Install Docker
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This page contains instructions for installing Docker, which is required to run the dev containers used in this course.
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If you already have Docker installed and verified it is working (docker run hello-world), you can skip this step.
First, you will need to install Docker on your computer. Follow the instructions for your operating system below:
- Windows: Docker Desktop for Windows
- We recommend using the WSL 2 backend for Docker Desktop on Windows.
- Mac: Docker Desktop for Mac
- Linux: Docker Engine for Linux
- We strongly do not recommend using the Docker snap package nor the Docker Desktop application on Linux.
- Make sure to also complete the post-installation steps for Linux.
WARNING
If you are running Docker Engine on Linux, because the Docker daemon runs as root by default, you can cause damage to your system if you run commands in the dev container as root (i.e.: with sudo) carelessly. As always, practice safe computing and only run commands you understand.
Once this is complete, please open your system's terminal for your operating system below:
- Windows: Open CMD or PowerShell
- Do not use Git Bash, WSL, Cygwin, MinGW, or any other terminal emulator.
- Mac: Open Terminal
- Linux: Open Terminal
Note: when we refer to the system terminal in these instructions, we mean the terminal for your operating system as described above.
Then, run the following command to verify that Docker is installed correctly:
docker run hello-worldYou should see a message that says:
Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.
...If you see this message, Docker is installed correctly and you can proceed to the next step. If you encounter any issues, please double-check you've read everything above and try again. If you still have issues, please reach out to the course staff for help.
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Next, head over to the Install VS Code page for instructions on installing your code editor.
This page created with the help of Claude AI.