How to Install Docker on Debian 12

Here is how to install Docker on Debian 12 (Bookworm) in 2026.

Install Docker Engine

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian bookworm stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

Post-Installation

sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
docker run hello-world

Related Resources

• Docker Cheat Sheet
• Install Docker on Ubuntu 24.04