Installing Docker and Docker Compose on Ubuntu, step by step

Docker runs applications together with their dependencies inside isolated containers. It is the most practical way to host many services on one server without conflicts. This guide installs Docker Engine and Docker Compose from the official repository on Ubuntu 24.04.

Prerequisites

• A cloud server running Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and a user with sudo rights (see Connecting with SSH).
• The system should be up to date: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

1. Add the official repository

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] \
https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo $VERSION_CODENAME) stable" \
| sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update

2. Install Docker Engine

sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
sudo systemctl enable --now docker
docker --version
docker compose version

3. Verify the installation

sudo docker run --rm hello-world

If you see “Hello from Docker!” the installation is complete.

4. Use it without root (optional)

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Security note: a user in the docker group effectively has root rights. Add only users you trust.

5. Your first Compose file

Create a folder and write a compose.yaml in it. Example: a simple web server.

services:
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:80"

docker compose up -d      # start
docker compose ps         # status
docker compose logs -f    # logs
docker compose down       # stop and remove

At http://SERVER_IP:8080 you will see the Nginx welcome page. For real applications use a reverse proxy instead of exposing ports straight to the internet: automatic HTTPS with Caddy.

Useful commands

Things to watch

• Docker can publish ports bypassing the firewall (UFW); publish only the ports you need and put them behind a reverse proxy (the 127.0.0.1:8080:80 form allows local access only).
• Keep data in volumes, not inside the container; otherwise data is lost when the container is removed.
• Take regular snapshots and off-server backups.

Start with Melinhost

A cloud server with 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM is a good start for Docker. Full root access lets you build your environment exactly as you like.