Keeping Your Docker CLI and Docker Compose Up-to-Date: A Step-by-Step Guide

Streamline Your Containerization Workflow with the Latest Tools

In the fast-paced world of containerization, staying current with your tools is crucial. Today, we’ll walk through the process of ensuring you’re using the latest Docker CLI and Docker Compose. This guide is particularly useful for Ubuntu users, but the principles apply broadly.

Source: Unsplash

Why Update?

Before we dive in, let’s quickly touch on why keeping Docker updated is important:

1. Security patches

2. New features

3. Bug fixes

4. Compatibility with the latest containerized applications

Now, let’s get started!

Step 1: Clean Slate - Remove Existing Docker Packages

First, we’ll remove any old versions of Docker:

sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

This ensures we’re starting fresh.

Step 2: Prepare Your System

Next, we’ll set up the Docker repository:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

These commands update your package index and install necessary packages to allow apt to use a repository over HTTPS.

Step 3: Add Docker’s Official GPG Key

Security is paramount. We’ll add Docker’s official GPG key:

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

This step ensures that the packages you’re about to install are authenticated.

Step 4: Set Up the Stable Repository

Now, let’s set up the stable repository:

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

This command adds the repository to your sources list.

Step 5: Install Docker Engine

Time to install Docker:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

This installs the latest version of Docker Engine and containerd.

Step 6: Verify Docker Installation

Let’s make sure everything installed correctly:

sudo docker --version

You should see the Docker version information.

Step 7: Docker Compose - It’s Already There!

Here’s a cool tidbit: Docker Compose is now part of the Docker CLI. No separate installation needed! Just ensure Docker is updated:

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Step 8: Verify Docker Compose Installation

Finally, let’s check our Docker Compose version:

docker compose version

You should see the Docker Compose version information.

Wrapping Up

And there you have it! You’re now running the latest Docker CLI with integrated Docker Compose. Try running a compose command to test it out:

docker compose up -d

This should work seamlessly with your updated Docker CLI.

Keeping your Docker environment up-to-date is a simple yet crucial task for any developer or DevOps professional. By following these steps regularly, you ensure that you’re always working with the latest features and security updates.

Happy containerizing!