New Release • Packt Publishing • May 2026
By Ajeet Singh Raina and Harsh Manvar • Packt Publishing • 1st Edition
Just ReleasedWhy this book
Stop building prototypes. Learn the operational patterns that take AI from notebook to production.
Master Docker Model Runner, MCP Gateway, Docker Agent, and Sandboxes — the new AI stack from Docker.
Every chapter includes working code, real architectures, and lessons from production deployments.
About the book
Modern AI systems don’t fail at modeling; they fail in production. Moving from experiments to reliable, scalable systems requires more than notebooks and scripts. It requires infrastructure.
Operational AI with Docker shows you how to build, deploy, and operate AI systems that work beyond a single machine. You’ll learn how to use Docker as a consistent runtime for machine learning workflows, package models as reproducible artifacts, and run them reliably across environments.
Starting with containerized machine learning, you’ll progress to model serving, AI deployment, and scalable infrastructure using Kubernetes. You’ll implement production-ready patterns for resource management, autoscaling, observability, and performance tuning, ensuring your AI workloads remain stable under real-world conditions.
The book goes beyond traditional MLOps by introducing agentic AI systems, including autonomous agents, multi-agent architectures, and secure execution environments. You’ll also explore modern integration patterns using the Model Context Protocol (MCP), enabling AI systems to interact safely with tools, APIs, and data sources.
By the end of this book, you’ll be able to design and operate production AI systems that are reproducible, scalable, and ready for real-world deployment using Docker and Kubernetes.
What you'll learn
Who this book is for
Cloud engineers, DevOps engineers, SREs, and platform engineers who need to deploy, operate, and scale GenAI workloads using Docker and Kubernetes on cloud, hybrid, or edge environments. You should be comfortable with the command line and basic service operations; prior Docker or Kubernetes exposure is helpful but not required.
Table of contents
"Highly recommended if you're tired of tutorials that stop at "it ran on my machine.""
I've been running local LLMs and experimenting with agents for a while, but getting them to run reliably at scale has always been a pain. This book finally bridges that gap. The authors blend Docker fundamentals with real AI workflows — not just "here's a Dockerfile," but practical patterns for containerizing LLMs, quantizing models, and serving them efficiently. One of the most practical "LLMOps in the real world" resources I've found.
"Essential AI Guide for 2026"
Operational AI with Docker is not only a hands-on guide, but it's also a journey. You're in for a ride to learn different aspects of agentic AI development. I read the book cover to cover, and it's very rewarding. Ajeet and Harsh need no introduction — they did an awesome job teaching cutting-edge technology and tools that have not yet been discovered by many.
"Strong Practical Guide for AI + Docker Workflows"
This book does a great job of connecting modern AI workflows with real-world Docker and Kubernetes practices. Instead of staying theoretical, it focuses on practical topics like containerizing AI workloads, running models locally, orchestration, observability, and multi-agent systems. The writing is clear and hands-on, and the examples feel relevant to how teams are actually deploying AI services today.
"Great AI deployment with Docker"
A comprehensive, hands-on guide for engineers and developers looking to deploy, scale, and manage AI/ML services using Docker and Kubernetes. Filled with real-world examples, step-by-step tutorials, and configuration samples. An essential resource for anyone responsible for moving AI models from notebooks to scalable, secure, and maintainable production systems.
Free preview
Preview Operational AI with Docker instantly on Amazon — or drop your email and we'll send you a sample.
Prefer it in your inbox?
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Where to buy
FAQ
Join thousands of developers building the next generation of AI applications with Docker.