Learn Docker in 10 DaysDay 2: Setting Up Your Docker Environment
Chapter 2Learn Docker in 10 Days

Day 2: Setting Up Your Docker Environment

What You'll Learn Today

  • Installing Docker Desktop (Windows/Mac)
  • Installing Docker on Linux
  • Creating a Docker Hub account
  • Verifying the installation

What is Docker Desktop?

Docker Desktop is the easiest way to use Docker on Windows/macOS. It includes both a GUI management tool and the CLI.

flowchart TB
    subgraph DD["Docker Desktop"]
        GUI["GUI Management Tool"]
        CLI["Docker CLI"]
        Engine["Docker Engine"]
        Compose["Docker Compose"]
        K8s["Kubernetes (optional)"]
    end

    User["User"] --> GUI
    User --> CLI
    GUI --> Engine
    CLI --> Engine
    Engine --> Compose
    Engine --> K8s

    style DD fill:#3b82f6,color:#fff
    style User fill:#22c55e,color:#fff

What's Included in Docker Desktop

Component Description
Docker Engine Core engine that runs containers
Docker CLI Command-line interface
Docker Compose Tool for managing multiple containers
Docker Build Tool for building images
GUI Graphical management interface
Kubernetes Can be enabled optionally

Installing on Windows

System Requirements

  • Windows 10 64-bit: Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education (Build 19041 or later)
  • Windows 11 64-bit: Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education
  • WSL 2 feature enabled
  • Virtualization enabled in BIOS

Installation Steps

1. Enable WSL 2

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

# Install WSL
wsl --install

# After restart, set WSL 2 as default
wsl --set-default-version 2

2. Download Docker Desktop

Download the installer from the Docker official website.

3. Run the Installer

  1. Run the downloaded Docker Desktop Installer.exe
  2. Check "Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V"
  3. Complete installation and restart

4. First Launch

  • Launch Docker Desktop
  • Accept the service agreement
  • Apply recommended settings
flowchart LR
    A["Download\nInstaller"] --> B["Enable\nWSL 2"]
    B --> C["Run\nInstaller"]
    C --> D["Restart"]
    D --> E["Launch\nDocker Desktop"]

    style A fill:#3b82f6,color:#fff
    style E fill:#22c55e,color:#fff

Installing on macOS

System Requirements

  • macOS 12 (Monterey) or later
  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel chip
  • 4GB RAM minimum

Installation Steps

1. Download Docker Desktop

Download the appropriate installer for your Mac from the Docker official website:

  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): For Apple chip
  • Intel: For Intel chip

2. Install

  1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  2. Drag the Docker icon to the Applications folder
  3. Launch Docker from Applications

3. First Launch

  • Select "Open" when prompted for security confirmation
  • Enter your password when prompted for privileged access
  • Accept the service agreement

Installing on Linux

On Linux, you install Docker Engine directly. Here we'll show the procedure for Ubuntu.

Installation on Ubuntu

1. Remove Old Versions

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

2. Set Up the Repository

# Install required packages
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg

# Add Docker's official GPG key
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

# Add the repository
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

3. Install Docker Engine

# Update package index
sudo apt-get update

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

4. Configure Non-Root User Access

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

# Apply changes (logout/login or run the following)
newgrp docker

Post-Installation Structure

flowchart TB
    subgraph Linux["Linux System"]
        User["User"]
        CLI["Docker CLI"]
        Daemon["Docker Daemon\n(dockerd)"]
        Containerd["containerd"]
        Runc["runc"]
        Containers["Containers"]
    end

    User --> CLI
    CLI --> |"Unix Socket"| Daemon
    Daemon --> Containerd
    Containerd --> Runc
    Runc --> Containers

    style Linux fill:#f59e0b,color:#fff

Creating a Docker Hub Account

Docker Hub is the official registry for storing and sharing images. Creating an account allows you to push your own images and use private repositories.

Account Creation Steps

  1. Visit Docker Hub
  2. Click "Sign Up"
  3. Enter required information:
    • Username (Docker ID)
    • Email address
    • Password
  4. Complete email verification

Logging in via Docker CLI

# Log in to Docker Hub
docker login

# Enter username and password
# Or use an access token (recommended)

Verifying the Installation

Basic Verification

# Check Docker version
docker --version

Expected output:

Docker version 27.x.x, build xxxxxxx

Detailed Information

# Display detailed Docker information
docker info

This output includes:

  • Number of running containers
  • Number of images
  • Storage driver
  • OS/Architecture

Running Your First Container

# Run the Hello World container
docker run hello-world

On success, you'll see a message like this:

Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.

To generate this message, Docker took the following steps:
 1. The Docker client contacted the Docker daemon.
 2. The Docker daemon pulled the "hello-world" image from the Docker Hub.
 3. The Docker daemon created a new container from that image which runs the
    executable that produces the output you are currently reading.
 4. The Docker daemon streamed that output to the Docker client, which sent it
    to your terminal.
...

What Happened?

sequenceDiagram
    participant User as User
    participant CLI as Docker CLI
    participant Daemon as Docker Daemon
    participant Hub as Docker Hub

    User->>CLI: docker run hello-world
    CLI->>Daemon: Container run request
    Daemon->>Daemon: Image available locally?
    Daemon->>Hub: Pull image
    Hub-->>Daemon: hello-world image
    Daemon->>Daemon: Create and run container
    Daemon-->>CLI: Output
    CLI-->>User: Hello from Docker!

Docker Desktop Features

Dashboard

When you launch Docker Desktop, the dashboard is displayed.

Tab Description
Containers Manage running and stopped containers
Images Manage local images
Volumes Manage volumes
Dev Environments Manage development environments
Extensions Manage extensions

Settings

Important settings:

Setting Description
Resources > Memory Amount of memory allocated to Docker
Resources > CPUs Number of CPUs allocated to Docker
Docker Engine daemon.json configuration
Kubernetes Enable Kubernetes

Troubleshooting

Common Problems and Solutions

1. Docker Daemon Won't Start

Windows:

# Restart WSL 2
wsl --shutdown
# Restart Docker Desktop

Linux:

# Check Docker service status
sudo systemctl status docker

# Restart Docker
sudo systemctl restart docker

2. Permission Denied Error (Linux)

# Check if added to docker group
groups $USER

# If not added
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Log out and log back in

3. Disk Space Issues

# Remove unused resources
docker system prune -a

Summary

Item Description
Docker Desktop All-in-one package for Windows/macOS
Docker Engine Core engine for Linux
Docker Hub Official image registry
docker run Basic command to run containers
docker info Display system information

Key Points

  1. Docker Desktop is the easiest option for Windows/macOS
  2. Linux installs Docker Engine directly
  3. Add users to the docker group to avoid sudo
  4. Verify with docker run hello-world
  5. Docker Hub account enables image sharing

Practice Problems

Problem 1: Verification Commands

Write the command to check Docker version and the command to display detailed information.

Problem 2: Understanding Installation

Explain why WSL 2 is needed when using Docker Desktop on Windows.

Challenge Problem

After running docker run hello-world, run the following commands and examine the results:

# List local images
docker images

# Show all containers (including stopped ones)
docker ps -a

Check the hello-world image size and the container status.

References

Next Up: In Day 3, we'll learn about "Running Your First Container." You'll master the container lifecycle and basic operation commands.