How can containers be launched and configured using Docker?

The typical steps to run and configure containers using Docker are:

1. Create a Dockerfile — describes the image on which the container will be based, including dependencies installation and file copying.

2. Build the image:

docker build -t myapp:latest .

3. Run the container:

docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name mycontainer myapp:latest

Here, -d runs the container in detached mode, -p maps ports.

4. Configure via environment variables:

docker run -e ENV_VAR=value myapp:latest

5. Use Docker Compose for orchestrating multiple containers using the docker-compose.yml file.

Thus, Docker allows isolating the application and its environment, providing convenience for deployment and scaling.