--- title: "Install Docker on Ubuntu and Configure Port 2375 for Remote Management" description: "How to install Docker Engine (not Docker Desktop) on Ubuntu 22, and modify the systemd configuration to open port 2375 for remote Docker management." canonical_url: "https://blog.markkulab.net/en/post/enable-docker-2375-port-in-ubuntu22" author: "Mark Ku" author_url: "https://blog.markkulab.net/en/author/mark-ku" site: "Mark Ku's Tech Notes" date_published: "2024-11-10 01:01:35 +0800" category: "DevOps" tags: ["ubuntu", "docker", "remote access", "port", "systemd", "devops", "linux"] language: "en" license: "CC BY 4.0" license_url: "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" attribution: "when reusing or quoting, credit the author and link back to the original" --- # Install Docker on Ubuntu and Configure Port 2375 for Remote Management ## The Problem Initially, I installed Docker and Docker Desktop on Ubuntu. However, I found that no matter how I configured the remote access and deployment port (port 2375), I couldn't get it to work. I ended up removing everything and reinstalling. ## Differences Between Windows and Linux Docker Desktop [On Windows, you can easily enable port 2375 to manage a remote Docker server by checking the "Expose daemon on tcp://localhost:2375 without TLS" option in the Docker Desktop settings.](https://blog.markkulab.net/remote-build-docker-image-with-powershell/) However, this option doesn't exist in the Linux version. If you install Docker Desktop first, you might run into the same issue I did: not being able to find the `dockerd` daemon. ![Linux Docker Desktop settings](https://blog.markkulab.net/content/markku/posts/enable-docker-2375-port-in-ubuntu22/images/linux-docker-desktop-settings.png) ## Environment Setup More and more cloud services are running on Linux servers. Given Linux's lightweight and stable nature, it doesn't require high-spec hardware. So, I repurposed an old computer (Intel 8700 + 1060 GPU) as an experimental machine. I installed Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS on it to study various cloud platforms. For easier management, I installed Ubuntu Desktop and set up RustDesk for convenient remote maintenance. ## First, Install Docker on Ubuntu ``` // 1. 更新系統的軟體 sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade // 2. 安裝必要的相依套件 sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common // 3. 加入 Docker 官方的 GPG 金鑰 curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg // 4. 新增 Docker 的軟體庫 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 // 5. 更新軟體包列表並安裝 Docker sudo apt remove --purge docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io // 6. 檢查 Docker 是否安裝成功 sudo systemctl status docker sudo systemctl start docker sudo docker run hello-world ``` Modify Docker's auto-start configuration. ``` sudo vim /lib/systemd/system/docker.service ``` Modify the `ExecStart` line, adding `-H fd:// -H tcp://0.0.0.0:2375` to the end. ``` ExecStart=/usr/bin/dockerd -H fd:// --containerd=/run/containerd/containerd.sock -H fd:// -H tcp://0.0.0.0:2375 ``` ![Changing the ExecStart setting](https://blog.markkulab.net/content/markku/posts/enable-docker-2375-port-in-ubuntu22/images/change-exec-start-settings.png) Restart the service. ``` sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable docker.service sudo systemctl restart docker.service sudo systemctl status docker.service ``` ## Allow Port 2375 Through the Firewall ``` sudo ufw allow 2375 ... ``` ## Test (from another computer) ``` docker -H 192.168.50.50:2375 info docker -H 192.168.50.50:2375 ps ``` ![Test result](https://blog.markkulab.net/content/markku/posts/enable-docker-2375-port-in-ubuntu22/images/test.png) ## Conclusion I ran some experiments and found that containers created via commands through port 2375 are not visible in Docker Desktop. If you want to use Docker Desktop, it might conflict with your existing Docker environment. It seems that Docker and Docker Desktop are not meant to be used together. ## Additional Resources * [Encrypting Remote Docker Connections with TLS](https://cloud.tencent.com/developer/article/1508189) * [A More Secure TLS Connection for Docker](https://www.cnblogs.com/walterlong/articles/11444770.html) --- ## About this article and its author Originally published on [Mark Ku's Tech Notes](https://blog.markkulab.net/en/post/enable-docker-2375-port-in-ubuntu22) License: [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — when reusing or quoting, credit the author and link back to the original ### About the author **[Mark Ku](https://blog.markkulab.net/en/author/mark-ku)** — Software Solution Provider - 10+ years senior software engineer, now an AI Builder - Focused on large-platform architecture — North-American e-commerce, AI SaaS subscription billing - Combining AI Agents and automation to build evolvable product foundations ### Free tools built by the author All of these are free to use: - [Free PDF Sign Tool](https://blog.markkulab.net/en/tools/pdf-sign): Online PDF sign tool — draw, type, or upload a signature, then drag, resize, and download. 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