How to Install Docker and Docker Compose on Ubuntu 24.04 Print

Docker packages an application and everything it needs into a container that runs identically on any machine — no more “works on my laptop”. On a VPS it means you can run multiple isolated apps (a website, a database, a game server) on one Ubuntu 24.04 host without dependency conflicts. This guide installs the official Docker Engine and the modern Docker Compose plugin the right way — from Docker's own repository, not the outdated docker.io snap or apt package.

Step 1 — Add Docker's official repository

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl -y
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

Step 2 — Install Docker Engine and Compose

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y

Step 3 — Verify with hello-world

sudo docker run hello-world

Step 4 — Run Docker without sudo (optional)

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker   # or log out and back in
docker ps

Step 5 — Your first real deployment with Compose

Compose describes multi-container apps in one YAML file. Example — WordPress with MySQL:

services:
  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wp
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: Str0ng-Pass!
      MYSQL_RANDOM_ROOT_PASSWORD: '1'
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wp
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: Str0ng-Pass!
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress

volumes:
  db_data:

docker compose up -d
docker compose ps

Your WordPress is now on port 8080. Put Nginx in front as a reverse proxy with a Lets Encrypt certificate for production.

Essential daily commands

docker ps -a              # all containers
docker logs -f <name>     # follow a container's logs
docker exec -it <name> bash   # shell inside a container
docker compose down       # stop the stack
docker system prune -a    # reclaim disk from unused images

Containers and images eat disk fast — if the server fills up, see how to free disk space on Ubuntu.

Related Ubuntu guides

• Initial Ubuntu 24.04 Server Setup Guide: Secure Your New VPS in 10 Steps
• How to Install a LEMP Stack (Nginx, MySQL, PHP) on Ubuntu 24.04
• How to Get a Free SSL Certificate on Ubuntu with Lets Encrypt and Certbot
• How to Check and Free Up Disk Space on Ubuntu Server