Docker is a popular option for “virtual appliances” nowadays. Docker website defines the “Docker” moniker as a software containerization platform that is more flexible than traditional virtual machines since it virtualizes the operating system instead of the hardware. This means that Docker can further isolate the resources by enabling multiple Docker containers running on an operating system. If the operating system itself is running on a virtual machine either via full virtualization (bare metal) or paravirtualization, we will have a good example of IT infrastructure transformation from asset-ownership model into cloud-lease model (my related paper about such transformation can be read here).

Incorporating Docker into existing system is straightforward. Currently there are two versions of Docker: Enterprise and Community. Here I provide the installation guide for Docker Community Edition on Ubuntu 16. This guide may be helpful especially for those who want to have a quick start with Docker without delving deep into the documentation.

Here are the steps to follow in order to have a proper install of Docker on Ubuntu 16.04.

1. Update apt package index

ubuntu$ sudo apt-get update

2. Install apt packages to user a repository over HTTPS

ubuntu$ sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common

3. Add Docker’s official GPG key

ubuntu$ curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
ubuntu$ sudo apt-key fingerprint 0EBFCD88

4. Add Docker repository into apt

ubuntu$ sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"

5. Update apt package index

ubuntu$ sudo apt-get update

6. Install Docker Community Edition (Docker CE)

ubuntu$ sudo apt-get install docker-ce

7. Done. To check docker is now installed run this command to check the version

ubuntu$ docker -v

How was your Docker installation after following this instruction? Simply put your experience in the comments section.