---
description: Instructions for installing Docker on CentOS
keywords: Docker, Docker documentation, requirements, apt, installation, centos, rpm, install, uninstall, upgrade, update
redirect_from:
- /engine/installation/centos/
title: Get Docker for CentOS
---

To get started with Docker on CentOS, make sure you
[meet the prerequisites](#prerequisites), then
[install Docker](#install-docker).

## Prerequisites

### OS requirements

To install Docker, you need the 64-bit version of CentOS 7.

### Remove unofficial Docker packages

Red Hat's operating system repositories contain an older version of Docker, with
the package name `docker` instead of `docker-engine`. If you installed this
version of Docker, remove it using the following command:

```bash
$ sudo yum -y remove docker
```

The contents of `/var/lib/docker` are not removed, so any images, containers,
or volumes you created using the older version of Docker are preserved.

## Install Docker

You can install Docker in different ways, depending on your needs:

- Most users
  [set up Docker's repositories](#install-using-the-repository) and install
  from them, for ease of installation and upgrade tasks. This is the
  recommended approach.

- Some users download the RPM package and install it manually and manage
  upgrades completely manually.

- Some users cannot use third-party repositories, and must rely on the version
  of Docker in the CentOS repositories. This version of Docker may be out of
  date. Those users should consult the CentOS documentation and not follow these
  procedures.

### Install using the repository

Before you install Docker for the first time on a new host machine, you need to
set up the Docker repository. Afterward, you can install, update, or downgrade
Docker from the repository.

#### Set up the repository

1.  Install `yum-utils`, which provides the `yum-config-manager` utility:

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum install -y yum-utils
    ```

2.  Use the following command to set up the **stable** repository:

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum-config-manager \
        --add-repo \
        https://docs.docker.com/engine/installation/linux/repo_files/centos/docker.repo
    ```

3.  **Optional**: Enable the **testing** repository. This repository is included
    in the `docker.repo` file above but is disabled by default. You can enable
    it alongside the stable repository. Do not use unstable repositories on
    on production systems or for non-testing workloads.

    > **Warning**: If you have both stable and unstable repositories enabled,
    > installing or updating without specifying a version in the `yum install`
    > or `yum update` command will always install the highest possible version,
    > which will almost certainly be an unstable one.

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum-config-manager --enable docker-testing
    ```

    You can disable the `testing` repository by running the `yum-config-manager`
    command with the `--disable` flag. To re-enable it, use the
    `--enable` flag. The following command disables the `testing`
    repository.

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum-config-manager --disable docker-testing
    ```

#### Install Docker

1.  Update the `yum` package index.

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum makecache fast
    ```

    If this is the first time you have refreshed the package index since adding
    the Docker repositories, you will be prompted to accept the GPG key, and
    the key's fingerprint will be shown. Verify that the fingerprint matches
    `58118E89F3A912897C070ADBF76221572C52609D` and if so, accept the key.

2.  Install the latest version of Docker, or go to the next step to install a
    specific version.

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum -y install docker-engine
    ```

    > **Warning**: If you have both stable and unstable repositories enabled,
    > installing or updating Docker without specifying a version in the
    > `yum install` or `yum upgrade` command will always install the highest
    > available version, which will almost certainly be an unstable one.

3.  On production systems, you should install a specific version of Docker
    instead of always using the latest. List the available versions. This
    example uses the `sort -r` command to sort the results by version number,
    highest to lowest, and is truncated.

    > **Note**: This `yum list` command only shows binary packages. To show
    > source packages as well, omit the `.x86_64` from the package name.

    ```bash
    $ yum list docker-engine.x86_64  --showduplicates |sort -r

    docker-engine.x86_64  1.13.0-1.el7                               docker-main
    docker-engine.x86_64  1.12.5-1.el7                               docker-main   
    docker-engine.x86_64  1.12.4-1.el7                               docker-main   
    docker-engine.x86_64  1.12.3-1.el7                               docker-main   
    ```

    The contents of the list depend upon which repositories are enabled, and
    will be specific to your version of CentOS (indicated by the `.el7` suffix
    on the version, in this example). Choose a specific version to install. The
    second column is the version string. The third column is the repository
    name, which indicates which repository the package is from and by extension
    its stability level. To install a specific version, append the version
    string to the package name and separate them by a hyphen (`-`):

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum -y install docker-engine-<VERSION_STRING>
    ```

4.  Start Docker.

    ```bash
    $ sudo systemctl docker start
    ```

5.  Verify that `docker` is installed correctly by running the `hello-world`
    image.

    ```bash
    $ sudo docker run hello-world
    ```

    This command downloads a test image and runs it in a container. When the
    container runs, it prints an informational message and exits.

Docker is installed and running. You need to use `sudo` to run Docker commands.
Continue to [Linux postinstall](linux-postinstall.md) to allow non-privileged
users to run Docker commands and for other optional configuration steps.

#### Upgrade Docker

To upgrade Docker, first run `sudo yum makecache fast`, then follow the
[installation instructions](#install-docker), choosing the new version you want
to install.

### Install from a package

If you cannot use Docker's repository to install Docker, you can download the
`.rpm` file for your release and install it manually. You will need to download
a new file each time you want to upgrade Docker.

1.  Go to [https://yum.dockerproject.org/repo/main/centos/](https://yum.dockerproject.org/repo/main/centos/)
    and choose the subdirectory for your CentOS version. Download the `.rpm` file
    for the Docker version you want to install.

    > **Note**: To install a testing version, change the word `stable` in the
    > URL to `testing`. Do not use unstable versions of Docker in production
    > or for non-testing workloads.

2.  Install Docker, changing the path below to the path where you downloaded
    the Docker package.

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum -y install /path/to/package.rpm
    ```

3.  Start Docker.

    ```bash
    $ sudo systemctl docker start
    ```

4.  Verify that `docker` is installed correctly by running the `hello-world`
    image.

    ```bash
    $ sudo docker run hello-world
    ```

    This command downloads a test image and runs it in a container. When the
    container runs, it prints an informational message and exits.

Docker is installed and running. You need to use `sudo` to run Docker commands.
Continue to [Post-installation steps for Linux](linux-postinstall.md) to allow
non-privileged users to run Docker commands and for other optional configuration
steps.

#### Upgrade Docker

To upgrade Docker, download the newer package file and repeat the
[installation procedure](#install-from-a-package), using `yum -y upgrade`
instead of `yum -y install`, and pointing to the new file.


## Uninstall Docker

1.  Uninstall the Docker package:

    ```bash
    $ sudo yum -y remove docker-engine
    ```

2.  Images, containers, volumes, or customized configuration files on your host
    are not automatically removed. To delete all images, containers, and
    volumes:

    ```bash
    $ sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
    ```

You must delete any edited configuration files manually.

## Next steps

- Continue to [Post-installation steps for Linux](linux-postinstall.md)

- Continue with the [User Guide](../../userguide/index.md).