How to Install Docker on Linux Mint?

By yuva sri On Sep 12, 2022

Docker is an open-source platform that can help you in various ways, including faster and easier app deployment. In what follows, we will get more familiar with docker and explain how to install it on Linux Mint.

What is docker?

Docker is a well-known containerization platform that helps in packaging applications to containers. Containers are standard software units that can package code and its dependencies, enabling applications to run reliably and fast from one computing environment to another. In short, by using containers, developers can efficiently perform various tasks on applications, including running, developing, and shipping them. You can also get docker VPS to build and deploy applications quickly, taking things to the next level.

How to install docker on Linux mint?

There are different ways by which you can install Docker on Linux Mint. Note that Linux comes with various repositories that can help you install various software. If you want to make the most use out of this operating system, you can use a virtual private server. There are plenty of VPS providers you can choose from. Privacy-wise you would probably buy Linux VPS with BTC payment to access powerful resources while keeping your privacy and credit info safe. You can also find a provider that offers private payment methods other than BTC, like Monero coin and ZCash.

Update APT

To use the Mint Linux Apt repository, you need to update it by running the following command to ensure you have the latest version of the packages.

sudo apt update

Installing docker

Now that you have updated the Apt repository, you can use it to have the stable version of Docker Engine and Compose installed on your Linux Mint. To do so, enter the following command:

sudo apt install docker docker-compose docker-doc docker-registry docker.io

Verifying the installation

At this point, you should check out the docker version to verify if it is installed correctly. Enter the following command to check the docker version:

docker –version

Privilege setting

You can only use docker via the Sudo command since it requires administrator privileges. Of course, you can add your current user to the docker group list. In the following command, the user name is Zara; replace this with the user you want to add to the docker group.

sudo usermod -aG docker Zara

sudo reboot

Benefits of using docker?

Here are the top advantages of dockers that come in handy for you, especially if you are a developer.

Portability

Another advantage that Docker has is portability which can be very helpful after you make applications using its containers. Docker containers’ portability makes them easily usable as they allow you to run them on various platforms. It doesn’t matter if the platform is VirtualBox or others; it just needs the hosting operating system to support Docker.

Additionally, when it comes to Docker’s portability, it is safe to say that you will have the app and all of its required dependencies packaged together in a container. Therefore, if you try to deploy it in another system, you will see that the app functions like the original one. In other words, as far as portability is concerned, the portability will enable your applications to run in any system that supports Docker without any issues or sudden changes in its functionality.

Better performance and quicker deployment

Docker containers are designed with small footprints; so, unlike VM, Docker containers do not include an OS, which is why we can create and initialize them faster than VM. In simple terms, because of lightweight footprints and minimal overhead, Docker allows you to enjoy the improved performance while getting the required task done. It is worth mentioning that the standardized development cycle in Docker makes the application deployment faster and more efficient, which significantly helps developers.

Consistency of the environment

Using Docker will give the advantage of having a consistent environment for your applications; this means that the whole process from designing to the maintenance of your app will be in a specific and stable environment. This setting will help developers think ahead and be more goal-driven about the product features, as they wouldn’t need to pay attention to errors related to the application environment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYozbyvsP8A

Isolation and high security

Docker’s isolation is quite valuable as it separates applications and resources for each container, which means they will not share or depend on each other. If we want to pinpoint the exact benefit that comes with Docker’s isolation, it is the way it enables several containers to separately be running on the same host. Additionally, each Docker container will have access to the related resources specifically assigned to them. Not only does this feature helps in keeping applications isolated, but it also decreases the risk of different issues as the containers are distinct from each other.

Easy Scalability and flexibility

When you begin to work on your application, you may need to create more containers; in this case, you can easily make them as it is not time-consuming. If you decide to have multiple containers accessible according to your app’s requirements, various options exist to manage these containers. Note that their details are explained in docker documentation which you can read to know more about the topic. When you want new containers for your applications, it can be quickly done, which is why docker is known to be scalable. Moreover, you can benefit from container management options though having several containers.

Is containerization important?

The answer is straightforward: containerization is very important as it provides portability across different platforms, efficiency, agility, better security, flexibility, easy management, and scalability.

Benefits of containerization

Independent of the location you run them from
no need for a separate operating system which is why containers need fewer resources
Enables using the same server for running several containers while having them completely isolated
You can use containers’ great speed to create, replicate, and eliminate them quickly.
If you want to make more instances of an application, you can create identical containers to help you scale that distributed application.

Who uses docker?

Those who are looking for options to do the following task should use docker:

Use Docker as the version control system for the app’s OS.
Docker is appropriate if you want to collaborate on the app’s OS with a group.
You can benefit from using Docker if you want to run your code on your system in the same environment as your server

Docker vs docker compose

Unlike docker-compose, which reads configuration data from a YAML file, the docker is entirely executed based on the command line. In addition, another difference between docker and docker-compose is that with docker, you will start one container at each moment; however, docker-compose enables configuring and running several ones.

Summary

This brief article explained installing docker on Linux Mint using the Apt repository. Note that there are other approaches you can use to install docker on your system. Additionally, related concepts, including the advantages of docker and the benefits of containerization, help you know whether you should use docker or not.