Install Docker and compose-plugin

This guide explains how to install Docker and Docker-Compose on common Linux distributions.

Supported distributions in this guide:

• Debian / Ubuntu
• Arch Linux
• RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / CentOS
• Fedora

Optional steps for allowing non-root users to run Docker are also included.

Table of Contents

• Requirements
• Debian / Ubuntu Installation
• Arch Linux Installation
• RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / CentOS Installation
• Fedora Installation
• Verify the Installation
• Allow Non-Root Docker Usage (Optional)

Requirements

Before installing Docker, ensure that your system is updated.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

or on Arch:

sudo pacman -Syu

Debian / Ubuntu Installation

Install Docker using the official repository.

Install required packages

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

Add the Docker GPG key

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg \
 | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Add the Docker repository

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

Install Docker

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

Start Docker

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Arch Linux Installation

Arch provides Docker directly in the official repositories.

Install Docker:

sudo pacman -S docker docker-compose

Enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

RHEL / Rocky / AlmaLinux / CentOS Installation

Install required tools:

sudo dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core

Add the Docker repository:

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

Install Docker:

sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start Docker:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Fedora Installation

Install Docker from the official repository.

Add the repository:

sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/fedora/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker:

sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start Docker:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Verify the Installation

Check if Docker is installed correctly.

docker --version

Check Docker Compose:

docker compose version

Test Docker by running a simple container:

sudo docker run hello-world

If the container runs successfully, Docker is installed correctly.

Allow Non-Root Docker Usage (Optional)

By default, Docker requires root privileges because it accesses the Docker socket.

To allow a normal user to run Docker commands without sudo, add the user to the docker group.

Create the Docker group (if it does not exist)

sudo groupadd docker

Add your user to the group

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Apply the group changes

Log out and log back in, or run:

newgrp docker

Test Docker without sudo

docker run hello-world

If it works without sudo, the permissions are configured correctly.

Notes

• Running Docker without root privileges works by granting access to the Docker socket:

/var/run/docker.sock

• Users in the docker group effectively gain root-level permissions, so only trusted users should be added.