The Docker platform helps developers test their applications in standardized environments using local containers. These containers are sandboxed from one another, ideal for ensuring that other software being tested doesn’t cause problems. This is also useful for adding software or services to your computing system quickly and painlessly. Docker Desktop for Linux doesn’t support the Arm processor in a Raspberry Pi, though, so we need to follow a different installation path.
Even if you aren’t a programmer, Docker containers make integrating more services into your home lab or other computing setup simple and easy. The beauty of Docker containers is that you get many of the benefits of a virtual machine without the processor and memory overhead.
You can install Docker manually, but then you also have to manage your upgrades by hand. Instead, install the Docker Engine from the apt repository, and enjoy the convenience of easy package updates.
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What’s needed to install Docker Engine on the Raspberry Pi
The Docker Engine will run on either a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system and works well with Debian. If you’re running the official Raspberry Pi OS, you are running Debian—the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS is based on Debian Bookworm 12. Debian Bullseye 11 also remains supported.
In theory, this means you could install Docker Engine on any Raspberry Pi, but I wouldn’t recommend doing so for serious work on anything older than a Raspberry Pi 4B. My example uses a Raspberry Pi 5 with 8GB of RAM, running the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm 12.
Preparing to install: removing old versions that might be installed
Since Linux distribution maintainers often bundle unofficial distributions of Docker packages, we need to remove those first. For easy removal, use the following script to locate and remove any of them installed on your Raspberry Pi.
If apt reports the packages aren’t installed, that’s nothing to worry about. The packages aren’t always installed by default. Once done, we can move on to installing the official Docker Engine.
Several options for installation
Docker Engine does come bundled with Docker Desktop for Linux, but that software lacks support for Arm-based processors. You can do a manual installation or use a convenience script, but those aren’t ideal installation procedures.
Instead, you should set up and install the engine from Docker’s apt repository so you have easy access to package updates when they’re released.
Connect your Raspberry Pi to the official Docker Engine apt repository
Before we can install Docker Engine from the official apt repository, we need to tell the Raspberry Pi how to access it. Set up the repository by running these commands from the terminal:
Install Docker Engine on your Raspberry Pi
Next, run apt-get to retrieve the necessary packages and install them:
Once complete, you can verify the installation was successful using the hello-world image:
If everything is configured properly, this command will download a test image and run it within a Docker container. You should see a confirmation message, then the container will exit.
Test your projects and applications in their own containers Once you have the Docker Engine installed, you can create containers for your apps and spin them up in a lightweight, consistent environment. Since each app runs in its own container, you can deploy your apps across different computers without worrying about environment-specific setups or issues.
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