How to Install Docker and Run Containers on a Hosteons VPS – HostEONS – Best VPS, Dedicated Servers and Web Hosting

Docker is one of the most popular tools for deploying and managing applications in isolated environments called containers. With a Hosteons VPS, you have full root access and KVM virtualization — making it perfect for running Docker!

In this guide, we’ll show you how to install Docker on a VPS (Ubuntu/CentOS/AlmaLinux) and run your first container.

✅ Prerequisites

A Hosteons VPS with root access
OS: Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 or CentOS 7/8 / AlmaLinux 8/9
Updated system packages

🚀 Step 1: Update Your VPS

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

CentOS/AlmaLinux:

sudo yum update -y
# OR
sudo dnf update -y

🚀 Step 2: Install Docker

For

Ubuntu

:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common -y
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository \
  "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io -y

For

CentOS/AlmaLinux

:

sudo yum install -y yum-utils
sudo yum-config-manager \
    --add-repo \
    https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
sudo yum install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io -y

For AlmaLinux 8/9, replace yum with dnf where needed.

🚀 Step 3: Start and Enable Docker

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Check status:

sudo systemctl status docker

🚀 Step 4: Run a Test Container

Run a basic hello-world container:

sudo docker run hello-world

If everything is set up correctly, you’ll see a message from Docker saying your installation is working.

🚀 Step 5: Run Any Container (Example: NGINX)

sudo docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx

Visit your VPS IP in a browser to see the default NGINX welcome page.

⚡ Bonus Tips

Add your user to the docker group to avoid using sudo:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Then log out and log back in.

You can manage Docker containers using tools like Portainer for a web UI:

sudo docker volume create portainer_data
sudo docker run -d -p 9000:9000 --name=portainer \
    --restart=always \
    -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
    -v portainer_data:/data \
    portainer/portainer-ce

Access it at: http://your-server-ip:9000

🌐 Ready to Deploy Containers with Power?

Hosteons VPS plans provide full KVM virtualization, root access, and 10Gbps ports — ideal for Docker workloads.

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