Manifest file

As explained in Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition

A deployment manifest is a declarative file specifying the resources and configuration required to deploy software to an environment.

A deployment manifest turns deployment documents into a descriptive, repeatable definition of an application’s required resources and configuration. It belongs alongside container packaging: Dockerfiles capture installation steps, while manifests describe how the application should run across environments. section 1.1.1

Use a manifest to:

• Describe a containerized application for Docker Compose or Kubernetes. section 1.1.1
• Keep deployment behavior consistent from a laptop to the cloud or a datacenter. section 1.1.1
• Separate deployment configuration from application code, avoiding code changes during container migration. section 1.1.1

Container migration

For an existing application, script the installation steps in Dockerfiles and express the deployment documents as a Docker Compose or Kubernetes manifest. The resulting application can run with the same technology stack on a laptop, in a datacenter, or in the cloud. section 1.1.1

Figure 1.2 The same app, migrated to Docker before moving to the cloud. This application has the cost benefits of PaaS with the portability benefits of IaaS and the ease of use you get only with Docker.

The migration diagram connects manifests with the broader goal of packaging an application for portable cloud deployment. section 1.1.1

How Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition covers it

How deep it goes

Defines manifests through their deployment role and formats, but does not detail fields, syntax, or resource semantics.

Examples

Uses Docker Compose and Kubernetes application manifests as deployment-document examples for a portable containerized application.

What it assumes

Assumes an existing application and introduces manifests alongside Dockerfiles as the deployment layer for containers.

What you can do after

Apply it via Docker Compose or Kubernetes to describe a deployable application without changing its code.

How it connects

Connects Dockerfiles, containers, Docker Compose, Kubernetes, and cloud migration.

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Also explained in

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  Designing Deep Learning Systems: A guide for software engineersA file that records metadata or associations describing the contents of a dataset or collection of files.
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  Automating API DeliveryA deployment manifest is a declarative file that specifies the resources and configuration required to deploy an application or service.

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Related concepts

• file-level metadatakind of · Metadata describing individual data files, including their locations and query-relevant statistics.
• compactionused by · Compaction is the consolidation or reorganization of data, objects, or context to reduce length or fragmentation while preserving what is needed.
• versionhas part · A version is a distinct, identifiable state or revision of an artifact, system, or product.
• project filepart of · A project file is a configuration file that defines a software project’s metadata, source files, dependencies, and build settings.
• requirements.txtincludes · requirements.txt is a conventional text file that specifies Python project dependencies and may include version constraints or package sources.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Learn Docker in a Month of Lunches, Second Edition. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.