Timeline of Docker
Docker from its 2013 public release to reusable images, registries, container standards, desktop tools, modern builds, and changes to the engine’s storage and networking in 2025.
- Category
- Engineering & Technology
- Tag
- computing
- Events
- 20 events 2013 – 2025
- Generated
- by gpt-6
2013: Docker packages containers for developers
Solomon Hykes demonstrated Docker at PyCon, and the project was released as open-source software. Building on Linux isolation features, Docker combined container execution with repeatable image construction and a workflow for sharing application environments.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2014: Libcontainer replaces the default LXC backend
Docker 0.9 introduced libcontainer as its default execution backend in place of Linux Containers. Controlling its own interface to operating-system isolation features reduced Docker’s dependence on a separate container-management tool.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2014: Docker 1.0 and Docker Hub reach users
Docker released version 1.0 and launched Docker Hub as a hosted service for sharing container images. A stable release and central image distribution helped move the project from experimentation into broader application-delivery workflows.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2015: Compose describes applications with multiple containers
Docker introduced Compose under its new name after acquiring the Fig project. A declarative file described services and their relationships, allowing developers to start a multi-container application without reconstructing a long sequence of individual commands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)#Components2015: Container vendors establish shared standards
Docker and other organizations created the Open Container Initiative under the Linux Foundation. Docker contributed runtime technology that became runC, helping separate interoperable container specifications from any one vendor’s product.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Container_Initiative2016: Swarm mode becomes part of the engine
Docker 1.12 integrated Swarm mode for orchestrating services across a cluster of engines. Built-in service management, networking, and security simplified a path from running individual containers to managing a distributed application.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)#Components2016: Desktop applications simplify local container development
Docker for Mac and Docker for Windows became generally available. Managed Linux virtual machines and host integration made Linux-container development more accessible on desktop operating systems with different kernels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2016: Windows Server gains production container support
Windows Server 2016 shipped support for Windows containers with Docker-compatible tooling. Windows application containers required a compatible Windows kernel or isolation environment, expanding the platform without making Linux and Windows container binaries interchangeable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_20162017: Containerd moves to a neutral foundation
Docker donated containerd to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation. Extracting a shared container runtime from the broader Docker product made it available as infrastructure for Kubernetes and other container systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Native_Computing_Foundation2017: Moby separates reusable engine components
Docker announced the Moby project as a home for assembling and developing container-system components. The change distinguished collaborative infrastructure work from the packaged Docker products built from those components.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2018: BuildKit introduces a new build architecture
Docker 18.09 integrated BuildKit as an optional build backend. Dependency-aware execution, improved caching, and support for build secrets offered a more flexible way to construct images than the older builder.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2019: Mirantis acquires Docker’s enterprise business
Mirantis acquired Docker Enterprise, while Docker Inc. refocused on developer tools and workflows. The transaction separated the enterprise platform business from the company continuing Docker Desktop and Docker Hub.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker,_Inc.2020: The Compose Specification opens the format
Docker and collaborators introduced an open Compose Specification, consolidating earlier file-format lines. Independent implementations could share a model for describing applications without tying the format solely to one Compose release.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)#Components2020: Docker Desktop adopts the WSL2 backend
Docker Desktop made its Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 backend generally available. A managed Linux kernel supported container workloads and improved integration with Linux development tools on Windows, including supported Home editions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2020: Rootless operation becomes a supported engine feature
Docker Engine 20.10 moved rootless mode out of its experimental status. Running the daemon and containers within a user namespace reduced the need to operate the Docker daemon with system-wide root privileges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2021: Docker Desktop changes its subscription terms
Docker introduced paid subscription requirements for Docker Desktop use in larger organizations while retaining free categories. The change applied to the desktop product; the open-source Docker Engine had separate licensing and distribution arrangements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2022: Compose V2 reaches general availability
Docker made Compose V2 generally available as a Go implementation integrated into the Docker command line. It began replacing the older Python-based tool, which was deprecated but remained supported during the transition. Both used the Compose model for application configuration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)#Components2023: BuildKit becomes the default Linux-image builder
Docker Engine 23.0 enabled BuildKit by default for building Linux images through the Docker command line. The change brought the newer build architecture into the standard workflow rather than requiring users to opt in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2025: Docker Engine 28 tightens container-network isolation
Docker Engine 28 changed bridge-network behavior to prevent unintended access to unpublished container ports from neighboring hosts in certain configurations. The release made network exposure more closely match the ports explicitly published by an operator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)2025: Engine 29 changes its default image store
Docker Engine 29 made the containerd image store the default for fresh installations unless user-namespace remapping was enabled. The newer storage backend supported multi-platform images and attestations, while existing installations retained their previous configuration until migrated.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)