Docker daemon ports vs forward container ports

daemon ports

Docker daemon ports: add something like tcp://0.0.0.0:9999 in /etc/docker/daemon.json

It’s about the Docker daemon’s ability to accept commands (like starting/stopping containers, pulling images, etc.) over the network.

forwarding container ports

This is about exposing a specific port of a running container to the host or the outside world, allowing network traffic to reach the service running inside the container.

summary

In summary, setting the Docker daemon to listen on certain TCP ports is about remote management of the Docker engine itself, while forwarding ports for a container is about allowing external access to services running inside that container.