Install Docker on your machine

Originally published on docker.learnio.dev — part of the Docker fundamentals course. View this lesson on the original site.

Get Docker running on your machine

Before images, Compose, or a PHP stack, you need one clean starting point: Docker installed and the engine running.

Use the official install path for your OS:

• macOS: Docker Desktop for Mac
• Windows: Docker Desktop for Windows
• Linux: Docker Engine install guides

For most learners, Docker Desktop on macOS or Windows (or Docker Engine on Linux) is enough. You are not designing a platform yet — you are choosing the standard setup.

See it

{
  "ariaLabel": "docker version shows client and server",
  "segments": [
    { "text": "docker", "bottomLabel": { "text": "CLI" } },
    { "text": "version", "topLabel": { "text": "Command", "variant": "command" }, "highlight": "command" }
  ]
}

Try it

1. Install Docker for your OS and start the engine.
2. Open a terminal and run:

docker version

3. Confirm the output shows both Client and Server sections.

If it goes wrong

• Docker Desktop not started: open the app and wait until it reports running.
• permission denied on Linux: add your user to the docker group or use sudo only while learning (prefer the group fix for daily use).
• Only Client, no Server: the engine is not reachable yet.

Remember

docker version with client and server is your install milestone — everything else builds on that.

From Docker fundamentals — Install Docker, see the value, and learn the basics