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How to Install Docker on Your Linux VPS

Docker allows you to run applications in isolated containers.

Install Docker

  1. Update system
    First, update the package lists:

    bash
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt update
  2. Install dependencies
    Install the required packages:

    bash
    sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg -y
    sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg -y
  3. Add GPG key
    Add the official Docker GPG key:

    bash
    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
    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

    Note

    For Debian, replace ubuntu with debian in the URL.

  4. Add repository
    Add the official Docker repository:

    bash
    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
    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
  5. Install Docker
    Update the package lists and install Docker:

    bash
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y
    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y
  6. Verify installation
    Check if Docker was installed correctly:

    bash
    sudo docker run hello-world
    sudo docker run hello-world

    If the installation was successful, a confirmation message will be displayed.

Useful commands

CommandDescription
docker psShow running containers
docker ps -aShow all containers
docker imagesShow downloaded images
docker start <container>Start a container
docker stop <container>Stop a container
docker rm <container>Delete a container
docker compose up -dStart Docker Compose
docker compose downStop Docker Compose

Tip

Docker is automatically started on system boot. You can check the status with sudo systemctl status docker.