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Docker Installation Guide

Docker is a platform for developing, shipping, and running applications in containers. This guide will help you install Docker on your system.

Prerequisites​

Before installing Docker, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

  • Linux: Kernel version 3.10 or higher
  • Windows: Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (64-bit)
  • macOS: macOS 10.15 or newer
  • RAM: At least 4GB (8GB recommended)
  • Storage: At least 20GB free space

Installing Docker on Linux​

Ubuntu/Debian​

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt-get install \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    gnupg \
    lsb-release

# Add Docker's official GPG key
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Set up the repository
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Start and enable Docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add your user to the docker group (optional)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora​

# Install prerequisites
sudo yum install -y yum-utils

# Add Docker repository
sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

# Install Docker Engine
sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

# Start and enable Docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add your user to the docker group (optional)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Installing Docker on Windows​

  1. Download Docker Desktop:

  2. Install Docker Desktop:

    # Run the installer as Administrator
    Start-Process -FilePath "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" -Verb RunAs

  3. Enable WSL 2 (if not already enabled):

    # Enable WSL feature
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:Microsoft-Windows-Subsystem-Linux /all /norestart

    # Enable Virtual Machine feature
    dism.exe /online /enable-feature /featurename:VirtualMachinePlatform /all /norestart

    # Restart your computer
    Restart-Computer

  4. Install WSL 2 Linux kernel:

    # Download and install WSL 2 kernel
    Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://wslstorestorage.blob.core.windows.net/wslblob/wsl_update_x64.msi" -OutFile "wsl_update_x64.msi"
    Start-Process -FilePath "wsl_update_x64.msi" -ArgumentList "/quiet" -Wait

  5. Set WSL 2 as default:

    wsl --set-default-version 2

Using WSL 2 Backend​

# Install Docker in WSL 2
wsl --install -d Ubuntu

# In WSL 2 Ubuntu, run the Linux installation commands
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker.io
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Installing Docker on macOS​

  1. Download Docker Desktop:

  2. Install Docker Desktop:

    # Mount the downloaded .dmg file
    hdiutil attach Docker.dmg

    # Copy Docker to Applications
    cp -R /Volumes/Docker/Docker.app /Applications/

    # Unmount the disk image
    hdiutil detach /Volumes/Docker

  3. Start Docker Desktop:

    • Open Docker Desktop from Applications
    • Follow the setup wizard

Using Homebrew​

# Install Docker using Homebrew
brew install --cask docker

# Start Docker Desktop
open /Applications/Docker.app

Using Colima (Alternative to Docker Desktop)​

Colima is a lightweight Docker Desktop alternative for macOS that provides Docker Engine and Docker Compose without the overhead of Docker Desktop.

Prerequisites​

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install Docker CLI
brew install docker

# Install Docker Compose
brew install docker-compose

Install Colima​

# Install Colima using Homebrew
brew install colima

# Start Colima with default settings
colima start

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker-compose --version

Advanced Colima Configuration​

# Start Colima with custom settings
colima start \
  --cpu 4 \
  --memory 8 \
  --disk 100 \
  --arch x86_64

# Start with specific Docker version
colima start --kubernetes --kubernetes-version v1.24.0

# Start with custom Docker daemon configuration
colima start --edit

# Stop Colima
colima stop

# Delete Colima VM
colima delete

# Show Colima status
colima status

Colima with Different Architectures​

# For Apple Silicon (M1/M2) Macs
colima start --arch aarch64

# For Intel Macs
colima start --arch x86_64

# Start with Rosetta 2 for x86_64 compatibility
colima start --arch x86_64 --vm-type=qemu

Colima with Kubernetes​

# Start Colima with Kubernetes
colima start --kubernetes

# Start with specific Kubernetes version
colima start --kubernetes --kubernetes-version v1.24.0

# Enable Kubernetes dashboard
colima start --kubernetes --kubernetes-dashboard

# Check Kubernetes status
kubectl cluster-info

Colima Configuration File​

Create ~/.colima/default/colima.yaml for persistent configuration:

# Colima configuration
cpu: 4
memory: 8
disk: 100
arch: x86_64
kubernetes:
  enabled: false
  version: v1.24.0
docker:
  daemon:
    features:
      buildkit: true
    experimental: true

Troubleshooting Colima​

# Check Colima logs
colima logs

# Restart Colima
colima stop
colima start

# Reset Colima completely
colima delete
colima start

# Check Docker daemon
docker system info

# Test Docker functionality
docker run hello-world

Colima vs Docker Desktop​

FeatureColimaDocker Desktop
Resource UsageLightweightHeavy
Startup TimeFastSlow
KubernetesOptionalBuilt-in
GUICLI onlyFull GUI
UpdatesManualAutomatic
CostFreeFree/Paid
CustomizationHighLimited

Colima Best Practices​

  1. Resource Allocation:

    # Allocate appropriate resources
    colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8 --disk 100

  2. Architecture Selection:

    # Use native architecture for better performance
    colima start --arch aarch64  # For Apple Silicon
    colima start --arch x86_64    # For Intel

  3. Docker Compose Integration:

    # Colima works seamlessly with Docker Compose
    docker-compose up -d

  4. Development Workflow:

    # Start Colima for development
    colima start --cpu 2 --memory 4

    # Use Docker normally
    docker build -t myapp .
    docker run myapp

    # Stop when done
    colima stop

Verifying Installation​

After installation, verify Docker is working correctly:

# Check Docker version
docker --version

# Run hello-world container
docker run hello-world

# Check Docker system info
docker system info

Docker Compose Installation​

Docker Compose is included with Docker Desktop. For Linux installations:

# Install Docker Compose
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Make it executable
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Verify installation
docker-compose --version

Post-Installation Steps​

Configure Docker Daemon (Optional)​

Create or edit /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  },
  "storage-driver": "overlay2",
  "insecure-registries": [],
  "registry-mirrors": []
}

Restart Docker​

# Linux
sudo systemctl restart docker

# macOS/Windows
# Restart Docker Desktop from the application

Troubleshooting​

Common Issues​

  1. Permission Denied:

    # Add user to docker group
    sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
    newgrp docker

  2. Docker Daemon Not Running:

    # Start Docker service
    sudo systemctl start docker

  3. WSL 2 Issues on Windows:

    # Update WSL
    wsl --update

    # Restart WSL
    wsl --shutdown

Getting Help​

Next Steps​

Now that Docker is installed, you can:

  1. Learn Docker basics
  2. Create your first container
  3. Build Docker images
  4. Work with Docker Compose

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Docker on your system.