How to Install Docker on Ubuntu: Step-By-Step Guide [2025]

Docker is an open-source tool that uses containers to make it easier to create, deploy, and run applications. Docker is the best container orchestration tool, and most large corporations now use it to deploy applications.

The first step in learning about docker is to install it. This blog post covers step by step overview of how to install docker on Ubuntu.

1. Docker Install Overview
2. Install  Docker On Ubuntu
3. Frequently Asked Questions

Docker Install Overview ^

Docker is a free and open platform for developing, shipping, and running apps. Docker allows you to decouple your applications from your infrastructure, allowing you to release software faster. Docker enables you to manage your infrastructure in the same way you manage your applications. By utilising Docker’s methodology for fast shipping, testing, and deploying code, you can drastically reduce the time between writing code and executing it in production.

How to Install Docker on ubuntu  ^

To get started with Docker Engine on Ubuntu, make sure your system meets the prerequisites, then install Docker.

System Requirements

• For an installation of  Docker Engine, you need the 64-bit Ubuntu version.
• One Ubuntu server set up with a non-root user with Sudo privileges and a basic firewall.

Steps for Installing Docker On ubuntu

1. First Update Software Repositories:

$ sudo apt-get update -y

2. Uninstall Previous Docker Versions (Only if Docker was previously installed on this host and you want to configure it again):

$ sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

3. Update the apt package index and install packages to enable apt to use an HTTPS repository:

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install \
 ca-certificates \
 curl \
 gnupg \
 lsb-release

4. Add the official GPG key for Docker:

$ sudo mkdir -m 0755 -p /etc/apt/keyrings
$ curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

5. To configure the stable repository, run the following command. Add the words nightly or test (or both) after the word stable in the commands below to add the nightly or test repository:

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

6. Make sure everything is up-to-date & Install Docker Engine:

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

7. Start and Enable Docker:

$ sudo systemctl start docker
$ sudo systemctl enable docker

8. Check Docker status:

$ sudo systemctl status docker

9. Check the Docker version and Docker Compose version:

$ docker --version 
$ docker compose version

Awesome, you have just installed Docker on Ubuntu successfully!

Frequently Asked Questions ^

Related/References

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel on “Docker & Kubernetes”
• Docker & Kubernetes: Step-by-Step Activity Guide (Hands-on Lab) & Project Work for getting a Job(CKA) Certification: Step By Step Activity Guides/Hands-On Lab Exercise
• Kubernetes Architecture | An Introduction to Kubernetes Components
• Create AKS Cluster: A Complete Step-by-Step Guide
• CKA/CKAD Exam Questions & Answers 2022
• Kubernetes Monitoring: Prometheus Kubernetes & Grafana Overview
• How To Setup A Three Node Kubernetes Cluster: Step By Step

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