How to Install Docker on Different Operating Systems?

Docker is a platform that helps developers to automate how they deploy applications. It uses lightweight and portable containers. These containers hold the application and all its needed parts. This way, we can make sure the app works the same no matter where we run it. Installing Docker can be different based on the operating system we use. So, it is important to know the steps for each platform.

In this article, we will talk about how to install Docker on different operating systems like Windows, macOS, Ubuntu, and CentOS. We will start by listing what we need before installing Docker. Then, we will give clear steps for each operating system. We will also answer some common questions about Docker installation. By the end, we will have a simple guide to help us install Docker on the platform we want.

  • How Can We Install Docker on Various Operating Systems?
  • What Are the Things We Need to Install Docker?
  • How to Install Docker on Windows?
  • How to Install Docker on macOS?
  • How to Install Docker on Ubuntu?
  • How to Install Docker on CentOS?
  • Frequently Asked Questions

For more information about Docker and its benefits, we can check related topics like What is Docker and Why Should We Use It? and What are the Benefits of Using Docker in Development?.

What Are the Prerequisites for Installing Docker?

Before we install Docker on our operating system, let us check the prerequisites:

  1. Supported Operating Systems:
    • Windows 10 (64-bit: Pro, Enterprise, or Education)
    • macOS (version 10.14 or newer)
    • Linux (like Ubuntu, CentOS, and others)
  2. Hardware Requirements:
    • We need at least 4GB of RAM.
    • A CPU that can support virtualization (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) is important.
  3. Software Requirements:
    • For Windows: We must enable WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) and install a Linux kernel update package.
    • For macOS: We should install the latest version of Docker Desktop for Mac.
    • For Linux: It is good to make sure our package manager is up to date.
  4. Permissions:
    • We need admin or root access to install Docker and manage containers.
  5. Network Configuration:
    • An active internet connection is needed to download Docker and updates.
  6. Optional:
    • It helps to know how to use command line interfaces. We will run Docker commands mostly in the terminal.

For more info on why Docker is good for development, check out this article on the benefits of using Docker in development.

How to Install Docker on Windows?

We can install Docker on Windows easily by following these steps:

  1. Check System Requirements:
    • We need Windows 10 64-bit. It can be Pro, Enterprise, or Education. The build should be 15063 or later.
    • We must enable Hyper-V and Containers Windows features.
  2. Download Docker Desktop:
  3. Install Docker Desktop:
    • We run the installer that we just downloaded.
    • We follow the prompts in the installation wizard.
    • If it asks, we select the option to enable WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux).
  4. Start Docker Desktop:
    • After we install it, we launch Docker Desktop from the Start menu.
    • We wait for Docker to start up.
  5. Verify Installation:
    • We open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window.
    • We run this command to check the Docker version:
    docker --version
  6. Configure Docker Settings (if needed):
    • We right-click the Docker icon in the system tray and choose “Settings”.
    • We can change settings like resource allocation and network according to what we need.
  7. Run a Test Container:
    • To check if Docker is working well, we run this command:
    docker run hello-world

For more information about Docker and its benefits in development, we can check What Are the Benefits of Using Docker in Development.

How to Install Docker on macOS?

To install Docker on macOS, we can follow these steps:

  1. Download Docker Desktop:
  2. Install Docker Desktop:
    • Next, we open the downloaded .dmg file.
    • Now, we drag the Docker icon to the Applications folder.
    • Finally, we launch Docker from the Applications folder.
  3. Run Docker:
    • After we install, we start Docker Desktop. We may need to allow it in System Preferences > Security & Privacy.
    • We wait for Docker to start. A whale icon will appear in the menu bar. This shows that Docker is running.
  4. Verify Installation:

    • We open Terminal and run this command:

      docker --version

    • This command will show the version of Docker we installed.

  5. Configure Docker (Optional):
    • To change settings, we click on the Docker icon in the menu bar and choose “Preferences”.
    • In this section, we can set resources like CPU, Memory, and Disk Image location.

For more details about Docker, we can check What are the benefits of using Docker in development?.

How to Install Docker on Ubuntu?

To install Docker on Ubuntu, we can follow these steps:

  1. Update Package Index:
    First, we need to update the package list. We do this by running:

    sudo apt-get update

  2. Install Required Packages:
    Next, we install some packages that Docker needs. Use this command:

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

  3. Add Docker’s Official GPG Key:
    Then, we add Docker’s official key. This is important for security. Run this command:

    curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -

  4. Set up the Stable Repository:
    Now, we set up the Docker stable repository. Use this command:

    sudo add-apt-repository \
    "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
    $(lsb_release -cs) \
    stable"

  5. Update Package Index Again:
    After adding the repository, we update the package list again:

    sudo apt-get update

  6. Install Docker CE (Community Edition):
    Now we can install Docker Community Edition. Run this command:

    sudo apt-get install docker-ce

  7. Verify Docker Installation:
    We should check if Docker installed correctly. Use this command:

    sudo docker --version

  8. Optional - Manage Docker as a Non-root User:
    If we want to manage Docker without using sudo, we can run this command:

    sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

    After we run this command, we need to log out and then log back in to apply the changes.

For more details about Docker and why we should use it, we can check this link: what is Docker and why should you use it.

How to Install Docker on CentOS?

To install Docker on CentOS, we can follow simple steps:

  1. Update the system:
    First, we open a terminal. Then, we run this command to make sure our system is up-to-date.

    sudo yum update -y

  2. Install required packages:
    Next, we install packages that help yum use repositories over HTTPS.

    sudo yum install -y yum-utils

  3. Set up the Docker repository:
    Now, we need to add the Docker repository to our system.

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

  4. Install Docker:
    After that, we install Docker Community Edition.

    sudo yum install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

  5. Start the Docker service:
    We should enable and start the Docker service.

    sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

  6. Verify Docker installation:
    To check if Docker installed correctly, we can run a test image.

    sudo docker run hello-world

  7. Manage Docker as a non-root user (optional):
    If we want to run Docker commands without using sudo, we can add our user to the Docker group.

    sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

    We need to log out and log back in for this change to work.

For more insights on containerization and its advantages, we can read about What is Containerization and How Does it Relate to Docker?.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the system requirements for installing Docker?

To install Docker, your system must have some requirements. For Windows, you need Windows 10 64-bit. It can be Pro, Enterprise, or Education. For macOS, you need macOS Sierra 10.12 or newer. For Linux like Ubuntu and CentOS, make sure you have a compatible kernel version. Also, you must turn on virtualization in your BIOS settings.

2. Can I run Docker on Windows Home edition?

Yes, we can run Docker on Windows Home edition. We need Docker Desktop with the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) 2. This lets us run Docker containers easily. For more steps on how to do this, look at our guide on how to install Docker on Windows.

3. How does Docker differ from virtual machines?

Docker containers are light and share the host OS kernel. This makes them faster and better than traditional virtual machines (VMs) which need a full OS install. If you want to see the differences, check our article on how Docker differs from virtual machines for a full comparison.

4. What is containerization and how does it relate to Docker?

Containerization is a way to package an application and its dependencies into a container. Docker is a top platform for containerization. It helps us create, deploy, and manage containers easily. To know more about containerization and its benefits, read our article on what is containerization and how it relates to Docker.

5. What are the advantages of using Docker for development?

Using Docker for development has many benefits. Some are environment consistency, easy scaling, and simple dependency management. Docker containers make sure our application runs the same in development, testing, and production. For more on the benefits of using Docker in development, check our article that explains these advantages.