diff --git a/testcontainers/src/core.rs b/testcontainers/src/core.rs
index 0361e8e6..5be5072b 100644
--- a/testcontainers/src/core.rs
+++ b/testcontainers/src/core.rs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ pub use self::{
 mod image;
 
 pub(crate) mod async_drop;
-pub(crate) mod client;
+pub mod client;
 pub(crate) mod containers;
 pub(crate) mod copy;
 pub(crate) mod env;
diff --git a/testcontainers/src/core/client.rs b/testcontainers/src/core/client.rs
index e3313d7d..763814ec 100644
--- a/testcontainers/src/core/client.rs
+++ b/testcontainers/src/core/client.rs
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ mod bollard_client;
 mod exec;
 mod factory;
 
+pub use factory::docker_client_instance;
+
 static IN_A_CONTAINER: OnceCell<bool> = OnceCell::const_new();
 
 // See https://github.com/docker/docker/blob/a9fa38b1edf30b23cae3eade0be48b3d4b1de14b/daemon/initlayer/setup_unix.go#L25
diff --git a/testcontainers/src/core/client/factory.rs b/testcontainers/src/core/client/factory.rs
index 035ebcc9..838165a3 100644
--- a/testcontainers/src/core/client/factory.rs
+++ b/testcontainers/src/core/client/factory.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,6 @@ static DOCKER_CLIENT: OnceLock<Mutex<Weak<Client>>> = OnceLock::new();
 
 impl Client {
     /// Returns a client instance, reusing already created or initializing a new one.
-    // We don't expose this function to the public API for now. We can do it later if needed.
     pub(crate) async fn lazy_client() -> Result<Arc<Client>, ClientError> {
         let mut guard = DOCKER_CLIENT
             .get_or_init(|| Mutex::new(Weak::new()))
@@ -29,3 +28,14 @@ impl Client {
         }
     }
 }
+
+/// Returns a configured Docker client instance.
+///
+/// This function provides access to the underlying Docker client ([`bollard`]).
+/// While this method is publicly exposed, it is not intended for frequent use.
+/// It can be useful in scenarios where you need to interact with the Docker API directly using an already configured client.
+///
+/// This method returns a lazily-created client, reusing an existing one if available.
+pub async fn docker_client_instance() -> Result<bollard::Docker, ClientError> {
+    Client::lazy_client().await.map(|c| c.bollard.clone())
+}