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Docker Networking Intro

top arch​

CNM (Container Network Model) - design libnetwork - implem drivers - extend network

networking types​

container to container container to existing network container to existing VLAN

CNM components​

sandboxes - isolated network stack (interface, ports, routing tables)

endpoints - virtual network interface veth - to connect sanboxes to networks

networks - software implementation of a switch (802.1d bridge)

  • isolate and group together endpoints that need to communicate

Docker Host / containers / CNM --- are isolated from the OS network stack.

Libnetwork -- control plane / management plane​

native service discovery ingress based - basic container load balancing network control plane management plane

Drivers -- data plane​

The control/managment plane defines the desired network state, and the data plane realizes that state by creating and operating the actual networking infrastructure that carries traffic.

native drivers bridge - single-host bridge network overlay - multi-host overlays macvlan - option for plugging to existing VLAN

3rd-party drivers - implement other netwrok topoligies / more advanced configuration

Drivers​

-- own the network -- responsible for creation and management of all resources on the network

Ex. network name - "prod-fe-cuda" network type - Overlay Network owned and managed by - overlay driver

-- overlay driver is invoked for

  • creation / deletion / management of all resources on that network

-- heterogenous network

  • libnetworks allows multiple network drivers active at the same time
  • meet demands of complex highly-fluid environments

single-host bridge networks -- spans only on a single Docker host -- can only connect containers on the same host -- implementation of 802.1d bridge -- built-in bridge driver

Docker host -- gets a default single-host bridge network -- by default all new containers are attached to the default bridge -- --network flag will override the default

**commands ** docker network ls

deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$ date
Mon Jan 26 20:45:32 AEDT 2026
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$ docker ps
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE                                              COMMAND                  CREATED       STATUS                 PORTS                                         NAMES
fa401c8b2f86   ghcr.io/michael-maldo/gnostex-backend-api:latest   "sh -c 'java $JAVA_O…"   2 weeks ago   Up 2 weeks (healthy)   0.0.0.0:8080->8080/tcp, [::]:8080->8080/tcp   gnostex-backend-api
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$
deploy@vmi2682430:~$ docker network ls
NETWORK ID     NAME      DRIVER    SCOPE
d96b2645cf3e   bridge    bridge    local
37bb33237548   host      host      local
6a3fd19a0693   none      null      local
deploy@vmi2682430:~$