How to Install Docker and Portainer on Raspberry Pi

Introduction

Docker is a powerful platform that allows you to deploy and manage applications inside containers – lightweight, isolated environments that can run anywhere. This makes experimenting, developing, and deploying applications easier and more consistent across different systems.

Portainer provides a simple web-based interface to manage Docker. With Portainer, you don’t have to rely entirely on terminal commands – starting, monitoring, and removing containers can all be done with just a few clicks.

Raspberry Pi, often known as a mini computer for learning and experimentation, can also be transformed into a fully functional mini server. By combining Docker + Portainer, your Raspberry Pi becomes a flexible environment for application deployment and container management.

In this guide, I’ll walk you step by step through the installation of Docker and Portainer on Raspberry Pi – from the initial setup to managing containers via a web interface.

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Update the system

First, make sure your Raspberry Pi system is up to date:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Install some required tools:

sudo apt install -y curl vim

Install Docker on Raspberry Pi

Next, let’s install Docker using the official installation script:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh

Run the script:

sudo sh get-docker.sh

If repository warnings appear, simply update again and re-run the script:

sudo apt update --allow-releaseinfo-change
sudo sh get-docker.sh

Once installation is complete, verify your Docker version:

docker --version

Now start and enable Docker so that it runs on system boot:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Check the service status:

systemctl status docker

If the status shows Active (running), Docker is ready to use.

Install Docker Compose plugin

To manage multiple containers easily, we’ll install the Docker Compose plugin — a tool that lets you define and run entire applications using a single docker-compose.yml file.

Install it with:

sudo apt install -y docker-compose-plugin

Check the version:

sudo docker compose version

If a version is displayed, the plugin has been installed successfully.

Install Portainer

Now let’s set up Portainer, the tool that gives you an intuitive web UI to manage your containers.

First, create a directory for Portainer:

mkdir -p ~/portainer
cd ~/portainer

Inside this directory, create a docker-compose.yml file:

touch docker-compose.yml
vim docker-compose.yml

Paste the following content into the file:

services:
  portainer:
    image: portainer/portainer-ce:latest
    container_name: portainer
    restart: always
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - portainer_data:/data

volumes:
  portainer_data:

Save and exit, then start Portainer with:

sudo docker compose up -d

Verify the container is running:

sudo docker ps

If you see a container named portainer, the installation was successful.

Access Portainer

Open your browser and go to:

http://<IP_RaspberryPi>:9000

On your first visit, Portainer will ask you to:

• Create an admin account.
• Choose a Docker environment to connect.

Once setup is complete, navigate to the Containers section in the left menu to view all running containers on your Raspberry Pi.

Conclusion

With just a few steps, you’ve successfully transformed your tiny Raspberry Pi into a mini container server powered by Docker and Portainer.

From here, you can easily deploy a variety of services such as Nextcloud, Home Assistant, Pi-hole, or even small-scale AI projects.

Think of this as just the beginning. With Docker and Portainer, your Raspberry Pi now has nearly endless possibilities — unlocking a whole new world of applications for you to explore.