Docker is a containerization platform that lets you package and run applications in isolated environments called containers.
Docker Compose is a tool that lets you define and run multi-container applications using a simple YAML configuration file (e.g. docker-compose.yml).
Install Docker Desktop for Mac, which includes both Docker and Docker Compose.
Alternative: using Homebrew (CLI only, no GUI):
brew install docker docker-compose
Follow the official guide: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
Log out and log back in to apply group changes.
Quick setup for Fedora/RHEL
You may also need to install the Docker plugin for Compose v2:
After adding your user to the docker group, log out and log back in or run newgrp docker.
Install Docker Desktop for Windows, which includes Docker Engine and Docker Compose.
Requires WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux). Installation instructions: https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/windows-install/
Docker install verification
Create a simple docker-compose.yml file (starting nginx on port 99):
Run it
Stop it
You'll need to run this in a separate terminal from where you ran docker compose up
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