Install Latest Docker Engine on Ubuntu

Overview

This document explains how to install the latest stable version of Docker Engine on Ubuntu using Docker’s official repository.

Using the official repository ensures:

Up‑to‑date packages
Verified and secure installations
Full support for Docker Engine, Compose v2, and Buildx

Supported Ubuntu Versions

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Prerequisites

Ubuntu system with sudo access
Active internet connection
Clean system (recommended for production)

Step 1: Update the System

Before installing Docker, update your system packages to avoid dependency conflicts.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

These packages are required to securely add Docker’s repository and verify packages.

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

Step 3: Add Docker’s Official GPG Key

Docker uses GPG signing to verify the integrity of its packages.

sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Set proper permissions:

sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Step 4: Add Docker Repository (Stable)

Add Docker’s official stable repository for your Ubuntu release.

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

Update the package index:

sudo apt update

Step 5: Install Docker Engine and Tools

Install Docker Engine along with essential tools such as Docker Compose v2 and Buildx.

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

Installed Components

Docker Engine (latest stable)
Docker CLI
Containerd
Docker Compose v2
Docker Buildx

Step 6: Start and Enable Docker

Enable Docker to start automatically on system boot and start the service immediately.

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Check service status:

sudo systemctl status docker

Step 7: Verify Installation

Check Docker and Docker Compose versions:

docker --version
docker compose version

Run a test container:

sudo docker run hello-world

If you see:

“Hello from Docker!”

Docker is installed correctly.

Step 8: Run Docker Without sudo (Recommended)

Add your user to the Docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Verify:

docker run hello-world

Docker should now work without sudo.

Useful Paths and Debugging Tips

Docker Data Directory

/var/lib/docker

Docker Configuration File

/etc/docker/daemon.json

Docker Logs

journalctl -u docker

Conclusion

You have successfully installed the latest Docker Engine on Ubuntu using Docker’s official and recommended method.

This setup is suitable for:

Development
Testing
Production workloads

You now have Docker Engine, Docker Compose v2, and Buildx ready to use.