Installing Docker on Various Operating Systems

Prerequisites

Before installing Docker, ensure your system meets the minimum requirements:

64-bit operating system
Sufficient RAM (4GB recommended)
Virtualization support enabled in BIOS
Administrator/root privileges

Windows Installation

Windows 10/11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education

Method 1: Docker Desktop (Recommended)

Download Docker Desktop

Visit: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
Download: Docker Desktop for Windows

Install Docker Desktop
Run the installer as Administrator
Follow the installation wizard
Enable WSL 2 integration when prompted

Post-Installation Setup

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker run hello-world

Method 2: Docker Engine on WSL 2

Install WSL 2

wsl --install
wsl --set-default-version 2

Install Docker in WSL 2

# Update package list
sudo apt update

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

# Add Docker's official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker repository
echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Start Docker service
sudo service docker start

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Windows 10 Home

For Windows 10 Home, you need to:

Enable WSL 2 first
Install Docker Desktop with WSL 2 backend

macOS Installation

Intel Macs

Download Docker Desktop

Visit: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
Download: Docker Desktop for Mac (Intel chip)

Install Docker Desktop

# Mount the DMG file
# Drag Docker.app to Applications folder
# Launch Docker from Applications

Verify Installation

docker --version
docker run hello-world

Apple Silicon Macs (M1/M2)

Download Docker Desktop

Download: Docker Desktop for Mac (Apple chip)

Install and Configure

# Same installation process
# Rosetta 2 may be required for x86 images

# Install Rosetta 2 if needed
/usr/sbin/softwareupdate --install-rosetta

Linux Installation

Ubuntu/Debian

# Remove old versions
sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt-get install \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    gnupg \
    lsb-release

# Add Docker's official GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Set up stable repository
echo \
  "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Start and enable Docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Verify installation
docker --version
sudo docker run hello-world

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora

# Remove old versions
sudo yum remove docker \
                  docker-client \
                  docker-client-latest \
                  docker-common \
                  docker-latest \
                  docker-latest-logrotate \
                  docker-logrotate \
                  docker-engine

# Install yum-utils
sudo yum install -y yum-utils

# Add Docker repository
sudo yum-config-manager \
    --add-repo \
    https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

# Install Docker Engine
sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Start Docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Verify installation
docker --version
sudo docker run hello-world

Arch Linux

# Update system
sudo pacman -Syu

# Install Docker
sudo pacman -S docker

# Start and enable Docker
sudo systemctl start docker.service
sudo systemctl enable docker.service

# Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Verify installation
docker --version
sudo docker run hello-world

Post-Installation Configuration

Configure Docker to Start on Boot

Linux (systemd):

sudo systemctl enable docker

Windows/macOS: Docker Desktop starts automatically by default.

Configure Docker Without Sudo (Linux)

# Add current user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Log out and log back in, or run:
newgrp docker

# Test without sudo
docker run hello-world

Configure Docker Daemon

Create /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
  "data-root": "/var/lib/docker",
  "storage-driver": "overlay2",
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  },
  "default-address-pools": [
    {
      "base": "172.17.0.0/16",
      "size": 24
    }
  ]
}

Then restart Docker:

sudo systemctl restart docker

Installation Verification

Basic Commands Test

# Check Docker version
docker --version
docker version

# Check Docker info
docker info

# Run test container
docker run hello-world

# List images
docker images

# List containers
docker ps -a

Resource Usage Check

# Check system resources
docker system info
docker system df

# Monitor Docker events
docker events

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Permission Denied

# Solution: Add user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Then log out and log back in

Docker Daemon Not Running

# Start Docker service
sudo systemctl start docker

# Check status
sudo systemctl status docker

WSL 2 Issues (Windows)

# Ensure WSL 2 is installed and set as default
wsl --list --verbose
wsl --set-default-version 2

# Update WSL
wsl --update

Virtualization Not Enabled

Access BIOS/UEFI
Enable Intel VT-x or AMD-V
Enable Hyper-V (Windows)

Docker Installation Flow

graph TD
    A[Choose Operating System] --> B{Windows?}
    B -->|Yes| C[Windows 10/11 Pro?]
    B -->|No| D{macOS?}
    B -->|No| E{Linux?}

    C -->|Yes| F[Docker Desktop]
    C -->|No| G[WSL 2 + Docker]

    D -->|Yes| H{Intel or Apple Silicon?}
    H -->|Intel| I[Docker Desktop Intel]
    H -->|Apple Silicon| J[Docker Desktop Apple]

    E -->|Yes| K{Distribution?}
    K -->|Ubuntu/Debian| L[APT Installation]
    K -->|CentOS/RHEL| M[YUM Installation]
    K -->|Arch| N[Pacman Installation]

    F --> O[Verify Installation]
    G --> O
    I --> O
    J --> O
    L --> O
    M --> O
    N --> O

    O --> P[Configure Post-Install]
    P --> Q[Ready to Use Docker]

Next Steps

After successful installation:

Installation Summary

OS	Method	Difficulty	Notes
Windows Pro/Enterprise	Docker Desktop	Easy	Hyper-V required
Windows Home	WSL 2 + Docker	Medium	Requires WSL 2 setup
macOS	Docker Desktop	Easy	Different for Intel/Apple Silicon
Ubuntu/Debian	APT Package Manager	Easy	Most straightforward
CentOS/RHEL	YUM Package Manager	Easy	Enterprise-friendly
Arch Linux	Pacman	Medium	Rolling release considerations

Choose the installation method that best fits your operating system and requirements. Docker Desktop provides the easiest experience for Windows and macOS users, while Linux users have more flexibility with native Docker Engine installation.