In this chapter, we looked at how to get started with Docker containers and packaging Java applications. We can do it manually by hand using the docker build command and a Dockerfile or we can use Maven to automate things. For Java developers, Docker helps isolate our apps in a clean environment. Isolation is important because it reduces the complexity of the software environment we're using. The Fabric8 Maven Docker plugin is a great tool which we can use to automate our image builds using Maven, especially when dealing with Java applications. No more writing Dockerfiles by hand, we just configure the plugin using the extensive set of options and we are done. Additionally, having this working with Maven allows us to easily incorporate Docker builds into our existing development flows, as continuous delivery using Jenkins, for example. In Chapter 6, Running Containers...