Installing Docker

Pick an install path

On Linux, install Docker Engine from your distribution's packages or Docker's official docs. On macOS and Windows, Docker Desktop provides the engine and a friendly UI.

Check the CLI

After install, open a terminal and confirm Docker responds.

docker version
docker info

Run a smoke test

If this prints a hello message, your client can talk to the Docker daemon and pull images.

docker run --rm hello-world

Know permissions on Linux

If you see a permission error about the Docker socket, either use sudo for learning, or add your user to the docker group and start a new session. Prefer the group approach for day-to-day work.