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How to Install Docker

Docker is a powerful containerization platform that allows you to run applications in isolated containers. It is the simplest yet default way to run Gluesync. This guide provides installation instructions for Linux, Windows, and Mac operating systems.

Fastest path (recommended) — Download the Gluesync kit and follow the automated installer linked in the download email which points to the Gluesync download page from the MOLO17 website. The installer configures Docker, Compose, and Gluesync for you.

Expert path — Only follow the manual Docker steps below if you already manage your own Docker hosts or need a tailored setup.

Unless you override it during the kit extraction, Gluesync installs to /opt/gluesync on Linux hosts and to C:\\Program Files\\Gluesync on Windows hosts. All references to run.sh, run.ps1, and utility scripts in this guide assume those default paths.

Automated Installation Scripts

For your convenience, we provide automated installation scripts that handle the complete Docker setup process for you. These are the same scripts surfaced on the Gluesync download page and in the trial-kit email:

  • Linux Installer (docker-installer.sh): Automated installation for Linux distributions (Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Red Hat, Amazon Linux)

  • Windows Server Installer (docker-installer-windows.ps1): Automated installation for Windows Server using Windows Containers

Download Scripts

You can download these scripts from the MOLO17 utilities repository:

These same scripts are embedded inside the downloadable kits, so you can simply unzip the package from the download page and run the installer for your operating system.

Using the Automated Installers

Linux Installation

# Download and run the installer (requires sudo/root access)
wget -O gluesync-installer.sh "https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-installer.sh"
sudo chmod +x ./gluesync-installer.sh
sudo ./gluesync-installer.sh

The script will: - Check for sufficient permissions (root/sudo required) - Detect your Linux distribution - Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose - Configure logging to prevent disk space issues - Verify the installation - Optionally install Gluesync (prompts for kit identifier: abcd1234567890123456789012345678)

Once Docker is installed on Linux and you’ve unpacked the Gluesync kit, always start the platform via the provided run.sh script inside the installation folder. The script wires Docker Compose, environment variables, and health checks automatically—avoid calling docker compose up manually unless you know how to reproduce the full bootstrap sequence.

Windows Installation

# Download and run the installer (requires Administrator privileges)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-installer-windows.ps1" -OutFile "gluesync-installer.ps1"
.\gluesync-installer.ps1

After Docker is ready on Windows and the Gluesync kit is extracted, launch Gluesync through the run.ps1 script shipped with the kit. It applies the proper Compose overrides, credentials, and health checks—running docker-compose up directly may skip mandatory steps.

The script will:

  • Check for administrative privileges

  • Install Docker Engine using Windows Containers

  • Install Docker Compose

  • Configure system PATH

  • Reboot the system (required for Docker to start after installation)

  • Verify the installation

  • Optionally install Gluesync (prompts for kit identifier: abcd1234567890123456789012345678)

  • Save a link to your Gluesync instance in your desktop

Automated uninstallers

If you installed Docker through our scripts (or simply want a clean uninstall that removes the services we set up), you can use the matching uninstaller:

Platform Download & usage

Linux

https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-uninstaller.sh

[source,shell] ---- wget -O gluesync-docker-uninstall.sh "https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-uninstaller.sh" sudo chmod +x gluesync-docker-uninstall.sh sudo ./gluesync-docker-uninstall.sh ----

Windows Server

https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-uninstaller-windows.ps1

[source,powershell] ---- Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://molo17.com/gs-content/utils/docker-uninstaller-windows.ps1" -OutFile "gluesync-docker-uninstall.ps1" .\gluesync-docker-uninstall.ps1 ----

Both uninstallers remove Docker Engine, Docker Compose, the services we configure, and any Gluesync-specific shortcuts created by the installer. They leave your user data untouched so you can reinstall cleanly afterward.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install Docker manually or need more control over the installation process, follow the detailed instructions below for your specific operating system.

Linux

After completing any manual Linux setup below, unpack the Gluesync kit and start the platform via ./run.sh from the installation directory. The script applies all required environment variables, compose overrides, and health checks—skip manual docker compose up unless you know how to replicate the entire bootstrap.

Rootless Docker

Docker can be configured to run without root privileges using rootless mode. This enhances security by allowing Docker to run as a regular user. For detailed instructions, see: https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/rootless/

Distribution-Specific Installation

Fedora

Enable the Docker repository:

sudo dnf -y install dnf-plugins-core
echo "[docker-stable]" | sudo tee /etc/yum.repos.d/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker:

sudo dnf -y install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start and enable Docker:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Ubuntu

Update package index and install required packages:

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

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

Set up the 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

Install Docker:

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

RedHat

Install required packages:

sudo yum install -y yum-utils

Add Docker repository:

sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker:

sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start Docker:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Debian

Update package index:

sudo apt-get update

Install required packages:

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

Add Docker’s official GPG key:

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

Set up the repository:

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

Install Docker:

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

CentOS

Install required packages:

sudo yum install -y yum-utils

Add Docker repository:

sudo yum-config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker:

sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Start Docker:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

AWS Amazon Linux 2023

Install Docker Engine

Update your system packages:

sudo dnf update -y

Install Docker:

sudo dnf install -y docker

Enable and start the Docker service:

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Add your user to the Docker group (replace $USER with your username if needed):

sudo usermod -a -G docker $USER
Install Docker Compose

Create the directory for Docker CLI plugins:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/

Download the latest Docker Compose binary:

sudo curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-linux-$(uname -m) -o /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Make the binary executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Reboot the system to apply changes:

sudo reboot

Check Docker version:

docker version

Check running Docker containers without sudo:

docker ps

Check Docker Compose version:

docker compose version

Configure Log Driver and Retention

Follow this steps to configure Docker’s logging driver and retention policy to avoid running out of disk space. As it is not being automatically configured by Docker at install time.

You can customize Docker’s logging configuration by creating or modifying /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
    "log-driver": "json-file",
    "log-opts": {
        "max-size": "100m",
        "max-file": "5"
    }
}

Restart Docker after making changes:

systemctl restart docker

Auto-start Configuration

Using systemd (Most Linux distributions)

Most modern Linux distributions use systemd to manage system services. Docker is typically configured to start automatically on boot, but you can verify and manage this behavior using the following commands:

Enable Docker to Start on Boot

To ensure Docker and containerd start automatically at system boot, run:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker.service
sudo systemctl enable --now containerd.service

The --now flag will also start the services immediately in addition to enabling them.

Disable Automatic Startup

If you need to prevent Docker from starting at boot, use:

sudo systemctl disable --now docker.service
sudo systemctl disable --now containerd.service

Customize Docker Service Configuration

You can customize Docker’s behavior by creating or modifying systemd drop-in files. For example, to configure an HTTP proxy or set a custom directory for Docker runtime files:

Create a systemd drop-in directory:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/

Create a custom configuration file (e.g., http-proxy.conf):

[Service]
Environment="HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080/"
Environment="HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080/"
Environment="NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1,.example.com"

Reload systemd and restart Docker:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart docker

For more configuration options, refer to the official Docker documentation on systemd configuration.

Post-Installation Configuration

Docker Registry Access Requirements

In order to have Gluesync working with Docker and allow pulling Gluesync’s Docker images, the host machine must be able to access Docker Hub Registry.

In case you cannot access Docker Hub Registry, there are two ways to work around Docker Hub access restrictions:

  1. Allow (whitelist) Docker registry at your proxy/firewall level, specifically allowing the following trusted domains:

    • *.docker.io

    • *.docker.com

    • *.dckr.io

  2. Save and load images manually if you cannot access Docker Hub:

# Save the image to a tar file
docker image XYZ save > image.tar

# Load the image on your private registry or local machine
docker image load < image.tar
Manually loading images from a tar file is a labor intensive process and is not recommended, as it requires downloading the images from Docker Hub and loading them manually.

macOS

Installation

  1. Download Docker Desktop for Mac from the official Docker website: https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/

  2. Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Docker.app to the Applications folder

  3. Launch Docker from your Applications folder

  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup

Auto-start Configuration

Docker Desktop for Mac can be configured to start automatically when you log in to your Mac. There are two ways to enable this:

Using System Preferences (Recommended)

  1. Open "System Settings" (or "System Preferences" in older macOS versions)

  2. Go to "General" and then "Login Items"

  3. Click the "+" button to add Docker to the list of applications that start automatically

  4. Select Docker.app from your Applications folder

  5. Make sure the "Hide" option is unchecked to see the Docker icon in the menu bar

Using Command Line (Advanced)

For advanced users who prefer command-line configuration:

  1. Create a LaunchAgent configuration file:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
  <key>Label</key>
  <string>com.docker.docker</string>
  <key>ProgramArguments</key>
  <array>
    <string>/Applications/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/Docker</string>
  </array>
  <key>RunAtLoad</key>
  <true/>
  <key>KeepAlive</key>
  <true/>
  <key>StandardErrorPath</key>
  <string>/tmp/com.docker.docker.err</string>
  <key>StandardOutPath</key>
  <string>/tmp/com.docker.docker.out</string>
</dict>
</plist>

  2. Save this file as ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.docker.docker.plist

  3. Load the launch agent:

    launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.docker.docker.plist

  4. Verify the agent is loaded:

launchctl list | grep com.docker.docker

Verifying Auto-start

After configuring auto-start, restart your Mac to verify that Docker starts automatically. The Docker icon should appear in your menu bar, and you can check its status by clicking on it.

To manually start Docker if needed:

Verify Docker Installation

Before attempting to run Gluesync, verify that Docker is working correctly by running the hello-world container:

docker run hello-world

You should see a message indicating that your installation is working correctly. If you encounter any errors, resolve them before proceeding with Gluesync.

Windows

Windows Server for Windows Containers

When Docker is ready on Windows Server, unpack the Gluesync kit and run ./run.ps1 from the kit folder to start or update Gluesync. The script wires credentials, compose overrides, and validation checks that are not executed when manually issuing docker-compose up.

Run PowerShell as Administrator

Open PowerShell with administrative privileges. When prompted with "Do you want this app to make changes to your device?", select Yes to continue.

Installation of docker engine:

To get started with Docker on Windows Server, use the following command to run the install-docker-ce.ps1 PowerShell script. This script configures your environment to enable container-related OS features. The script also installs the Docker runtime.

Invoke-WebRequest -UseBasicParsing "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/microsoft/Windows-Containers/Main/helpful_tools/Install-DockerCE/install-docker-ce.ps1" -o install-docker-ce.ps1
.\install-docker-ce.ps1

Installation of docker-compose:

Create the destination directory

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "$Env:ProgramFiles\Docker" -Force

(Optional) Ensure TLS 1.2 is Enabled

GitHub requires TLS 1.2 for secure connections. If you are using an older version of Windows Server (for example 2016), or suspect that TLS 1.2 is not enabled, run the following command:

[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12

Download Docker Compose

Download the latest release of Docker Compose with this command:

Start-BitsTransfer -Source "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.39.3/docker-compose-windows-x86_64.exe" -Destination $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\docker-compose.exe

You can find the latest version on the GitHub releases page and replace v2.39.3 with the desired version number.

Add docker-compose to PATH

This PowerShell snippet adds $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker to the system PATH variable without truncating the existing value.

$oldPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "Machine")
$newPath = if ($oldPath.Split(";") -contains "$Env:ProgramFiles\Docker") { $oldPath } else { $oldPath + ";$Env:ProgramFiles\Docker" }
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", $newPath, "Machine")

Restart your PowerShell session to apply the changes or run

$Env:PATH += ";$Env:ProgramFiles\Docker"

Test the Installation

Verify that Docker Compose has been installed correctly:

docker-compose version

Example output:

Docker Compose version <installed-version>>

This guide is inspired by official Microsoft & Docker documentation

Windows Docker Engine: daemon.json proxy + group

When to use this

Use this guide when Docker Engine runs on Windows Server behind a corporate proxy and/or when non-admin users need access to Docker through the named pipe.

Prerequisites

  • Run PowerShell as Administrator to edit the Docker daemon configuration and restart the Docker service.

  • Docker Engine on Windows reads configuration from C:\ProgramData\docker\config\daemon.json (create the file if it doesn’t exist).

1) Edit daemon.json

Open or create C:\ProgramData\docker\config\daemon.json, then paste and customize the following template:

  • group: Windows local group allowed to access Docker (for example, docker-users).

  • http-proxy / https-proxy: your corporate proxy URL.

  • no-proxy: comma-separated hosts/domains that should bypass the proxy.

{
  "group": "docker-users",
  "proxies": {
    "http-proxy": "http://DOMAIN%5Cuser:pa%24%24word@proxy.yourcompany.com:8080",
    "https-proxy": "http://DOMAIN%5Cuser:pa%24%24word@proxy.yourcompany.com:8080",
    "no-proxy": "localhost,127.0.0.1,.yourcompany.com"
  }
}
2) Special characters in proxy credentials (IMPORTANT)

If the proxy requires authentication, credentials are embedded in the proxy URL (http://USER:PASSWORD@proxy-host:port). Special characters in USER and PASSWORD must be percent-encoded or Docker may fail to parse the string.

Common encodings:

Character Percent-encoded form

Backslash (DOMAIN\user)

DOMAIN%5Cuser

Dollar sign ($)

%24 (use pa%24%24word for pa$$word)

At symbol (@)

%40

Colon (:)

%3A

Percent (%)

%25

Do not use DOMAIN\\user in the proxy URL; use DOMAIN%5Cuser instead.

3) Apply changes

Restart Docker Engine so it reloads daemon.json:

Restart-Service docker
4) Validate (proxy + permissions)

Confirm Docker is reachable from the current user:

docker ps

If docker ps returns a list (or even an empty list) without Access is denied, the user has sufficient permissions. If you still see open //./pipe/docker_engine: Access is denied, review the group membership, group setting, and restart Docker again.

Troubleshooting notes

  • connect ENOENT //./pipe/docker_engine indicates the named pipe is unavailable (daemon starting/restarting); retry after a short wait.

  • If users still cannot run Docker commands, ensure they belong to the configured group and restart Docker again (or have them sign out/in).

Configure Log Driver and Retention

Follow this steps to configure Docker’s logging driver and retention policy to avoid running out of disk space. As it is not being automatically configured by Docker at install time.

You can customize Docker’s logging configuration by creating or modifying C:\ProgramData\docker\config\daemon.json:

{
    "log-driver": "json-file",
    "log-opts": {
        "max-size": "100m",
        "max-file": "5"
    }
}

Restart Docker after making changes:

Restart-Service docker

Or reboot your system to ensure the changes take effect.

Windows Server for WSL

This installation is only available for Windows Server with desktop environment.

Even under WSL/Windows Desktop setups, launch Gluesync using the run.ps1 helper inside the kit folder (it internally calls the Linux run.sh from WSL when needed) to ensure the right compose files and health checks run each time.

Other installation methods (manual):

Install WSL 2 by running the following command from your PowerShell:

wsl --install -d <distro> #you can select the distribution you want to install (e.g. Ubuntu)

Install Docker Desktop for Windows Server:

  • Install docker-desktop on the official site.

  • Then execute the installer and follow configuration step on-screen.

After installation completes, verify Docker is running by opening a new Command Prompt and running:

docker --version