DockerCon 2023 Takeaways: AI, Security and DevEx are Top of Mind

This year DockerCon returned to an in-person format (along with the online option) and Release traveled to sunny LA to participate. We spent two days listening to talks, learning from peers and presenting our ideas and new products. As we digest the event, here are some standout moments and learnings we're keen to share.

Keynote Takeaways:

Each day started with a keynote. Led by the CEO Scott Johnston and CTO Justin Cormack, the talks featured Docker experts, customers and partners, and focused on improvements, accomplishments and new initiatives Docker and the wider community are working towards. The announcements included:

Docker Scout in GA: A new tool for analyzing Docker images, highlighting vulnerabilities, and offering fixes, that seamlessly integrates with platforms like Docker Hub and GitHub Actions.

Udemy & Docker Collaboration: A dedicated Docker learning path on Udemy, that includes course discounts and exclusive content.

Next Generation Docker Build: Faster, cloud-assisted Docker image creation. Currently in public beta.

Docker Debug: A tool providing a local debugging feel for remote containerized apps. Also in public beta.

Docker AI: Context-specific, automated guidance for editing a Dockerfile or Docker Compose file, debugging local ‘docker build,’ or running a test locally. In early access.

All these new tools and initiatives underscore the idea of combining the best of local and cloud development environments, so that teams can collaboratively, quickly, and securely build, share, and run any app, anywhere.

Live Session Lineup:

This year's sessions were full of insights and learning. From advanced container orchestration techniques to nuanced deployment strategies, the breadth and depth of topics discussed were on-par with what you’d expect from a vibrant Docker community.

For the visually-inclined, Aurélie Vache shared the “Understanding Docker in a Visual Way” session and later signed copies of her book. For the practical-minded, a Docker engineer shared “15 Tips & Tricks to Improve Your Compose Experience”. And for those building an internal platform or surviving a version already created in their organization, a principal software engineer at Docker shared his observations on “Things You Always Wanted to Know About Building Platforms”.

Release presented a lightning talk on shared environments and a recording can be found here (spoiler alert: isolated on-demand environments win over sharing).  

If you missed any of the other sessions, stay tuned for the on-demand recordings available on the DockerCon portal soon.

Sharing Release with the Docker community:

Besides sessions, and hallway talks, our team got a chance to showcase Release products in our own booth. The conversations ranged from curious inquiries to in-depth discussions about integration possibilities and specific projects teams are tackling. It was great to share what we built and explore how customers could use it to improve their workflows and DevEx. And collected actionable feedback that we can apply to our product roadmap.

On-demand environments are still a challenge for some teams. And many folks were impressed with the simplicity and power of the Release platform, and how effortlessly it provides isolated environments to every developer and every use case.

In time for DockerCon, we launched Release Share, our Docker Desktop extension that lets you share your work in progress from your local laptop. Now, any running container can have a customizable URL that you can quickly share and use to test things with your team. The extension is free to use and you can try it here.

Lastly, we had lots of interesting discussions and useful feedback on our Release AI offering, including some working notes from the Docker team. Check out what we built so far and see how you can talk to your infrastructure in plain English today. Get your free access at release.ai

As with all conferences, there was a ton to learn, a ton to share and not enough time to do everything. So if you didn't get a chance to talk with us at DockerCon but want to know more about what we do, just send a message at regis_wilson@release.com. We're always ready to chat.