Docker Consulting & Support

Docker Consulting & Services for Enterprises

AceMQ engineers build and harden the container images that carry production workloads — brokers, databases, and the services around them. We fix slow builds, bloated layers, unpatched base images, and the security findings that block a release.

A senior engineer, not an SDR. No sales sequence attached.

Senior SMEs
11+
Emergency SLA
<15min
Customers
160+
Countries Served
26+

Without rewriting every Dockerfile from scratch or moving to a different build platformFor production incident cover, see AceMQ Docker 24/7 support.

Customers

  • Microsoft
  • Henry Schein
  • Enbridge
  • Gojek

Partners

  • Broadcom
  • Redis
  • VMware Tanzu
  • OSSeva

The Problem

Why teams call us about Docker

Eight Docker problems teams bring to AceMQ, from 20-minute builds and gigabyte images to base images that fail every scan and secrets still readable in layer history. Most are fixed in the Dockerfile and the pipeline. If one describes your week, that is where the review starts.

  1. 01

    Image builds take twenty minutes because a COPY near the top of the Dockerfile invalidates the layer cache every time

  2. 02

    Production images are over a gigabyte and nobody can say which layer is carrying the weight

  3. 03

    The base image is years old and every scan returns critical CVEs that block the release

  4. 04

    Containers run as root because that was the quickest way to make a volume mount work

  5. 05

    Builds pass on a developer laptop and fail in CI because nothing is pinned to a digest

  6. 06

    Secrets were passed in at build time and are still readable in the image layer history

  7. 07

    Multi-architecture builds were promised for the Arm migration and still do not produce a usable manifest

  8. 08

    Registry storage keeps growing because there is no tagging or retention policy behind it

A good fit if you ship business-critical workloads in containers, including brokers, databases and caches, and want senior engineers who fix the Dockerfile and the pipeline rather than the symptom.

Not a fit for small teams with non-critical workloads. AceMQ is not a budget consultancy: we work with enterprises running business-critical and compliance-heavy Docker.

Running Docker in production? Get a quote from a senior engineer, answered within one hour.

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How it breaks, and the fix

What happens when a mutable image tag changes under a running fleet?

A tag such as latest is a pointer the registry can move. Hosts pull it whenever a container restarts, so one rebuilt image can reach some hosts and not others, and nobody can say which build is running in production.

A moving tag, three hosts, two builds

One image tag, one registry, three hosts

Illustrative

  1. All three hosts run the same build of the tag, and a restart on any of them brings back that build.

  2. The tag is rebuilt on a newer base image. Hosts 1 and 2 restart, pull the new build and crash on a missing library, while host 3 keeps running its cached older image. Production is now two different builds, and part of it is down.

  3. Deploys use the image digest, and rollback means redeploying the previous digest. Hosts 1 and 2 are back on the tested build, base images are pinned and rebuilt on a schedule, and a failed health check stops a rollout at one host.

Mutable tags are one of the reasons teams call AceMQ about Docker. A tag can be rebuilt and pushed over, so what a host runs depends on when it last pulled. The fix is to deploy by digest, pin base images, rebuild on a schedule rather than by accident, keep earlier digests so rollback is a redeploy, and gate rollouts on a real health check. The same review usually fixes the neighbouring problems: a pull-through cache so registry rate limits cannot block a deploy, signed images and SBOMs, and layer ordering that reuses the dependency cache instead of reinstalling it on every commit.

Our Services

Docker Consulting & Services

AceMQ runs five Docker service lines: image architecture, build performance, Compose to Kubernetes migration, container security with managed operations, and a structured image and pipeline health check. A senior engineer leads each one, and any of them can roll into 24/7 support with a 15-minute emergency SLA.

  • 01

    Container Architecture & Image Design

    A container image is a supply chain artifact, not a tarball. We design base image strategy, build structure, and registry layout so what ships to production is small, reproducible, and traceable.

    • Multi-stage builds that keep compilers, package managers, and build secrets out of the runtime image
    • Base image strategy: distroless and minimal bases versus distro images, with a real patching plan
    • Registry architecture, tagging and immutability policy, and promotion between environments
    • Reproducible builds with pinned dependencies and SBOM generation for each published image
  • 02

    Build Performance & Layer Optimization

    Long build times are usually a layer ordering problem, not a hardware problem. We restructure Dockerfiles and wire up caching so CI stops rebuilding dependency layers on every commit.

    • Layer ordering and cache-mount usage so dependency installs survive source changes
    • BuildKit and buildx configuration with remote cache backends shared across CI runners
    • Multi-architecture builds (amd64 and arm64) without duplicating pipeline logic
    • Image size reduction: dependency pruning, .dockerignore hygiene, and removing debug tooling from runtime layers
  • 03

    Compose to Kubernetes Migration

    Docker Compose is fine until you need rolling updates, autoscaling, or multi-node scheduling. We plan the move to Kubernetes without pretending the mapping is one-to-one, because it is not.

    • Compose service mapping to Deployments, StatefulSets, Services, and ConfigMaps or Secrets
    • Storage translation from bind mounts and named volumes to PersistentVolumeClaims with real storage classes
    • Health check, resource request and limit, and graceful shutdown design that Compose never forced you to define
    • Staged cutover with parallel running, plus an honest assessment of where Compose is still the right tool
  • 04

    Container Security & Managed Operations

    Most container security findings are fixable in the build, not at runtime. We close them at the source and keep the pipeline gating on the things that actually matter.

    • Image scanning in CI with CVE triage and remediation, including base image bumps and rebuild cadence
    • Runtime hardening: non-root users, read-only root filesystem, dropped capabilities, seccomp profiles
    • Secrets handling that keeps credentials out of image layers, build args, and environment dumps
    • Named engineer on your account with a 15-minute emergency response SLA for production container incidents
  • 05

    Docker Health Check & Assessment

    A structured audit of every image you publish and every pipeline that builds one — with findings ranked by what an attacker or an auditor would reach first.

    • Dockerfile review across repositories for layer waste, root execution, and embedded secrets
    • Base image inventory with age, CVE exposure, and patch path for each family in use
    • Registry and pipeline review: tag mutability, provenance, and who can push to production repositories
    • Written report with prioritized remediation steps ranked by production and compliance risk
  • 15 MIN SLA

    24/7 Docker Support

    Named senior engineers on your account — 15-minute emergency response, no ticket routing, no junior triage.

    • 15-minute emergency response SLA
    • Named engineer, zero cold-start
    • Proactive CVE & health monitoring
    • Quarterly deployment reviews
    Compare the four Docker support tiers

Want AceMQ to take this off your team's plate? Tell us about your Docker estate.

Contact Us

24/7 Support

Docker Support When It Matters Most

AceMQ Docker support gives you a named senior engineer and a 15-minute first response when production is down, 24/7. Lower severities get 1-hour, 4-hour and next-day responses, and every P1 ends in a written root-cause analysis.

  1. 15 minfirst responseEmergencyProduction down, messages not flowing, queue manager failure
  2. 1 hourfirst responseCriticalSevere degradation, high error rates, approaching capacity
  3. 4 hoursfirst responseHighPerformance issues, configuration problems, non-critical failures
  4. Next Dayfirst responseStandardQuestions, guidance, best practices, non-urgent improvements

P1 escalation path

A replay of one P1, from the first page to the written root-cause analysis

SLA 15:00
T+Elapsed15:00
Engineer on your bridge

15-minute P1 response, 24/7.
A response time, not a resolution time.

  1. T+00:00

    P1 opened, on-call engineer paged

    Phone, email or Slack reaches the on-call senior engineer directly, whether the incident is in RabbitMQ, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL or Kubernetes. No web form, no tier-1 queue.

    Paged
  2. T+15:00

    Senior engineer on your bridge

    A senior engineer who already knows your environment joins a live bridge, so nobody has to re-explain your topology.

    Live
  3. T+30:00

    Specialists across the stack join

    When an incident crosses components, the engineers who know each one join. For RabbitMQ, the path runs to the core team.

    If needed
  4. After

    Written root-cause analysis

    Root cause, the fix applied and the prevention steps, delivered after every P1.

    Every P1

How Our Support Actually Works

Beyond SLAs — the model behind senior-only, zero-cold-start expert access.

  • Named Engineers on Your Account

    Every ticket is handled by a senior SME assigned to your account — not a pool of anonymous agents. Zero cold-start. No re-explaining your environment.

  • Live Escalation on Any Ticket

    Any ticket can be escalated to a live session with your named engineer via calendar booking. No gatekeeping, no approval required — direct access, always.

  • Proactive Risk Mitigation

    Quarterly health checks on your deployment plus shared intelligence from 50+ support customers — we surface risks before they reach production.

  • Critical Bug & CVE Intelligence

    Proactive alerts on critical bugs and CVEs affecting your exact version, with version compliance monitoring so you're never caught off guard.

Compare Docker support plans

How It Works

What actually happens next

An AceMQ Docker engagement runs in four stages: an image and build assessment of 1 to 2 weeks, written findings within a week, changes made with your engineers one service at a time, then a handover with base-image update and rebuild runbooks written for your registry and pipeline.

1–2 weeks

Image and build assessment

We go through your Dockerfiles, base images, build pipeline and registry — layer caching, image size, user and capability settings — and establish what the current scan findings actually mean for your next release.

Within a week

Written findings and plan

A prioritised list of build and hardening changes, each with the CVE or the build minutes it removes, written so security and engineering can agree on the order without a further meeting.

Scoped per engagement

Implementation alongside your team

We rework Dockerfiles, multi-stage builds and base images with your engineers rather than around them, one service at a time so every change can be reverted independently.

Ongoing

Handover and optional cover

Base image update and rebuild runbooks written against your registry and pipeline, plus 24/7 support with a 15-minute emergency SLA if you want it.

  • Written findings before any change
  • Every change made one service at a time and reversible
  • Your engineers in the room
  • You keep the runbooks
  • Ad hoc engagements or an annual partnership

A senior engineer, not an SDR. No sales sequence attached.

Customer Success

Real Docker Results

Docker work from AceMQ: OOMKilled containers, disk exhaustion on build hosts, build optimization and security hardening. Each card links to the full write-up: the environment, what AceMQ assessed or changed, and the result.

1 / 6 case studies

All use cases

Solutions

Every way AceMQ works with Docker.

AceMQ covers Docker end to end: image and build consulting, 24/7 support and incident management, proactive monitoring, container build operations on your infrastructure or on AceMQ's, upgrade planning for engines and base images, and a fixed-price health check.

Projects

Build, fix or move Docker

Fixed-scope work led by a senior engineer: architecture and new builds, a health check of what you run today, or a migration with a reversible cutover.

Support and managed services

Keep Docker running

Four tiers of ongoing cover once you are live. Each tier hands more of the day-to-day work to AceMQ, from a 15-minute emergency SLA to AceMQ hosting and running Docker for you.

Compare the four Docker support tiers

Side by side

Docker Compose or Kubernetes: what changes when you move?

Docker Compose runs a set of containers on one host from one file. Kubernetes schedules them across many nodes with rolling updates, rollback and self-healing. The mapping is not one to one: storage, health checks, resource limits and graceful shutdown all have to be defined. AceMQ moves workloads in stages and says where Compose is still the right tool.

Docker Compose compared with Kubernetes on scheduling, updates and rollback, host failure, storage, required configuration and when each fits
QuestionDocker Engine with ComposeKubernetes
Where do containers run?On one host, or on a few hosts managed by hand.Across a pool of nodes, placed by the scheduler.
How are updates and rollback handled?Recreating a service restarts its containers. Rollback means redeploying the previous image yourself.Rolling updates replace pods gradually, and kubectl rollout undo returns to the previous revision. A stalled rollout is not reverted automatically.
What happens when a host fails?The containers on it stop until someone starts them elsewhere.Pods are rescheduled onto other nodes, provided requests, volumes and affinity rules allow it.
How is storage defined?Bind mounts and named volumes on the host.PersistentVolumeClaims backed by a storage class, with a reclaim policy that has to be checked.
What must you define that Compose let you skip?Little: a restart policy and, ideally, a health check.Resource requests and limits, readiness and liveness probes, disruption budgets and graceful shutdown.
When is each the right choice?A single-host deployment with a maintenance window, where simpler operations win.Multi-node scheduling, autoscaling, self-healing or automatic rollback is needed. AceMQ stages the cutover with a parallel run.

For what changes when stateful workloads such as brokers move onto Kubernetes, read messaging on Kubernetes: why RabbitMQ and Kafka are hard to run.

Not sure which option fits? A senior Docker engineer will scope it with you.

Contact Us

One partner, not five

We Support Your Entire Tech Stack

Docker rarely fails in isolation. AceMQ covers the full surrounding infrastructure — so one team owns the whole path instead of pointing at each other.

Messaging & Streaming

Databases & Caching

Search & Analytics

Lakehouse & Compute

Observability & Monitoring

Data Integration

Cloud & Containers

API Management

VMware Tanzu

See all 51 technologies we supportShow fewer

Guides, articles and comparisons

Go deeper on Docker.

Guides from AceMQ engineers on running stateful workloads such as brokers in containers and on Kubernetes, plus the AceMQ services for the orchestrators, registries and monitoring tools that usually run next to Docker.

Related services

Ready to talk Docker? Get a quote or send us a message.

Contact Us

FAQs

Docker Questions Answered

Eight answers on Docker from AceMQ: which Docker Engine versions are maintained, who answers when a deploy is blocked, how an engagement starts, working with your team, OOMKilled containers, mutable tags, registry rate limits, and Compose or Kubernetes.

Still have questions about Docker? Email an Expert

Which Docker Engine versions are still maintained?

As of 19 October 2026 the Moby project, which Docker Engine builds on, lists two maintained branches: 29.x, the current line, and 25.0, kept until 4 December 2026. It lists 28.x, 27.x, 26.x and 24.0 as unmaintained, and calls the status informational. AceMQ supports Docker Engine on Linux, covering the current release and the five end-of-life release lines before it, and plans the move off unmaintained lines.

Who answers when a Docker deploy is blocked in production, and how fast?

A named AceMQ senior engineer joins a live bridge within 15 minutes, 24/7, when containers crash-loop, a registry outage stops every rollout or a node runs out of disk. Lower severities get a first response within 1 hour, 4 hours or the next business day. The engineer who takes the call stays on the case, and every P1 ends in a written root-cause analysis.

How does an AceMQ Docker engagement start?

An AceMQ Docker engagement starts with a free consultation with a senior engineer, booked in our reply within 1 hour. An image and build assessment of 1 to 2 weeks follows, covering Dockerfiles, base images, the build pipeline and the registry. Written findings arrive within a week, and no image or pipeline changes before you have read them.

Can an AceMQ engineer work alongside our DevOps team?

Yes. A named senior engineer from AceMQ's team of 11+ works with your engineers, reworking Dockerfiles, multi-stage builds and base images one service at a time so each change can be reverted on its own. You keep the base-image update and rebuild runbooks when the work is done.

Why is our container killed with exit code 137 when the app has memory free?

Because the runtime inside the container sizes itself from host memory rather than the container's cgroup limit. A JVM without container awareness, or Node with a heap ceiling above the limit, grows past it and the kernel kills the process before it can log anything. AceMQ sets heap relative to the limit, with headroom for off-heap memory.

Why do different hosts run different builds of the same image tag?

Because a tag such as latest is mutable. Each host runs whatever it last pulled, so a rebuilt tag reaches a host only when its container restarts. The fix is to deploy by image digest, pin base images, keep earlier digests for rollback, and rebuild on a schedule so the build in production is one you tested.

How do we stop registry rate limits from blocking our deploys?

Anonymous pulls from a public registry are limited per source IP, so a NAT-ed cluster or CI fleet shares one budget and exhausts it during a large rollout. AceMQ sets up authenticated pulls and a pull-through cache or internal mirror, and pins the base images you depend on, so a throttle or outage upstream cannot block a deploy.

Should we stay on Docker Compose or move to Kubernetes?

Stay on Compose for a single host with a maintenance window; move when you need multi-node scheduling, rolling updates with automatic rollback, autoscaling or self-healing across host failures. The mapping is not one to one, so AceMQ defines storage, probes and limits explicitly and cuts over in stages with a parallel run.

Can we work with AceMQ on Docker without a long contract?

Yes. AceMQ works on Docker in two ways: ad hoc engagements for a defined piece of work, such as a health check, an upgrade or an incident, or an annual partner engagement that covers 24/7 support, proactive reviews and named engineers. Many teams start ad hoc and move to an annual partnership once the first engagement is done.

How much does AceMQ Docker support or consulting cost?

Every AceMQ proposal is tailored to your requirements: your Docker environment, the SLA you need, the hours of cover and the scope of work. Most contracts run $24,000–72,000 a year, depending on the SLA, the scope and how Docker is deployed, with aggressive discounts when several technologies share one contract. Request a quote and AceMQ replies within 1 hour.

Let's talk

Ready to Fix Your Container Builds and Security?

Whether you need image optimization, a security hardening pass, a Kubernetes migration partner, or ongoing managed operations — AceMQ staffs every engagement with a named senior engineer. Quote requests answered within 1 hour.

A senior Docker engineer, not a sales queueAbout your images and pipelines, not a pitch deckQuote requests answered within 1 hour

Production incident right now?Email a Docker Architect

Get in Touch

Talk to a Docker Expert

Send us a message and we'll follow up within 1 hour — or book a free 30-min consultation directly.

305-204-2607
info@acemq.com
66 W. Flagler St. 9th Floor
Miami, FL 33130

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