Installing Docker Engine on Ubuntu

Use Docker’s own apt repository so you get current Engine, CLI, containerd, Buildx, and Compose packages. Ubuntu’s docker.io package is older and is not the path this guide follows. Official reference: Install Docker Engine on Ubuntu.

1. Install dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl

2. Add Docker’s GPG key

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

3. Add the Docker apt repository

This reads your Ubuntu codename from /etc/os-release (for example noble on 24.04). Do not hardcode a release name.

sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<EOF
Types: deb
URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}")
Components: stable
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
EOF

4. Install Docker Engine and plugins

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

5. Verify the engine

sudo systemctl status docker
sudo docker run --rm hello-world

You should see that the service is active and that the client pulled and ran hello-world. Everyday commands are on running images.

6. Optional: run Docker without sudo

Create the docker group if needed and add your user:

sudo groupadd docker
sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"

If groupadd reports that the group already exists, continue with usermod. Log out and back in (or reboot) so the group change applies. newgrp docker activates it in the current shell only:

newgrp docker
docker run --rm hello-world

That last command must work without sudo.

Troubleshooting: Debian repository by mistake

If a previous attempt pointed apt at download.docker.com/linux/debian instead of Ubuntu, rewrite those list files, then repeat the repository and install steps:

sudo sed -i 's|download.docker.com/linux/debian|download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu|g' /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker*
sudo apt update