A Beginner’s Guide to Installing Docker on Ubuntu

Docker has revolutionized the way developers build, ship, and run applications by providing a platform for containerization. Containers allow applications to run reliably in different computing environments, making development and deployment more efficient and consistent. If you’re using Ubuntu as your development environment, installing Docker is straightforward and can be done in just a few steps. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of installing Docker on Ubuntu.

Step 1: Update your package index

Before installing any new software, it’s a good practice to update your system’s package index to ensure you’re installing the latest versions of packages. Open a terminal window by pressing Ctrl + Alt + T and type the following command:

sudo apt update

You may need to enter your password to proceed.

Step 2: Install necessary dependencies to add Docker repository

To ensure that Ubuntu is able to download packages from repositories over HTTPS, you’ll need to install some necessary dependencies. Enter the following command in your terminal:

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

Step 3: Add Docker’s official GPG key

Docker’s official GPG key is required to verify the authenticity of downloaded packages. Use the following command to download and add Docker’s GPG key:

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

Step 4: Add Docker repository to Ubuntu

Once you’ve added Docker’s GPG key, you’ll need to add the Docker repository to your system’s software repository list. This can be done with the following command:

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

Step 5: Update the package index again

After adding the Docker repository, update the package index once more to include the Docker packages:

sudo apt update

Step 6: Install Docker CE (Community Edition)

Now that Docker’s repository has been added and your package index updated, you can finally install Docker CE using the following command:

sudo apt install -y docker-ce

Step 7: Verify Docker installation

Once Docker is installed, you can verify that it’s running correctly by checking its version:

docker --version

If Docker has been installed successfully, you should see the version number displayed in the terminal.

Step 8: Add your user to the Docker group (Optional)

By default, the Docker daemon runs as the root user, meaning you’ll need to use sudo with every Docker command. However, you can add your user to the docker group to avoid this requirement:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

After running this command, you’ll need to log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

Step 9: Start using Docker

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed Docker on your Ubuntu system. Now you can start using Docker to build, ship, and run containerized applications.

To test Docker, you can try running a simple container:

docker run hello-world

This command will download a lightweight Docker image and run a container that prints a message to the terminal.

Conclusion

Docker simplifies the process of managing and deploying applications by encapsulating them in containers. By following this guide, you’ve learned how to install Docker on Ubuntu, enabling you to take advantage of its powerful features for your development projects. With Docker, you can streamline your development workflow and deploy applications more efficiently than ever before.