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Install Docker on MacOS

Learn how to install and use Docker on MacOS.

Installing Docker on MacOS involves a few steps, but it's relatively straightforward.

Install Docker on Windows - Tutorial provided by AppSeed

Here are the steps to install Docker on MacOS:

✅ Prerequisites​

  • Make sure you have a macOS version that supports Docker Desktop. Check the Docker documentation for the latest macOS requirements.
  • You need a Docker Hub account. You can sign up for one at Docker Hub.

✅ Download Docker Desktop​

  • Go to the Docker Desktop for Mac download page: Docker Desktop for Mac
  • Click the "Download for Mac" button to start the download.

✅ Install Docker Desktop​

  • Once the download is complete, open the .dmg file.
  • Drag the Docker icon to your Applications folder.
  • Start Docker Desktop from your Applications folder.

✅ Configure Docker Desktop​

  • After starting Docker Desktop, you'll see the Docker whale icon in your macOS menu bar. Click on it.
  • Sign in with your Docker Hub account credentials.

✅ Enable Kubernetes (Optional)​

  • If you plan to work with Kubernetes alongside Docker, you can enable it from the Docker Desktop settings.

✅ Test Your Installation​

  • Open a terminal (you can use Terminal.app or an alternative like iTerm).
  • Run a simple Docker command to verify the installation. For example, you can run:
docker --version

This should display the Docker version installed.

✅ Run a Docker Container​

  • Test Docker by running a simple container. For example, you can run a basic Nginx web server container:
docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx

This command starts an Nginx container in the background and maps port 80 from the container to port 80 on your macOS machine.

✅ Access the Container​

  • Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost to see the default Nginx page. You should be able to access the web server running in your Docker container.

✅ In Summary​

Explore Docker by running more containers and images. For example, you can try running a MySQL database, a WordPress site, or other applications from Docker Hub.

Docker Hub provides various Docker images that you can use as samples for testing.

That's it! You've successfully installed Docker on your macOS machine using Docker Desktop.

You can now start experimenting with containers, building custom images, and using Docker for your development and testing needs.

✅ Resources​