Docker Installations

Docker can run almost anywhere, and installing it is easier than ever. There are lots of ways to get Docker and work with containers. This appendix will show you the following ways:

• Docker Desktop

• Multipass

• Server installs on Linux

Docker Desktop gives you a fully functional Docker environment on your Linux, Mac, or Windows machine and is the best way to get a Docker development environment on your local machine. It’s easy to install, includes the Docker Engine, has a slick UI, and has a marketplace with many extensions to extend its capabilities. It works with docker scout, docker debug, and docker init, and it even lets you spin up a single-node Kubernetes cluster. Docker Desktop is the best way to work with Docker and gets you the complete Docker experience on your laptop with all the latest tools, plugins, and extensions. The author uses it every day, and he recommends it to everyone.

We’ll also show you how to install Docker on your laptop with Multipass and a super-simple Linux installation. However, you should only consider these if you can’t use Docker Desktop, as they offer fewer features.

Multipass is a great way to spin up a local VM running Docker, and there are lots of ways to install Docker on Linux servers. These give access to most of the free Docker features but lack some of the features of Docker Desktop.

Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop is a desktop app from Docker, Inc. and is the best way to work with containers. You get the Docker Engine, a slick UI, all the latest plugins and features, and an extension system with a marketplace. You even get Docker Compose and a single-node Kubernetes cluster if you want to learn Kubernetes.

It’s free for personal use and education, but you’ll have to pay a license fee if you use it for work and your company has over 250 employees or does more than $10M in annual revenue.

Docker Desktop on Windows 10 and Windows 11 Professional and Enterprise editions supports Windows containers and Linux containers. Docker Desktop on Mac, Linux, and Home editions of Windows only support Linux containers. All of the examples in the course and almost all of the containers in the real world are Linux containers.

Let’s install Docker Desktop on Windows and MacOS.