Install Docker on Ubuntu 24.04 (Step by Step)

Docker is the standard way to package and run applications as portable containers, and on Ubuntu 24.04 the only install method worth trusting is Docker's own apt repository. The version in Ubuntu's universe repo lags behind, and the Snap package is a frequent source of permission and storage headaches. This guide does it the right way: Docker Engine from the official repo, your user able to run Docker without sudo, and Docker Compose included.

By the end you will have a clean, repeatable container host: GPG key and repository configured, the engine running and enabled at boot, and a verified first container. These are the same fundamentals that underpin cloud-native workloads on a private cloud.

Prerequisites

You need Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (codename noble), a user with sudo privileges, and outbound internet access to download.docker.com. If you previously installed Docker from Ubuntu's repo or the Snap, remove it first to avoid conflicts.

Step 1: Remove old or conflicting packages

Clear out any distro Docker packages so they do not shadow the official engine:

for pkg in docker.io docker-doc docker-compose docker-compose-v2 \
  podman-docker containerd runc; do
  sudo apt remove -y $pkg
done

If you have the Snap version, remove it too:

sudo snap remove docker 2>/dev/null || true

Step 2: Add Docker's official GPG key

Install the prerequisites and fetch Docker's signing key into a dedicated keyring:

sudo apt update
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

Step 3: Add the Docker apt repository

Register the repo for your architecture and Ubuntu codename. This one-liner resolves the codename automatically:

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

Step 4: Install Docker Engine and Compose

Install the engine, CLI, containerd, the Buildx plugin, and the Compose v2 plugin in one go:

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

The service starts and is enabled at boot automatically. Confirm it:

sudo systemctl status docker --no-pager
docker --version
docker compose version

Step 5: Run Docker without sudo

Add your user to the docker group so you do not need sudo for every command. Note the security implication: the docker group is root-equivalent.

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Group membership applies to new sessions; newgrp activates it in the current shell.

Step 6: Verify with the hello-world container

Pull and run the test image. Docker downloads it, runs it, and prints a confirmation message:

docker run hello-world

A successful run reports:

Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.

Run something more useful — an Nginx web server published on port 8080:

docker run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginx:stable
curl -I http://localhost:8080

Step 7: A first Docker Compose file

Compose defines multi-container apps declaratively. Create compose.yaml:

cat > compose.yaml <<'EOF'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:stable
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    restart: unless-stopped
EOF

Bring the stack up in the background, check status, and tear it down:

docker compose up -d
docker compose ps
docker compose down

Troubleshooting and pitfalls

• ‘permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket’ — you are not yet in the docker group in this session; run newgrp docker or re-login.
• ‘docker compose: command not found’ — you installed the legacy docker-compose; use the v2 plugin invoked as docker compose (space, not hyphen).
• Repo errors on apt update — the codename in docker.list does not match; for 24.04 it must be noble.
• Snap leftovers — a lingering Snap Docker can hijack the docker command; remove it and open a fresh shell.

Where to go next

Docker is one container model; for persistent, VM-like environments compare it with LXD/LXC system containers. To give containers direct LAN addresses instead of NAT, set up Linux bridge networking.

Conclusion

You now have Docker Engine installed the supported way, sudo-less operation, and Compose for multi-container apps — a clean foundation for cloud-native workloads. Running containers at scale eventually means orchestration, networking, persistent storage, and security across many hosts, which is exactly where a managed platform earns its keep. clouditiv runs a sovereign, ISO 27001 / BSI C5 private cloud on Ubuntu 24.04 + OpenStack 2025.2 with your data in Germany, giving your containers a resilient home without you operating the substrate. See our on-premise cloud solution.