Docker is a system for running applications securely isolated in a container to provide a consistent deployment environment. The document introduces Docker, discusses the challenges of deploying applications ("the matrix from hell"), and how Docker addresses these challenges by allowing applications and their dependencies to be packaged into lightweight executable containers that can run on any infrastructure. It also summarizes key Docker tools like Docker Compose for defining and running multi-container apps, Docker Machine for provisioning remote Docker hosts in various clouds, and Docker Swarm for clustering Docker hosts.