TL;DR: Learn Docker deeply before Kubernetes. Understand images, layers, processes, networks, volumes, and health checks; then learn Kubernetes workloads, services, configuration, scaling, and rollouts.
Docker Foundations
Containerize a small API with a minimal image, non-root user, environment configuration, a health check, and a reproducible build. Test it locally with a database dependency.
Kubernetes Concepts
Learn pods, deployments, services, config maps, secrets, namespaces, probes, resource requests, and rolling updates. Focus on what each object guarantees and what it does not.
The Production Exercise
Deploy the API, make it restart safely, scale it, roll out a new version, and observe what happens when a dependency fails. Write down the failure and recovery path.
Do Not Skip Operations
Logs, metrics, resource limits, image scanning, secret handling, and rollback procedures are part of Kubernetes skill. Memorizing YAML is not.