page_title: Installation on Ubuntu 
page_description: Instructions for installing Docker on Ubuntu. 
page_keywords: Docker, Docker documentation, requirements, virtualbox, installation, ubuntu

#Ubuntu

Docker is supported on these Ubuntu operating systems:

- Ubuntu Trusty 14.04 (LTS) 
- Ubuntu Precise 12.04 (LTS) 
- Ubuntu Saucy 13.10

This page instructs you to install using Docker-managed release packages and
installation mechanisms. Using these packages ensures you get the latest release
of Docker. If you wish to install using Ubuntu-managed packages, consult your
Ubuntu documentation.

##Prerequisites

Docker requires a 64-bit installation regardless of your Ubuntu version.
Additionally, your kernel must be 3.10 at minimum. The latest 3.10 minor version
or a newer maintained version are also acceptable.

Kernels older than 3.10 lack some of the features required to run Docker
containers. These older versions are known to have bugs which cause data loss
and frequently panic under certain conditions.

To check your current kernel version, open a terminal and use `uname -r` to display
your kernel version:

	$ uname -r 
	3.11.0-15-generic

>**Caution** Some Ubuntu OS versions **require a version higher than 3.10** to
>run Docker, see the prerequisites on this page that apply to your Ubuntu
>version.

###For Trusty 14.04

There are no prerequisites for this version.

###For Precise 12.04 (LTS)

For Ubuntu Precise, Docker requires the 3.13 kernel version. If your kernel
version is older than 3.13, you must upgrade it. Refer to this table to see
which packages are required for your environment:

<style type="text/css"> .tg  {border-collapse:collapse;border-spacing:0;} .tg
td{font-size:14px;padding:10px
5px;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;overflow:hidden;word-break:normal;}
.tg-031{width:275px;font-family:monospace} </style> <table class="tg"> <tr> <td
class="tg-031">linux-image-generic-lts-trusty</td> <td class="tg-031e">Generic
Linux kernel image. This kernel has AUFS built in. This is required to run
Docker.</td> </tr> <tr> <td class="tg-031">linux-headers-generic-lts-trusty</td>
<td class="tg-031e">Allows packages such as ZFS and VirtualBox guest additions
which depend on them. If you didn't install the headers for your existing
kernel, then you can skip these headers for the"trusty" kernel. If you're
unsure, you should include this package for safety.</td> </tr> <tr> <td
class="tg-031">xserver-xorg-lts-trusty</td> <td class="tg-031e"
rowspan="2">Optional in non-graphical environments without Unity/Xorg.
<i>Required</i> when running Docker on machine with a graphical environment.

<p>To learn more about the reasons for these packages, read the installation
instructions for backported kernels, specifically the <a
href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/LTSEnablementStack" target="_blank">LTS
Enablement Stack</a> &mdash; refer to note 5 under each version.</p></td> </tr>
<tr> <td class="tg-031">libgl1-mesa-glx-lts-trusty</td> </tr> </table> &nbsp;

To upgrade your kernel and install the additional packages, do the following:

1. Open a terminal on your Ubuntu host.

2. Update your package manager.

		$ sudo apt-get update

3. Install both the required and optional packages.

		$ sudo apt-get install linux-image-generic-lts-trusty

	Depending on your environment, you may install more as described in the preceding table.

4. Reboot your host.

		$ sudo reboot

5. After your system reboots, go ahead and [install Docker](#installing-docker-on-ubuntu).


###For Saucy 13.10 (64 bit)

Docker uses AUFS as the default storage backend. If you don't have this
prerequisite installed, Docker's installation process adds it.

##Installing Docker on Ubuntu

Make sure you have intalled the prerequisites for your Ubuntu version. Then,
install Docker using the following:

1. Log into your Ubuntu installation as a user with `sudo` privileges.

2. Verify that you have `wget` installed.

		$ which wget

	 If `wget` isn't installed, install it after updating your manager:

		$ sudo apt-get update $ sudo apt-get install wget

3. Get the latest Docker package.

		$ wget -qO- https://get.docker.com/ | sh

	 The system prompts you for your `sudo` password. Then, it downloads and
	 installs Docker and its dependencies.

4. Verify `docker` is installed correctly.

		$ sudo docker run hello-world

	This command downloads a test image and runs it in a container.

## Optional Configurations for Docker on Ubuntu 

This section contains optional procedures for configuring your Ubuntu to work
better with Docker.

* [Create a docker group](#create-a-docker-group) 
* [Adjust memory and swap accounting](#adjust-memory-and-swap-accounting) 
* [Enable UFW forwarding](#enable-ufw-forwarding) 
* [Configure a DNS server for use by Docker](#configure-a-dns-server-for-docker)

### Create a docker group		

The `docker` daemon binds to a Unix socket instead of a TCP port. By default
that Unix socket is owned by the user `root` and other users can access it with
`sudo`. For this reason, `docker` daemon always runs as the `root` user.

To avoid having to use `sudo` when you use the `docker` command, create a Unix
group called `docker` and add users to it. When the `docker` daemon starts, it
makes the ownership of the Unix socket read/writable by the `docker` group.

>**Warning**: The `docker` group is equivalent to the `root` user; For details
>on how this impacts security in your system, see [*Docker Daemon Attack
>Surface*](/articles/security/#docker-daemon-attack-surface) for details.

To create the `docker` group and add your user:

1. Log into Ubuntu as a user with `sudo` privileges.

	 This procedure assumes you log in as the `ubuntu` user.

3. Create the `docker` group and add your user.

		$ sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu

3. Log out and log back in.

	This ensures your user is running with the correct permissions.

4. Verify your work by running `docker` without `sudo`.

		$ docker run hello-world


### Adjust memory and swap accounting

When users run Docker, they may see these messages when working with an image:

    WARNING: Your kernel does not support cgroup swap limit. WARNING: Your
    kernel does not support swap limit capabilities. Limitation discarded.

To prevent these messages, enable memory and swap accounting on your system. To
enable these on system using GNU GRUB (GNU GRand Unified Bootloader), do the
following.

1. Log into Ubuntu as a user with `sudo` privileges.

2. Edit the `/etc/default/grub` file.

3. Set the `GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX` value as follows:

    	GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX="cgroup_enable=memory swapaccount=1"

4. Save and close the file.

5. Update GRUB.

		$ sudo update-grub

6. Reboot your system.


### Enable UFW forwarding

If you use [UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall)](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UFW)
on the same host as you run Docker, you'll need to do additional configuration.
Docker uses a bridge to manage container networking. By default, UFW drops all
forwarding traffic. As a result, for Docker to run when UFW is
enabled, you must set UFW's forwarding policy appropriately.

Also, UFW's default set of rules denies all incoming traffic. If you want to be able
to reach your containers from another host then you should also allow incoming
connections on the Docker port (default `2375`).

To configure UFW and allow incoming connections on the Docker port:

1. Log into Ubuntu as a user with `sudo` privileges.

2. Verify that UFW is installed and enabled.

		$ sudo ufw status

3. Open the `/etc/default/ufw` file for editing.

		$ sudo nano /etc/default/ufw

4. Set the `DEFAULT_FORWARD_POLICY` policy to:

    	DEFAULT_FORWARD_POLICY="ACCEPT"

5. Save and close the file.

6. Reload UFW to use the new setting.

		$ sudo ufw reload

7. Allow incoming connections on the Docker port.

		$ sudo ufw allow 2375/tcp

### Configure a DNS server for use by Docker

Systems that run Ubuntu or an Ubuntu derivative on the desktop typically use
`127.0.0.1` as the default `nameserver` in `/etc/resolv.conf` file. The
NetworkManager also sets up `dnsmasq` to use the real DNS servers of the
connection and sets up `nameserver 127.0.0.1` in /`etc/resolv.conf`.

When starting containers on desktop machines with these configurations, Docker
users see this warning:

    WARNING: Local (127.0.0.1) DNS resolver found in resolv.conf and containers
    can't use it. Using default external servers : [8.8.8.8 8.8.4.4]

The warning occurs because Docker containers can't use the local DNS nameserver.
Instead, Docker defaults to using an external nameserver.

To avoid this warning, you can specify a DNS server for use by Docker
containers. Or, you can disable `dnsmasq` in NetworkManager. Though, disabiling
`dnsmasq` might make DNS resolution slower on some networks.

To specify a DNS server for use by Docker:

1. Log into Ubuntu as a user with `sudo` privileges.

2. Open the `/etc/default/docker` file for editing.

     	$ sudo nano /etc/default/docker

3. Add a setting for Docker.

      	DOCKER_OPTS="--dns 8.8.8.8"

    Replace `8.8.8.8` with a local DNS server such as `192.168.1.1`. You can also
    specify multiple DNS servers. Separated them with spaces, for example:

      	--dns 8.8.8.8 --dns 192.168.1.1

	>**Warning**: If you're doing this on a laptop which connects to various
	>networks, make sure to choose a public DNS server.

4. Save and close the file.

5. Restart the Docker daemon.

    	$ sudo restart docker


&nbsp;
&nbsp;

**Or, as an alternative to the previous procedure,** disable `dnsmasq` in
NetworkManager (this might slow your network).

1. Open the `/etc/default/docker` file for editing.

		$ sudo nano /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

2. Comment out the `dns=dsnmasq` line:

		dns=dnsmasq

3. Save and close the file.

4. Restart both the NetworkManager and Docker.

		$ sudo restart network-manager $ sudo restart docker


## Upgrade Docker

To install the latest version of Docker, use the standard `-N` flag with `wget`:

	$ wget -N https://get.docker.com/ | sh

