Docker Networking Explained: Why "Connection Refused" Happens (And How to Fix It in 60 Seconds)
Your container name is correct. Your port is correct. But your API still can't find your database. Why?
The answer is buried in Docker's default settings the default bridge network has no DNS. Your containers can talk by IP, but those IPs change on every restart. Three days into the bug, a senior engineer mentions a "custom network" and everything snaps into place.
In this 2-minute explainer for data and backend engineers:
→ The "Container name is correct. Why won't it work?" trap that breaks every new hire
→ Why default bridge networks have no hostname resolution
→ Why hard-coding IPs is a trap they're assigned dynamically and change on restart
→ The one docker network create command that turns the chaos into a working system
→ When to use bridge, host, and custom networks in real projects
Built for backend developers, data engineers, and anyone wiring up multi-container apps with docker-compose.
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