Getting Started with Docker: Your First Hands-On Experience EP02

From zero to running containers in 15 minutes

Welcome back to our Docker series! Last week, we explored what Docker is and why it matters. Today, we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting Docker running on your machine. By the end of this post, you’ll have Docker installed and will have launched your first containers.

No theory overload today — just practical, step-by-step instructions that work.

Before We Begin: What You’ll Need

A computer running Windows 10/11, macOS, or Linux
Administrator/sudo access
About 4GB of free disk space
An internet connection
15–30 minutes of your time

That’s it. Let’s go!

Installing Docker: Choose Your Platform

Windows 10/11 Installation

Step 1: Download Docker Desktop for Windows from docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Step 2: Run the installer (Docker Desktop Installer.exe)

Step 3: During installation, ensure “Use WSL 2 instead of Hyper-V” is selected (WSL 2 is faster and more efficient)

Step 4: Restart your computer when prompted

Step 5: Launch Docker Desktop from the Start menu

Important note for Windows users: Docker Desktop requires Windows 10 64-bit Pro, Enterprise, or Education (Build 19041 or higher) OR Windows 11. If you’re on Windows Home, you’ll need to enable WSL 2 first.

macOS Installation

Step 1: Download Docker Desktop for Mac from docker.com/products/docker-desktop

Choose the version matching your chip (Intel or Apple Silicon)

Step 2: Open the downloaded .dmg file

Step 3: Drag the Docker icon to your Applications folder

Step 4: Launch Docker from Applications

Step 5: Grant the necessary permissions when prompted

Linux Installation (Ubuntu/Debian)

Open your terminal and run these commands:

For other Linux distributions, check the official Docker documentation.

Verifying Your Installation

Once Docker is installed, let’s verify everything works. Open your terminal (Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Terminal) and run:

docker -version

You should see something like:
Docker version 24.0.6, build ed223bc

Now let’s run the classic verification test:

docker run hello-world

If everything is working correctly, you’ll see a message that starts with “Hello from Docker!” This simple command just:

1. Checked if the hello-world image exists locally

2. Downloaded it from Docker Hub (Docker’s public registry)

3. Created a container from that image

4. Ran the container, which printed the message

5. Exited the container

Congratulations! You’ve just run your first Docker container.

Essential Docker Commands: Your New Toolkit

Let’s explore the fundamental commands you’ll use daily. I’ll explain each one with examples.

1. Checking Docker Info

2. Working with Images

Images are the blueprints for containers. Think of them as templates.

3. Working with Containers

Containers are running instances of images.

4. Viewing Container Output

Hands-On Exercise: Running a Real Web Server

Let’s do something practical. We’ll run an Nginx web server and access it from your browser.

Step 1: Run Nginx with port mapping

docker run -d -p 8080:80 -name my-webserver nginx

Let’s break down this command:

docker run -creates and starts a container
-d -runs in detached mode (background)
-p 8080:80 -maps port 8080 on your machine to port 80 in the container
-name my-webserver — gives the container a friendly name
nginx — the image to use

Step 2: Open your browser and visit http://localhost:8080
You should see the “Welcome to nginx!” page. You’re now running a production-grade web server!

Step 3: View the logs

docker logs my-webserver

You’ll see the access logs showing your browser request.

Step 4: Stop and remove the container when you’re done

docker stop my-webserver
docker rm my-webserver

Hands-On Exercise 2: Interactive Containers

Let’s run a container interactively, which is incredibly useful for testing and debugging.

# Run Ubuntu interactively
docker run -it ubuntu bash

The -it flags mean:

-i -interactive (keep STDIN open)
-t -allocate a pseudo-TTY (terminal)
You’re now inside an Ubuntu container! Try some commands:

Once you exit, the container stops. This is perfect for experimenting without affecting your actual system.

Understanding What Just Happened

When you ran these commands, Docker did several things behind the scenes:

1. Image Download: If the image wasn’t local, Docker pulled it from Docker Hub

2. Container Creation: Docker created a new container from the image

3. Isolation: The container runs in its own isolated environment

4. Resource Allocation: Docker allocated system resources to the container

5. Networking: Docker set up networking so you could access the container
All of this happened in seconds, with minimal system overhead.

Common Beginner Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

Problem: “Port is already allocated” error

Solution: Another container or process is using that port. Either stop the other container or use a different port:

docker run -d -p 8081:80 nginx

Problem: “Permission denied” on Linux
Solution: Either run with sudo or add your user to the docker group (preferred):

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Then log out and back in

Problem: Containers keep accumulating
Solution: Clean up stopped containers regularly:

docker container prune

Problem: Running out of disk space
Solution: Remove unused images, containers, and volumes:

docker system prune

Quick Reference Cheat Sheet

Here are the commands you’ll use most often:

Practice Challenge

Before next week’s post, try this challenge to reinforce your learning:
Run a Redis container in the background (image name: redis)
Check that it’s running with docker ps
View its logs
Stop and remove the container
Clean up any unused containers and images
Post your results or questions in the comments!

Need Help?

Docker has excellent documentation at docs.docker.com. If you run into issues, the Docker community forums and Stack Overflow are great resources.

How did your installation go? Share your experience in the comments, and let us know what you’d like to explore in upcoming posts!