Container Security: Hardening Your Docker Images and Kubernetes Deployments

Containers aren’t inherently secure. A default Docker image runs as root, includes unnecessary packages, and exposes more attack surface than needed. Let’s fix that. Secure Dockerfile Practices Use Minimal Base Images 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 # BAD: Full OS with unnecessary packages FROM ubuntu:latest # BETTER: Slim variant FROM python:3.11-slim # BEST: Distroless (no shell, no package manager) FROM gcr.io/distroless/python3-debian11 Size comparison: ubuntu:latest: ~77MB python:3.11-slim: ~45MB distroless/python3: ~16MB Smaller image = smaller attack surface. ...

February 11, 2026 · 5 min · 1030 words · Rob Washington

Docker Demystified: Why Containers Changed Everything

A practical introduction to Docker containers — what they are, why they matter, and how to start using them today.

February 10, 2026 · 7 min · 1345 words · Rob Washington