Docker is a powerful tool that allows developers to easily create, deploy, and run applications in containers. However, before you can start using Docker, you’ll need to make sure your system meets the requirements for installation. In this article, we’ll go over the various requirements you’ll need to verify before installing Docker, as well as provide examples of how to check that your system meets those requirements.

Hardware Requirements

The first thing you’ll need to check for is that your system meets the hardware requirements for running Docker. These requirements are as follows:

• A 64-bit version of one of the following operating systems: Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (64-bit); Ubuntu 18.04 or later; Fedora 30 or later; or MacOS 10.13 or later.
• A minimum of 4 GB of RAM.
• A minimum of 100 GB of free disk space.

To check that your system meets these requirements, you can use the command-line utility uname on Linux and macOS systems, or the systeminfo command on Windows systems. For example, to check that you’re running a 64-bit version of Ubuntu, you could use the following command:

$ uname -a
Linux my-computer 4.15.0-112-generic #113-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jul 9 23:41:39 UTC 2020 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

In the output above, you can see that the system is running the “x86_64” architecture, which is a 64-bit architecture.

To check the total amount of RAM available on your system, you can use the free command on Linux and macOS systems, or the systeminfo command on Windows systems. For example, to check the total amount of RAM on an Ubuntu system, you can use the following command:

$ free -h
              total        used        free      shared  buff/cache   available
Mem:            31G        9.5G        7.1G        1.5G         14G         21G

In the output above, you can see that the system has 31 GB of total RAM, and 21 GB is available.

To check the amount of free disk space on your system, you can use the df command on Linux and macOS systems, or the fsutil command on Windows systems. For example, to check the amount of free disk space on an Ubuntu system, you can use the following command:

$ df -h
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
udev            3.9G     0  3.9G   0% /dev
tmpfs           797M  9.3M  787M   2% /run
/dev/sda1        29G   25G  3.7G  89% /

In the output above, you can see that the root file system (/) has 29 GB of total space, and 3.7 GB is available.

Software Requirements

The next thing you’ll need to check for is that your system meets the software requirements for running Docker. These requirements are as follows:

• A 64-bit version of one of the following operating systems: Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, or Education (64-bit); Ubuntu 18.04 or later; Fedora 30 or later; or MacOS 10.13 or later.
• A version of the Linux kernel that is version 3.10 or later.

To check the version of the Linux kernel on your system, you can use the uname -r command. For example, to check the version of the Linux kernel on an Ubuntu system, you can use the following command:

$ uname -r
4.15.0-112-generic

In the output above, you can see that the system is running Linux kernel version 4.15.0, which meets the requirement of 3.10 or later.

Additional Requirements for Windows Systems

If you’re running a Windows system, there are a few additional requirements you’ll need to verify before installing Docker. These requirements are as follows:

• The Hyper-V feature must be enabled.
• The Windows container feature must be enabled.
• Virtualization must be enabled in the BIOS.

To check that the Hyper-V feature is enabled on your Windows system, you can use the dism command. For example, to check that the Hyper-V feature is enabled, you can use the following command:

PS C:\> dism /online /get-features | findstr /i "Hyper-V"
Hyper-V Platform                            Enabled

To check that the Windows container feature is enabled on your Windows system, you can use the dism command. For example, to check that the Windows container feature is enabled, you can use the following command:

PS C:\> dism /online /get-features | findstr /i "Containers"
Containers                                  Enabled

To check that virtualization is enabled in the BIOS, you’ll need to check the documentation for your system’s BIOS. The exact method for enabling virtualization in the BIOS will vary depending on your system’s manufacturer and model.

Installing Docker

Once you’ve verified that your system meets all of the requirements for running Docker, you can proceed with the installation. The process for installing Docker will vary depending on your operating system.

Installing on Windows

To install Docker on a Windows system, you can download the Docker Desktop for Windows installer from the Docker website and run it. The installer will guide you through the process of installing Docker and configuring it to run on your system.

Installing on Ubuntu

To install Docker on an Ubuntu system, you can use the following commands:

$ sudo apt-get update
$ sudo apt-get install -y docker.io

These commands will update the package index and then install the Docker package. Once the installation is complete, you can start using Docker by running the docker command.

Installing on Fedora

To install Docker on a Fedora system, you can use the following commands:

$ sudo dnf install -y docker-ce

This command will install the Docker package. Once the installation is complete, you can start using Docker by running the docker command.

Conclusion

Docker is a powerful tool that allows developers to easily create, deploy, and run applications in containers. However, before you can start using Docker, you’ll need to make sure your system meets the requirements for installation. In this article, we’ve gone over the various requirements you’ll need to verify before installing Docker, as well as provided examples of how to check that your system meets those requirements. With these prerequisites satisfied, you are now ready to install and start using Docker for your development and deployment needs.