tools are more reliable, trusted, and highly secure than other ones.
9. Create Your Networks and APIs for Docker Security
Network access and application programming interfaces (API) allow different containers to communicate with each other. Building these network systems is important for proper monitoring of things. With this, you can easily find any issues before they become big and resolve them.
Get Docker Help With Serverpoet
If you do not know how to create a docker container, how to secure it, and what you can do with it then you can get help from Serverpoet experts. Serverpoet is a trusted web hosting provider company with the vision of providing comprehensive web hosting solutions & services at an affordable price. We offer managed WordPress, dedicated, VPS, shared, and cloud VPS hosting provider companies with complete support.
We also have a dedicated team of DevOps expert who provides complete docker solutions. They can help with docker troubleshooting, configuration, security improvement, and application deployment. No matter which type of hosting you have, our experienced DevOps team can help in setting docker containers.
The benefit included with Serverpoet
- Runtime Security for Docker
- Microsegmentation across host/VMs/containers
- Firewall integration
- Implement data-in-transit encryption.
Conclusion
Docker security best practices are important to protect your sensitive info, database, and application. There are a few best practices you can follow that we have discussed above. These things are too basic but they are important to protect your application. Docker containers give you complete benefits to build, run, and manage code in a particular environment.
Contact us directly for help related to server and docker security.
What More? ServerPoet offers Top-notch Managed Web Hosting services at an affordable cost that no one can deny. With cost, you can enjoy 99.9% uptime, faster server response time(<0.1sec), and 24/7 technical support.
Frequently Asked Question
Yes, they are secure but not fully secure. In the online world, nothing is secure, but you can use various security practices to make your software more secure. Follow above-listed docker container security best practices like Using official images, minimizing base image size, limiting container privileges, and keeping everything updated
Docker and virtual machines (VMs) serve different purposes. Neither is inherently safer; security depends on configuration. VMs provide stronger isolation, but Docker’s smaller footprint and container-specific security measures can make it more secure when properly configured.
Use official images from trusted sources, scan them for vulnerabilities with tools like Anchor, and keep them updated. Think of it as checking ingredients for your container recipe before cooking.
Never store passwords directly in images! Use environment variables or secrets management tools like Vault. Think of it as keeping passwords in a locked safe, not taped to the recipe.
Kubernetes is an orchestration tool that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of Docker containers. This helps to simplify containerized application management and ensures high availability, scalability, and ease of maintenance in a clustered environment.
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