🐳 Effortless Deployment: Install Docker and Run Hello World on Your BrainHost VPS

This tutorial will guide you through installing Docker on your BrainHost VPS server and launching the classic "Hello World" container.

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🚀 Step One: Connect to Your BrainHost VPS

First, you need to connect to your VPS server using SSH.

• Linux/macOS Users:

  ssh your_user@your_vps_ip_address
  

• Windows Users: Use tools like PuTTY or Windows Terminal to connect.

🛠️ Step Two: Install the Docker Engine

We recommend using the official Docker installation scripts, which ensure you install the latest stable version. This guide is tailored for major Ubuntu/Debian systems.

1. Update System Package Index

It's always a good practice to update your system before installing any new software:

sudo apt update

2. Install Necessary Dependencies

Install the packages that allow apt to use repositories over HTTPS:

sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg

3. Add Docker's Official GPG Key

To verify the downloaded software packages, you need to add Docker's official GPG key:

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

4. Set Up the Docker Repository

Add the Docker stable repository to your system:

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

5. Update Package Index Again and Install Docker

Update your apt package index to include the Docker repository, then install the Docker Engine, CLI, and Compose:

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

✅ Step Three: Verify the Installation

Once Docker is installed, you can verify that it is running correctly by executing a test command:

sudo docker run hello-world

If successful, you will see output similar to this:

Unable to find image 'hello-world:latest' locally
latest: Pulling from library/hello-world
... (Download information)
Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.
... (More explanatory information)

This confirms that Docker successfully pulled the hello-world image from Docker Hub and ran it on your BrainHost VPS!

🧑‍💻 Step Four: Run Docker as a Non-Root User (Optional but Recommended)

By default, you need to use sudo to run Docker commands. For convenience, you can add your user to the docker user group, eliminating the need to type sudo every time.

1. Add Your Current User to the docker Group

Replace your_user with your actual username (usually the one you logged in with via SSH):

sudo usermod -aG docker your_user

2. Re-log In

To make the change effective, you need to log out and then log back into your VPS session. Alternatively, you can run the following command to activate the group:

newgrp docker

3. Run the Test Again (Without sudo)

You can now run the hello-world container without sudo:

docker run hello-world

🎉 Congratulations!

You have successfully installed Docker on your BrainHost VPS and run your first container!

From here, you can leverage Docker's powerful features to deploy your web applications, databases, or any other service. BrainHost provides you with a stable, high-performance foundation to make your containerization journey smooth.

Next Steps:

• Want to learn more about Docker? Check out the official Docker documentation.
• Need more powerful server resources to run your containers? Visit BrainHost at BrainHost to upgrade your plan!

Quick Reference: Common Docker Commands