Docker & Kubernetes
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Consistent Environments, Reliable Deployments
“It works on my machine” is a culture problem with a technical solution. Docker containerisation eliminates environment inconsistencies by packaging your application and its dependencies into portable, reproducible units that behave identically in development, staging, and production. CimpleO implements containerisation strategies that simplify deployment and make scaling predictable.
Docker Image Development
We design lean, secure Docker images — multi-stage builds that keep image sizes small, base images selected for your security requirements, and layer caching strategies that make CI builds fast. Images are versioned, tagged, and stored in your private container registry with vulnerability scanning in the pipeline.
Kubernetes Orchestration
Container orchestration for workloads that need to scale. We configure Kubernetes clusters on AWS EKS, Google GKE, or on-premises — with horizontal pod autoscaling, rolling deployments, resource quotas, and namespace-based environment separation. Production clusters designed for zero-downtime deployments and fast incident recovery.
Docker Compose for Development
A Docker Compose setup that lets new developers run the entire stack locally in under 10 minutes. Databases, message queues, cache layers, and service dependencies all defined in version-controlled configuration. No more “ask Bob how to set up your dev environment” — the setup is the code.
Container Monitoring & Logging
Visibility into containerised workloads with Prometheus metrics, Grafana dashboards, and centralised log aggregation. Resource utilisation, container restart patterns, and application-level health signals all in one view. Alerts configured for the conditions that actually matter — not everything, just the things that predict problems.
What We Do
Container migration — We assess apps running on bare metal or VMs, write production-ready Dockerfiles, configure a private registry, and move deployments to containers without downtime.
Kubernetes setup — We configure managed clusters on EKS, GKE, or AKS, or install k3s for self-hosted environments. Each cluster gets RBAC, resource quotas, horizontal pod autoscaling, and namespace-per-environment separation.
CI/CD pipelines — GitHub Actions or GitLab CI configured to build, scan, test, and deploy on every push. Feature branches deploy to ephemeral environments; merges to main trigger a production rollout.
Docker hardening — Minimal base images (Alpine or distroless), non-root users, read-only filesystems, and secret scanning at build time. We target images under 100 MB with no known CVEs at ship. For a deep-dive on choosing the right base image, see our Docker base image comparison.
Monitoring — Prometheus scrapes container metrics; Grafana surfaces them in dashboards built around your actual alert conditions. Log aggregation routes stdout/stderr from every container to a central store with full-text search.
Outcomes of a Proper Containerisation Strategy
- Faster onboarding — new developers productive in hours, not days
- Consistent behaviour — staging environment behaves like production because it runs the same images
- Horizontal scalability — add capacity by adding containers, not by reconfiguring servers
- Simplified rollback — bad deploy? Switch back to the previous image tag in under a minute
Talk to us about your containerisation needs — whether you’re starting fresh or migrating existing services to containers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should we use Docker alone or move straight to Kubernetes?
Docker without Kubernetes is right for simpler deployments: single-server or small multi-service setups where Docker Compose or Docker Swarm handles orchestration. Kubernetes is worth the operational overhead when you need horizontal autoscaling, multi-tenant cluster management, zero-downtime rolling deployments, or service mesh features. We'll tell you honestly which fits your current scale.
How long does it take to containerise an existing application?
A single-service containerisation (write Dockerfile, multi-stage build, CI pipeline integration): 1–2 weeks. Containerising a multi-service monolith or legacy application with external dependencies: 4–8 weeks. Database and stateful service migration to Kubernetes adds complexity and typically runs separately.
Will containerisation improve our deployment speed?
Yes, usually significantly. Consistent images across environments eliminate 'works on staging, fails in production' incidents. Rollback becomes a tag switch rather than a re-deploy. Build caching cuts CI times. Most teams see deployment confidence increase immediately and deployment frequency increase within the first month.
Do you use Alpine, Debian, or BusyBox base images?
Depends on the service. Alpine for small, statically-linked services where image size matters and glibc compatibility isn't needed. Debian slim for services with glibc dependencies or complex package requirements. We wrote a detailed comparison — see our blog post on Alpine vs Debian vs BusyBox for the reasoning.
Can you migrate our existing Kubernetes cluster to a new cloud?
Yes. We've handled EKS to GKE migrations and on-prem to cloud migrations. The process involves workload assessment, network policy translation, persistent volume migration, and blue-green cutover. We plan the migration to minimise downtime.