install-docker.md

Install Docker

Required dependency: Docker with Docker Compose v2.24.0 or newer. The EMS quickstart uses docker compose, not the old standalone docker-compose v1 command.

Linux / Raspberry Pi: Install Docker Engine and the Docker Compose plugin (see the OS sections below).

macOS: Install Docker Desktop, then verify docker compose version.

Windows: Install Docker Desktop, use Linux containers, and verify docker compose version. Run the PowerShell installer from PowerShell.

For full, current instructions, use the official Docker docs:

• Docker Desktop (macOS/Windows): https://docs.docker.com/desktop/
• Debian: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/
• Ubuntu: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/
• Raspberry Pi OS: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/raspberry-pi-os/
• Linux post-install: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/linux-postinstall/

After Docker is installed, the EMS Analytics quickstart flow looks like this:

Video: MP4 · WebM

Debian

Docker's official Debian path is:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<EOF
Types: deb
URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/debian
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")
Components: stable
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
EOF
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Ubuntu

Docker's official Ubuntu path is:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<EOF
Types: deb
URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}")
Components: stable
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
EOF
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Raspberry Pi OS

For 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, Docker recommends the Debian arm64 packages. For 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS, follow the official Raspberry Pi OS page because Docker version support differs by OS release.

The current 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS path uses the raspbian repository:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/raspbian \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Verify

docker --version
docker compose version

If Docker requires sudo, either prefix the EMS quickstart commands with sudo or complete Docker's optional Linux post-install step.

Optional: Run Docker Without Sudo

Docker's post-install guide uses:

sudo groupadd docker
sudo usermod -aG docker "$USER"
newgrp docker

The docker group grants root-level privileges on the host. Use it only if that fits your local security model.

Common Errors

docker: command not found

Docker Engine is not installed, or your shell cannot find it. Install Docker from the official docs for your OS and open a new shell.

docker compose: command not found

The Compose plugin is missing or too old. Install docker-compose-plugin. The EMS docs use docker compose, not docker-compose.

Permission Denied On Docker Socket

Your user cannot access the Docker daemon socket. Run the command with sudo or complete the optional Docker post-install group step, then open a new login session.

Old docker-compose v1

Use the current plugin command:

docker compose version

If only docker-compose --version works, install Docker's Compose plugin.