How to Install Docker on MacOS? - Apps Developer Blog

In this tutorial, you will learn how to install Docker on a macOS system. Docker is a powerful platform for containerizing applications, which simplifies the process of creating, deploying, and running software. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a working installation of Docker Desktop for Mac and will be ready to start using Docker to manage and run your applications. So let’s dive in and get started with the installation process!

To learn more about Docker, please check Docker Tutorials page.

Download and Install Docker Desktop

To install Docker on macOS, you need to download and install Docker Desktop for Mac. You can do this by following these steps:

Go to the Docker website: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop
Click the “Download for Mac” button to download the latest version of Docker Desktop for Mac.
Once the download is complete, double-click the Docker.dmg file to open the installer.
Drag the Docker icon to the Applications folder to install Docker Desktop.
Open Docker Desktop from the Applications folder.

Configure Docker Settings

After installing Docker Desktop, you need to configure some settings to ensure that Docker works correctly on your macOS system.

Open Docker Desktop from the Applications folder.
In the Docker Desktop menu, click “Preferences”.
In the “Resources” section, you can adjust the CPU and memory allocated to Docker.
In the “Advanced” section, you can configure network settings and other advanced settings.

Verify Docker Installation

To verify that Docker is installed and running correctly on your macOS system, you can run a simple command in the terminal.

Open the Terminal app from the Applications folder.
Type the following command and press enter:
```
docker version
```

If Docker is installed and running correctly, you should see output similar to the following:

Client:
 Cloud integration: v1.0.29
 Version:           20.10.21
 API version:       1.41
 Go version:        go1.18.7
 Git commit:        baeda1f
 Built:             Tue Oct 25 18:01:18 2022
 OS/Arch:           darwin/amd64
 Context:           default
 Experimental:      true

Server: Docker Desktop 4.14.0 (91374)
 Engine:
  Version:          20.10.21
  API version:      1.41 (minimum version 1.12)
  Go version:       go1.18.7
  Git commit:       3056208
  Built:            Tue Oct 25 18:00:19 2022
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     false
 containerd:
  Version:          1.6.9
  GitCommit:        1c90a442489720eec95342e1789ee8a5e1b9536f
 runc:
  Version:          1.1.4
  GitCommit:        v1.1.4-0-g5fd4c4d
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.19.0
  GitCommit:        de40ad0

Congratulations! You have now successfully installed Docker on your macOS system.

Can I Install Docker without Docker Desktop?

Yes, it is possible to install Docker on Mac without Docker Desktop. However, it requires a bit more setup and configuration compared to installing Docker Desktop, which is an all-in-one solution that includes the Docker engine, Docker CLI, and other necessary components.

To install Docker on Mac without Docker Desktop, you will need to follow these steps:

Install Homebrew package manager on your Mac, if you haven’t already done so. You can install Homebrew by running the following command in a terminal window:/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
Use Homebrew to install the Docker engine by running the following command:brew install docker
After Docker is installed, start the Docker engine by running the following command:sudo systemctl start docker
Verify that Docker is running correctly by running the following command:sudo docker run hello-world

This will download a small Docker image and run a container based on that image. If everything is working correctly, you should see a “Hello from Docker!” message in the output.

Note that installing Docker without Docker Desktop means you will need to manually manage and configure other Docker components such as the Docker CLI, Docker Compose, and Docker Machine. Additionally, you will need to manually install and manage any additional dependencies or tools required for your Docker environment.

I hope this tutorial was helpful and easy to understand. Good luck with your Docker journey!