Sharing Docker Images

Once you’ve built your own Docker image — whether it’s a simulation environment or a simple test setup — you can share it with your teammates so they can run the same container without rebuilding it from scratch.

There are two common ways to share Docker images:

1. Uploading to Docker Hub (recommended)
2. Exporting the image as a tar/zip file

1. Sharing via Docker Hub

Docker Hub is a public registry where you can upload and share Docker images with others.

Step-1: Create a Docker Hub Account

Go to https://hub.docker.com and create a free account if you don’t already have one.

Step-2: Log In from the Terminal

Once your account is ready, log in using:

docker login

Enter your Docker Hub username and password when prompted.

Step-3: Tag Your Image

Before pushing your image, tag it with your Docker Hub username and repository name.

For example, if your username is avkalanlabs and your image is hello_docker:

docker tag hello_docker avkalanlabs/hello_docker:latest

Step-4: Push the Image

Now upload (push) your image to Docker Hub:

docker push avkalanlabs/hello_docker:latest

Docker will start uploading the layers of your image. Once complete, your image will be available at: https://hub.docker.com/r/avkalanlabs/hello_docker

Step-5: Pulling the Image on Another System

Anyone can now download and run the same image using:

docker pull avkalanlabs/hello_docker:latest
docker run avkalanlabs/hello_docker

That’s it — your environment is now reproducible and shareable anywhere.

2. Sharing via Exported Image (Offline Sharing)

If you want to share the image without using Docker Hub — for example, sending it to a teammate offline — you can export it as a single file.

Step-1: Save the Image to a File

Use the save command to export it as a .tar file:

docker save -o hello_docker.tar hello_docker

If you want to save the file in a different location, first navigate to the desired folder using the cd command. For example:

cd /path/to/your/folder
docker save -o hello_docker.tar hello_docker

Step-2: Transfer the File

Send this file via USB, shared drive, or cloud storage (e.g., Google Drive, OneDrive).

Step-3: Load the Image on Another System

Once your teammate receives the file, they can load it into Docker using:

docker load -i hello_docker.tar

Docker will unpack it and restore the image locally.

You will get an idea about using Docker volumes and sharing Docker images from this video:

Summary

Method	When to Use	Command
Docker Hub	Best for sharing online and public access	docker push / docker pull
Exporting File	Best for offline sharing or internal distribution	docker save / docker load

Both methods ensure that everyone runs the exact same environment, maintaining consistency across systems.

Next, we'll briefly introduce Docker Compose for managing multi-container applications and best practices for using Docker in simulation workflows.