Kotlin and Docker: Application Containerization

Modern development is unthinkable without containerization. If you write in Kotlin and want to learn how to package your applications into lightweight, portable, and scalable containers, this book is for you. "Kotlin and Docker: Application Containerization" is not just a reference guide, but a full-fledged practical tutorial that will take you from your first steps with Docker to building complex microservice architectures based on Kotlin.

The book starts with the basics: you will learn what containers are, how they differ from virtual machines, and how Docker is changing the approach to software delivery. Next, you will step by step create your first Docker image for a simple Kotlin application, master writing efficient Dockerfiles, and work with multi-stage builds to minimize the size of the final image.

Special attention is paid to the specifics of Kotlin: you will learn how to work with Gradle and Maven inside containers, configure dependency caching, use JLink to create compact runtime images, and optimize the launch of JVM applications in a container environment. Each chapter contains practical examples and ready-to-use configurations.

The "Microservices and Orchestration" section is dedicated to building distributed systems in Kotlin using Docker Compose and Kubernetes. You will learn how to organize interaction between services via REST and gRPC, configure service discovery, manage configuration and secrets, and implement fault tolerance patterns (circuit breaker, retry, bulkhead) using Ktor and Spring Boot.

Who this book is for:

• Kotlin developers wanting to master modern containerization practices
• Java/Kotlin engineers transitioning to a microservice architecture
• DevOps specialists working with the JVM ecosystem
• Team Leads and architects implementing containerization in their projects

What you will learn:

• How to create lightweight Docker images for Kotlin applications
• Build optimization: caching, JLink, GraalVM Native Image
• Setting up Docker Compose for local development and testing
• Deployment in Kubernetes: Pods, Deployments, Services, ConfigMaps
• CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions and GitLab CI for containerized applications
• Container monitoring and logging (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK)
• Security: vulnerability scanning, minimal privileges, secrets

The book is written in a lively style with a minimum of fluff. All examples are available in the repository and ready to run. Regardless of your current level — from beginner to experienced developer — you will find practical solutions here that you can immediately apply in your work.

Dive into the world of Kotlin containerization and make your applications truly modern and scalable!