Docker Installation Log for WSL 2 on Windows

I just started to learn about docker and i thought it will be a good idea to document the process. So here’s a concise yet descriptive log documenting the process of installing and configuring Docker entirely within WSL 2 on Windows. Each step includes a brief explanation of the purpose of the commands and the tools being installed.

1. Install and Configure WSL 2

1. Install WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux):

   wsl --install

• Purpose: Installs WSL, allowing you to run a full Linux kernel on your Windows machine.
• Context: WSL enables a Linux environment directly within Windows, and WSL 2 uses a real Linux kernel for better compatibility and performance.

1. Install a Linux Distribution (e.g., Ubuntu):

   • Action: Download and install Ubuntu from the Microsoft Store.
   • Purpose: Ubuntu provides a familiar Linux environment where Docker will be installed.

2. Set WSL 2 as the Default Version:
   

   wsl --set-default-version 2

• Purpose: Ensures that new WSL instances use WSL 2, which offers improved performance and full system call compatibility.

1. Launch the Linux Distribution:
   • Action: Open the installed Ubuntu distribution.
   • Purpose: This opens the Ubuntu terminal where all subsequent commands will be run.

2. Update and Install Prerequisites

1. Update Package Information:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

• Purpose: Updates the package lists and installs the latest versions of all installed packages.
• Context: Ensures that your system is up-to-date before installing Docker.

1. Install Required Packages:

   sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common

• apt-transport-https: Allows apt to use HTTPS for downloading packages, improving security.
• ca-certificates: Ensures that your system trusts SSL certificates, necessary for secure communications.
• curl: A command-line tool for transferring data with URLs, used to download the Docker GPG key.
• software-properties-common: Provides tools for managing software repositories, enabling the addition of Docker’s repository.

3. Add Docker’s Official GPG Key and Repository

1. Add Docker GPG Key:

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

• Purpose: Fetches and stores Docker’s GPG key, which is used to verify the authenticity of Docker packages.
• Context: This step ensures that the Docker packages you install are legitimate and haven’t been tampered with.

1. Set Up Docker’s APT 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

• Purpose: Adds Docker’s official stable repository to your system’s package sources, allowing apt to download Docker directly from Docker’s servers.
• Context: Docker’s official repository contains the latest, stable versions of Docker.

4. Install Docker

1. Install Docker Engine and Related Tools:

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

• docker-ce: The Docker Community Edition, the core engine that runs Docker containers.
• docker-ce-cli: Command-line tools for interacting with Docker, such as docker run and docker ps.
• containerd.io: A container runtime that manages the lifecycle of containers, responsible for running and supervising containers.

5. Start and Enable Docker

1. Start Docker Service:

   sudo service docker start

• Purpose: Manually starts the Docker service, making Docker operational on your WSL environment.

1. Enable Docker to Start on Boot:

   sudo systemctl enable docker

• Purpose: Configures Docker to start automatically whenever the WSL environment is launched.

6. (Optional) Allow Non-Sudo Docker Usage

1. Add User to Docker Group:

   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

• Purpose: Adds your user to the Docker group, allowing you to run Docker commands without using sudo.
• Context: This step is optional but recommended for convenience. After running this command, log out and back in to apply the changes.

7. Verify Installation

1. Check Docker Version:

   docker --version

• Purpose: Confirms that Docker is installed correctly by displaying the installed version.

1. Run a Test Container:

   docker run hello-world

• Purpose: Runs a test container to verify that Docker is functioning properly within your WSL environment.

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