Docker Engine
Docker Engine is the core runtime component of Docker that enables containerization by building, running, and managing Docker containers. It consists of a daemon process (dockerd) that handles container operations, a REST API for communication, and a command-line interface (CLI) for user interaction. It allows developers to package applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers that run consistently across different environments.
Developers should learn Docker Engine to streamline application deployment, ensure consistency between development and production environments, and improve scalability through container orchestration. It is essential for microservices architectures, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and cloud-native development, as it simplifies dependency management and reduces 'it works on my machine' issues.