Its stable, offers an outstanding interface, and is pretty much everywhere.

But for those who want to develop using Docker, what is the path of least resistance From my experience, you cannot beat Docker Desktop for installing Docker on macOS.

Docker Desktop doesnt automatically install an Apple-like GUI for the management and deployment of containers.

What it does offer is a simplified installation of the Docker daemon (and the associated commands), a dock icon to give you quick access to your DockerHub repositories, quick access to the installation of Kitematic (for GUI-based management of containers more on this in a bit), and other handy tools.

But the single most important aspect of Docker Desktop is the installation of Docker.

SEE: Serverless computing: A guide for IT leaders (TechRepublic Premium) Lets install and use Docker Desktop on macOS.

Docker Setup Tips Download The Installer

To install Git, download the installer file, double-click on the downloaded file, and walk through the simple instructions.

For Kitematic, dont use the entry in the Docker Desktop Whale menu (as that renders Kitematic unusable).

Instead, download the latest version from GitHub, double-click the downloaded file, and walk through the simple instructions.

Usage Once you install everything, youre ready to start working with Docker.

You can either open up a terminal window and deploy your container from the command line ( Figure B ), or you can open Kitematic and start deploying via a handy GUI.

Figure B: Pulling down the latest NGINX image from the command line.

To open Kitematic, click on the Docker Desktop Whale icon and then click Kitematic.

When you first attempt to use Kitematic, you will be prompted to give it accessibility privileges.

From within the Security Privacy window, make sure to unlock the tool and then click the checkbox, associated with Kitematic ( Figure C ), to give it the necessary privileges.

Once you give Kitematic the necessary permissions, you can start it from either the Apple Launchpad or from the Docker Desktop Whale menu.

At this point, you are ready to start developing your cloud-based containers on the macOS desktop.

Getting Docker installed via this method is painless and offers a few more tricks to be had than youll find via other routes.

Docker Setup Tips Mac And See

Give this method of getting Docker up and running on your Mac and see if it doesnt have you working quickly and painlessly with Docker.

Hes covered a variety of topics for over twenty years and is an avid promoter of open source.

For more news about Jack Wallen, visit his website jackwallen.

Docker For Mac Setup Tips