How to Install Docker on Linux

Docker is a popular platform that allows you to build, ship and run applications inside containers. Containers package applications with all their dependencies so they can run reliably across different environments.

This guide explains how to install Docker on different Linux distributions including Debian/Ubuntu, RHEL-based systems (CentOS, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux) and Fedora.

Requirements

• A Linux server or VPS
• Root access or sudo privileges
• Internet connection

Step 1 – Update your system

Before installing Docker it is recommended to update your system packages.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

For RHEL-based systems:

sudo dnf update -y

Install Docker on Debian / Ubuntu

1. Install required packages

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

2. Add Docker official GPG key

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker.gpg

3. Add Docker repository

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

4. Install Docker Engine

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y

5. Start and enable Docker

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Install Docker on RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky Linux / CentOS

1. Install required tools

sudo dnf install -y dnf-utils

2. Add Docker repository

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

3. Install Docker

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

4. Start Docker service

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Install Docker on Fedora

1. Install required packages

sudo dnf -y install dnf-plugins-core

2. Add Docker repository

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

3. Install Docker

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

4. Start Docker

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Allow your user to run Docker (Optional)

By default Docker requires root privileges. You can allow your user to run Docker commands without sudo:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and log back in for the change to take effect.

Test Docker Installation

You can test whether Docker works correctly by running a test container:

docker run hello-world

If Docker is installed correctly, it will download a test image and display a confirmation message.

Basic Docker Commands

• Check Docker version

docker --version

• List running containers

docker ps

• List all containers

docker ps -a

• List Docker images

docker images

Conclusion

Docker makes it easy to deploy and manage applications using containers. Once installed, you can start deploying containerized applications quickly and efficiently.

If you have any questions or encounter problems installing Docker, feel free to contact our support team.