How to Install and Configure Docker on a Linux VPS: Complete Beginner's Guide

Docker has transformed the way developers and system administrators build, ship, and run applications. If you have an SSD VPS, Docker is one of the best tools to manage isolated, scalable, and easily reproducible application environments — all without the overhead of traditional virtual machines.

In this guide, you'll learn how to install Docker from scratch on a Linux VPS (Ubuntu/Debian), set up your working environment, and run your first containers.

What is Docker and Why Does it Matter on a VPS?

Docker is an open-source containerisation platform that lets you run applications in containers — isolated environments that include everything the app needs: code, libraries, and dependencies. Unlike virtual machines, Docker containers are lightweight and start in seconds.

On an NVMe VPS, Docker becomes even more powerful thanks to the high read/write speeds of NVMe storage. The main benefits are:

Complete isolation — each application runs in its own container
Portability — the same container works on any Linux server
Efficiency — far fewer resources consumed compared to VMs
Scalability — run dozens of containers on a single VPS
Fast deployments — update applications with minimal downtime

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure you have:

A VPS running Ubuntu 20.04 / 22.04 or Debian 11/12 (recommended: CliqHost SSD VPS)
Root access or a user with sudo privileges
An active SSH connection to the server
At least 1 GB RAM and 10 GB of disk space

Step 1: Update Your Operating System

Always update your packages before installing new software:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This avoids dependency conflicts and ensures you have the latest security patches.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

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

Step 3: Add the Official Docker Repository

Do not install Docker from the default Ubuntu/Debian repositories — they may contain outdated versions. Use the official Docker source instead:

# Create directory for GPG keys
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings

# Download and add Docker's GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | \
  sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

# Add the Docker repository
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

Step 4: Install Docker Engine

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

Verify the installation:

docker --version
# Example: Docker version 25.0.3, build 4debf41

Step 5: Start and Enable Docker

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status docker

You should see active (running) in the output.

Step 6: Run Docker Without sudo

To avoid typing sudo before every Docker command, add your user to the docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Log out and back in to apply the change, then test:

docker run hello-world

If you see the "Hello from Docker!" message, your installation is working perfectly.

Step 7: Essential Docker Commands

Managing Images

docker pull nginx           # Pull the Nginx image
docker images               # List local images
docker rmi nginx            # Remove an image

Managing Containers

docker run -d -p 80:80 --name webserver nginx   # Start an Nginx container
docker ps                                         # List running containers
docker ps -a                                      # List all containers
docker stop webserver                             # Stop a container
docker start webserver                            # Start a stopped container
docker rm webserver                               # Remove a container

Logs and Inspection

docker logs webserver           # View container logs
docker inspect webserver        # Detailed container info
docker exec -it webserver bash  # Enter a running container

Step 8: Docker Compose for Multi-Container Applications

Docker Compose lets you define and manage multi-container applications with a single docker-compose.yml file. Here's a WordPress + MySQL example:

version: '3.8'

services:
  db:
    image: mysql:8.0
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_password
      MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
      MYSQL_USER: wp_user
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: wp_password
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql

  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
      WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wp_user
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wp_password
      WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
    volumes:
      - wp_data:/var/www/html

volumes:
  db_data:
  wp_data:

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Access WordPress at http://YOUR-VPS-IP:8080.

💡 Tip: If you'd rather run WordPress without container setup, CliqHost also offers optimised WordPress hosting ready to go out of the box.

Step 9: Docker Networking

For production environments, create custom networks instead of relying on the default bridge:

docker network create my-network
docker run -d --network my-network --name app1 nginx
docker run -d --network my-network --name app2 nginx

Containers on the same custom network can communicate using the container name as a hostname — no IP address needed.

Step 10: Docker Volumes and Data Persistence

Containers are ephemeral — data is lost when you remove them unless you use volumes:

# Create a volume
docker volume create app-data

# Mount volume when starting a container
docker run -d -v app-data:/var/www/html nginx

# List volumes
docker volume ls

# Remove a volume
docker volume rm app-data

Docker Security Best Practices on a VPS

Security is critical when running containers in production. Here are the most important recommendations:

Don't run containers as root — use a non-privileged user in your Dockerfile
Limit resources — set --memory and --cpus flags to prevent resource exhaustion
Keep images updated — vulnerabilities in old images can compromise your server
Use a firewall — restrict exposed ports using UFW on your VPS
Scan images for vulnerabilities — use docker scout or Trivy
Only use trusted images — stick to official images from Docker Hub

If you'd prefer to leave security hardening to the experts, CliqHost's server management service can configure and monitor your Docker environment for you.

For additional protection, consider adding an SSL certificate to any web applications running in your containers.

Monitoring Docker Containers

Track real-time resource usage with:

docker stats                    # Live stats for all containers
docker stats webserver          # Stats for a specific container

For a more user-friendly experience, install Portainer — a free web UI for Docker management:

docker run -d -p 9000:9000 \
  --name portainer \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce

Access it at http://YOUR-VPS-IP:9000.

Conclusion

Docker transforms your SSD VPS into a powerful platform capable of running any type of application — from simple websites to complex microservice architectures. The steps in this guide give you a solid foundation to build, test, and deploy containerised applications with confidence.

For more practical guides on Linux server administration and web hosting, visit the CliqHost blog.

Ready to run Docker in production? Explore our NVMe VPS plans — fast infrastructure, 24/7 technical support, and competitive pricing. Get in touch and we'll help you choose the right plan for your project.

How to Install and Configure Docker on a Linux VPS: Complete Beginner's Guide