Docker on VPS: Complete Deployment Guide

Why Docker on a VPS?

Docker on a VPS gives you the perfect balance: container isolation with predictable costs. Unlike managed container services, you pay a fixed monthly fee regardless of traffic spikes.

Prerequisites

Step 1: Install Docker

Using the official Docker installation script (documentation ↗):

# Update system
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker using official script
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

# Add your user to docker group
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Log out and back in, then verify
docker --version

Step 2: Install Docker Compose

# Install Docker Compose plugin
sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin

# Verify installation
docker compose version

Step 3: Basic Deployment Example

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

version: "3.8"
services:
  app:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    restart: unless-stopped

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  postgres_data:

Step 4: Production Best Practices

Resource Usage Guidelines

Common Issues & Solutions

• Container won't start: Check logs with docker logs container_name
• Out of disk space: Prune unused images: docker system prune -a
• Port conflict: Check what's using the port: sudo lsof -i :80