Docker/Introduction

Lesson 2 of 3

Installing Docker

There are a couple of moving parts to keep in mind when it comes to using Docker on your local machine:

  1. The Docker Server (or Docker Daemon): This listens to requests from the desktop app and executes them. If this isn’t running, nothing else will work.
  2. The Docker Desktop GUI: Starting the GUI should start the server, at least that’s how you usually ensure the server is running. The GUI is the visual way to interact with Docker.
  3. The Docker CLI: As a developer, most of your work will be interacting with Docker via the CLI. It is recommended to use the GUI to visualize what’s going on with Docker, but executing most of your commands through the command line.

Getting Started

  1. Install Docker Desktop. You can find instructions for your operating system (macOS, Windows, or Linux) on the official Docker website.
  2. Run the Docker Desktop app. Make sure it shows a green whale status indicator. This indicates that the docker server is running locally and that you are connected to it.
  3. Run docker version in your command line to make sure the CLI was installed correctly. You should see output containing Client: and Server:.