Install Docker on Linux

As a developer, you know the importance of having an efficient development workflow. One tool that can help you streamline your workflow is Docker, a containerization platform that allows you to package your applications and dependencies into a container that can run on any system. In this tutorial, I will show you how to install Docker on Linux – Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat variants in a few simple steps, so you can start using this powerful tool to boost your productivity.

Step-by-Step Guide

For Ubuntu and Debian

Uninstall old version

Before installing Docker, you should check if any old versions of Docker are installed on your system and uninstall them. To do this, enter the following command:

sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

Images, containers, volumes, and networks stored in /var/lib/docker/ aren’t automatically removed when you uninstall Docker. If you want to start with a clean installation and prefer to clean up any existing data, you can follow the instructions in the Docker documentation for uninstalling Docker Engine, which includes removing all images, containers, volumes, and networks associated with Docker: Ubuntu and Debian. After removing the older version of Docker, you can proceed with the installation steps

Update the package list:

Next, you’ll need to make sure your package list is up to date. To do this, open your terminal and enter the following command:

sudo apt-get update

Install the required packages:

After uninstalling old versions of Docker, you’ll need to install some packages that are required for Docker to run. To do this, enter the following command:

sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg2 software-properties-common

Add Docker’s GPG key:

Docker’s GPG key is used to verify the integrity of the packages you’ll be installing. To add it to your system, enter the following command:

For Ubuntu:

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

For Debian:

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Add the Docker repository:

To download and install the latest version of Docker, you’ll need to add Docker’s repository to your system. To do this, enter the following command:

For Ubuntu:

echo \
  "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

For Debian:

echo \
  "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \
  "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Install Docker:

Now that Docker’s repository has been added to your system, you can install Docker by entering the following command:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Start and enable Docker service:

Finally, you’ll need to start and enable Docker’s service so it will start automatically when you boot your system. To do this, enter the following commands:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl status docker

sudo usermod -aG docker USERNAME

Verify Docker installation:

After Docker has been installed, you can verify that it’s working by running the following command:

sudo docker run hello-world

If everything is working correctly, you should see a message that says “Hello from Docker!”.

For Red Hat variants (Rocky Linux, CentOS, Fedora, and RHEL)

Uninstall old versions:

Before installing Docker, you should check if any old versions of Docker are installed on your system and uninstall them. To do this, enter the following command:

sudo yum remove docker \
                docker-client \
                docker-client-latest \
                docker-common \
                docker-latest \
                docker-selinux \
                docker-engine-selinux \
                docker-latest-logrotate \
                docker-logrotate \
                docker-engine \
                docker-ce

Images, containers, volumes, and networks stored in /var/lib/docker/ aren’t automatically removed when you uninstall Docker. If you want to start with a clean installation and prefer to clean up any existing data, you can follow the instructions in the Docker documentation for uninstalling Docker Engine, which includes removing all images, containers, volumes, and networks associated with Docker: CentOs, Fedora and RHEL. After removing the older version of Docker, you can proceed with the installation steps

Install required packages:

After uninstalling old versions of Docker, you’ll need to install some required packages. To do this, enter the following command:

sudo yum install -y yum-utils device-mapper-persistent-data lvm2

Add Docker repository:

Next, you’ll need to add Docker’s repository to your system. To do this, enter the following command:

For Rocky Linux/CentOS:

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

For Fedora:

sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo=https://download.docker.com/linux/fedora/docker-ce.repo

For RHEL:

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

Install Docker:

After adding Docker’s repository, you can install Docker by entering the following command:

 sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

  sudo dnf install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

 sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start and enable Docker service:

Finally, you’ll need to start and enable Docker’s service so it will start automatically when you boot your system. To do this, enter the following commands:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl status docker

After installing Docker, you may encounter permission errors when running Docker commands. This is because Docker requires root privileges to execute some commands. To avoid having to run every Docker command with sudo, you can add your user to the `docker` group using the following command:

sudo usermod -aG docker USERNAME

Replace <USERNAME> with your username.

After running this command, you will need to log out and log back in for the changes to take effect. Once you’ve done this, you should be able to run Docker commands without using sudo.

Note: Be aware that adding a user to the docker group grants them the ability to run Docker commands, which can potentially be a security risk. Make sure you only add trusted users to the docker group.

Screenshots:

Verify Docker installation:

After Docker has been installed, you can verify that it’s working by running the following command:

sudo docker run hello-world

If everything is working correctly, you should see a message that says “Hello from Docker!”.

Conclusion

By following the simple steps outlined in this tutorial, you can install Docker on Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat variants and start using it to streamline your development workflow. With Docker, you can package your applications and dependencies into a container that can run on any system, making it easier to test and deploy your code. Whether you’re developing software for personal or professional use, Docker is a powerful tool that can help you boost your productivity and get more done in less time.

Got any queries or feedback? Feel free to drop a comment below!

Links:
https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/