Below I am sharing a great intro video to getting started with Docker.
But before you “dive in”, here are a few things you should know.
You can install Docker wherever you want.
The Docker Engine can be run on a wide variety of platforms.
- On your PC or Mac
- On a Raspberry Pi
- On a NAS device
- On a cloud virtual server
Of course it depends on several factors:
- Adequate computing resources (for example, yes it will run on a Raspberry Pi, but you would do best with a 4GB system that boots from an SSD).
- Availability: perhaps every night you shut down your PC and Docker gets shut down with it, and that is fine with you. But if you create wonderful apps and want to share them with your friends all around the world, you might be happier with a cloud VPS installation.
Your choice: Cloud or Local?
In the video below, NetworkChuck shows you how to set up a Linode.com virtual server to host your Docker installation. If you want to go with a cloud installation, compare plans, you might also consider a preconfigured droplet at Digital Ocean.
But if you are just experimenting, a Windows PC Docker Desktop installation is perfect.
Your choice: Windows or Linux containers?
With Windows 10 you have the option of running both Windows-based and Linux-based containers.
You can read about options for Windows containers, but you would probably need some specific rationale for using them. You can run both and switch your management between them
However most installations use Linux containers and you’ll want to explore that too.
About Linux on Windows
If you are going to install Docker on Windows 10 but are not familiar with Linux, there are two technologies I highly recommend you check out.
- Learn about and install the Windows Subsystem for Linux. WSL 2 is preferred for performance reasons. Install your Docker Desktop with WSL 2 as its backend. Here is a great walkthrough of the process.
- Learn about Git for Windows, which in addition to the Git tools also installs “Git Bash”, a great alternative shell for Windows. It’s great for source code control but it also provides many of the same command line utilities you have in Linux.
Okay, enough said, it is time to…