How To: Install Docker for Mac

Docker for Mac

Turns out, plenty of native macOS apps can be installed using the brew package manager. Among them is Docker, so I decided to try how it installs and works.

Docker for Mac

The easiest is, of course, just to use the native installer provided by Docker maintaners: you download the Docker.dmg file, install it and end up with an app called Docker Desktop:

Install Docker with brew

But since I wanted to try more automated install, I used brew:

greys@maverick:~ $ brew cask install docker
==> Satisfying dependencies
==> Downloading https://download.docker.com/mac/stable/37199/Docker.dmg
Already downloaded: /Users/greys/Library/Caches/Homebrew/downloads/01aa470f5479ce702d59bc8d825681bca704ab964279558efd5a2187b126791c--Docker.dmg
==> Verifying SHA-256 checksum for Cask 'docker'.
==> Installing Cask docker
==> Moving App 'Docker.app' to '/Applications/Docker.app'.
🍺 docker was successfully installed!
You have mail in /var/mail/greys

That was it! Overall – great improvement of the steps I would normally take to install Docker.

Upon starting this /Applications/Docker.app for the first time, I got the security prompt:

Docker App Security Prompt

But that’s it – after that Docker worked exactly the same and had the very same versions of all the components:

Docker for Mac

Will be trying my most used software installs using brew, it seems a great way to be downloading/installing software in bulk – should be great for new laptop setup (if/when I get it) – I have been upgrading macOS in-place for the past 5 years or so, and think it will be awesome to someday migrate to a brand new clean macOS setup.

See Also