Docker Desktop is a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tool that covers a virtual machine installation. Docker components are unrestricted for Windows, Mac, and Linux, and most Docker containers operate on Linux; Desktop is only open for Windows and Mac. This virtual machine is not required on Linux, as the Docker Engine can execute directly here. Docker Desktop is utilized on Windows and Mac to handle various Docker components and functions, including containers, images, volumes, local Kubernetes, etc. If you're a container creator, using the latest runtime engine version is always advisable. Jack Wallen shows you how to install that most up-to-date Docker version.
However, the most recent Desktop Docker release is 4.12.0(released June 6, 2021). It may not contain bold new features, but it will undoubtedly include bug fixes and various patches—upgraded kernel to 5.10.124. In specific circumstances, it benefits from installing the latest Docker version. The below article will talk about the overview, features, installation, etc. of the Docker Desktop latest version. Anyone interested in learning Docker will benefit from the Docker online course. This DCA course also is well-suited for freshers, Software developers, Software engineers, Technical leads, System administrators etc.
Docker Desktop Overview
One of the most reasonable ways to start with Docker is installing Docker Desktop on Mac or Windows. Everyone would wonder, "What is Docker Desktop, and how's it distinguishable from the Docker Engine (open-source)?"
Docker Desktop version is a GUI on top of Docker Engine and is an easy-to-install application. It includes Docker Engine, Docker CLI client, Docker Compose version, Docker Content Trust, Kubernetes, and Credential Helper. Docker Desktop still utilizes Docker Engine at its core. These tools seamlessly integrate, and interoperability makes Docker Desktop user-friendly—regardless of the experience with Docker.
Following are the features we get after installing and using Docker Desktop.
- Easy to use and install the environment to build, ship, and run your containers.
- An effortless way to design and manage using volumes.
- Management within Locally or remotely of Docker images.
- Collaborating in a better way by sharing repeatable and reproducible development from your local machine to the container.
- Straightforward, one-click Kubernetes setup for your local machine.
- A dashboard for a quick summary of containers running, images, and volumes.
- Support for developing and employing multi-architecture images.
Docker Desktop adds features atop open-source tooling, allowing it to maintain, monitor easily, and update Docker tooling. Docker Desktop collaborates easily using Docker Dev Environments, authorizing teams to transmit the work with one click via Git or Docker Hub.
It has an easy-to-use UI with everyday actions:
- Starting a container
- Pausing and resuming a container
- Stopping a container
- Establishing a single-node local Kubernetes cluster
- Designing or deleting volumes
GUI and CLI are also always available to you based on your preferences.
Docker Desktop 4.12.0 - What has Changed?
Docker Desktop version is a GUI on top of Docker Engine and is an easy-to-install application. Below details the information about the new features, improvements, known issues, and bug fixes in Docker Desktop releases.
- Added the ability to utilize the Container for pulling and accumulating images.
- Search capacities were added to Docker Extension's Marketplace.
- The ability to zoom in and out capability of the Docker Desktop to Actual Size was added.
- Compose stop button was added.
- Separate compose containers are deletable from the Container.
- It has executed an integrated terminal for containers.
- Added a tooltip to portray the link address for all external links.
- Bug fixes and minor changes.
For all platforms
- Compose V2 is enabled on new installations of Docker Desktop.
- Upgraded kernel version to 5.10.124.
- Improved general performance issues rendered by computing disk size.
- Fixed a bug that made Docker clients hang on docker exec in some languages.
- Fixed a bug that induced extensions to be portrayed as disabled in the left menu when they were not.
- Fixed docker login to private registries.
- Fixed a bug where Docker Desktop fails to start the Kubernetes cluster if the current cluster metadata is not accumulated in the .kube/config file.
For Mac
- The minimum version required to install or update Docker Desktop on macOS is now 10.15.
- After applying an update Docker Desktop didn't restart. This was a bug and fixed.
- Fixed a bug that caused the connection to Docker to be lost when the computer sleeps if a user is using virtualization.
- Disabled both Virtualization Framework and VirtioFS for users running macOS < 12.5
For Windows
Fixed a bug where versions displayed during an update could be incorrect. Security
For all platforms
Fix RCE via extension description/changelog which a malicious extension could abuse.
For Windows
Fixed the argument injection to the Docker Desktop installer, which may escalate local privilege.
Docker Desktop 4.9.0
Docker Desktop 4.9.1 is packed with Docker Engine 20.10.16 and Compose 2.6.0. A new release is available for download, and users can update if the existing 4.9.0 version is in the system.
Below are the few notable changes and new features introduced with the 4.9.1 release:
- The new release has added additional guides on the homepage for Elasticsearch, MariaDB, Memcached, MySQL, RabbitMQ, and Ubuntu.
- Added a footer to the Docker Dashboard having general information regarding the Docker Desktop status update and Docker Engine statistics.
- Added below components and Re-designed the containers table:
- Added a button to copy a container ID to the clipboard.
- Added to each container is a pause button.
- Column resizing for each containers table
- Sorting and resizing for the containers table
- Bulk deletion allowed for the containers table
- The docker/disk-usage extension updated to v0.2.4 allows to view disk space used by Docker and recycle disk space in one click.
- Re-designed the Containers tables.
- Resizing columns and bulk delete containers is possible.
- Sorting is also now continued.
- New actions, i.e., to copy the Container ID or pause a container, are feasible.
How to Download and Install Docker Desktop 4.12.0 (Win, macOS, Linux)
Docker Installation on Windows
Note: A 64-bit processor and 4GB system RAM are the hardware prerequisites to run Docker on Windows 10 successfully.
- Double-click on the Docker Desktop Installer.exe to execute the installer.
- Note: Installer (Docker Desktop Installer.exe) is not downloaded; get it from Docker Hub and run it whenever required.
- Enable Hyper-V Windows Feature on the Configuration page after docker is installed.
- Follow the installation process to permit the installer and pause till the process is done.
- After the installation is completed, click Close and restart.
Docker Installation on Linux
Below will explain instructions on installing and updating Docker Desktop for Linux.
System requirements
- To have Docker Desktop installed Linux host successfully should meet the following requirements:
- CPU support for virtualization and 64-bit kernel.
- KVM virtualization support. Check if KVM kernel modules are enabled and access is provided to the KVM device.
- QEMU must be version 5.2 or newer
- At least 4 GB of RAM.
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Installation steps
Download the accurate package for Linux and install it with the related package manager. Supported Platforms are Debian, Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch.
Open the Applications menu in Gnome/KDE Desktop and explorer Docker Desktop.
- Choose Docker Desktop to begin Docker.
- The Docker menu () demonstrates the Docker Subscription Service Agreement window.
- Set the checkbox to accept the updated terms and click Accept to continue. Docker Desktop begins after you accept the terms.
Docker installation on Mac
Below is information about Docker Desktop for Mac system requirements, download URLs, and instructions to install and update Docker Desktop for Mac. Download Docker Desktop for Mac
- Open the installer by double clicking on Docker.dmg. Docker icon to be extracted to the Applications folder.
- Double-click Docker.app found in the Applications folder to start Docker. The application folder is within the grid” view mode.
- The Docker Subscription Service Agreement window is revealed within The Docker menu (). Docker Desktop begins after you accept the terms.
Downloading Docker.dmg, execute the following commands in a terminal to install Docker Desktop
$ sudo hdiutil attach Docker.dmg
$ sudo /Volumes/Docker/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/install
$ sudo hdiutil detach /Volumes/Docker
macOS generally conducts security reviews for the first time an application is used; the install command can take several minutes to execute.
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Rolling Back to a Previous Version of Docker Desktop
Navigate to docker to find a list of all releases with links to download for Windows, macOS, and various Linux distros.
Download the release to roll back the installer. It will prompt you to replace the current version of Docker Desktop with the new one; click yes or no to abort the installation.
Images and volumes that you had previously should still be available after the replacement.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t always work for all versions or operating systems. For example, it would be necessary to uninstall the existing version and install the new one on Windows. It is a bit more inconvenient than replacing the current version since it is required to rebuild the whole image, but in the end, it does let you roll back to an older version!
Checking Docker Desktop and Docker Engine Versions (Win, macOS, Linux)
The Docker engine version can be determined using the command line or GUI (graphical user interface).
Using Command Line
Run the following command on the terminal
docker version
Results can be obtained as follows (besides the Docker engine version, there is some helpful information):
Using GUI
This method is available if Docker Desktop is installed.
In the Docker dashboard, click on the gear icon to go to the Settings area:
The version number can be viewed by selecting Docker Engine from the left-hand sidebar
For Mac Users
Click on Docker Desktop and select About Docker Desktop from the drop-down menu:
The version of your Docker Desktop app will show up within a dialog window.
For Windows Users
Right-click on the Docker icon from the system tray
Select About Docker Desktop from the menu:
Notes on Earlier Docker Desktop Versions
Following are the notes for the earlier docker desktop versions
Docker Desktop 4.10.0
- Environment variables can be added before operating an image in Docker Desktop.
- Features added to work with a container’s logs, such as regular expression search and the ability to clear container logs while the container is still running.
- Implemented feedback on the containers table.
- Added two new extensions, Ddosify and Lacework, to the Extensions Marketplace
Docker Desktop 4.9.0
- Added additional directions on the homepage for Elasticsearch, MariaDB, Memcached, MySQL, RabbitMQ, and Ubuntu.
- Added a footer to the Docker Dashboard with general information about the Docker Desktop update status and Docker Engine statistics
- Re-designed the containers table by adding a button to copy a container ID to the clipboard, a pause button for each container, Column resizing for the containers table, Persistence of sorting and resizing for the containers table, Bulk deletion for the containers table
Docker Desktop 4.8.0
- Docker Desktop for Linux was released.
- Docker Extensions and Extensions SDK (beta versions) was released.
- Docker Homepage, where you can run popular images and discover how to use them, was created.
- Compose V2 is now GA
Docker Desktop 4.7.0
- IT Administrators can easily install Docker Desktop remotely utilizing the command line.
- Added Docker Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) CLI plugin.
- For all platforms: Registry Access Management policy bug would never get refreshed after a failure. Login feedback has improved.
- For Mac: An issue that caused Docker Desktop to portray a blank white screen has been fixed.
- For Windows: Fixed volume title. A bug in the WSL 2 integration that caused Docker commands to stop working after restarting Docker Desktop or switching to Windows containers has been fixed.
Docker Desktop 4.6.0
- For all platforms: Fixed issue that could help attackers to alter files in container images on the host from inside a container
- For Windows: Fixed an issue that allowed an attacker to overwrite any administrator writable file on the system during the installation or the update of Docker Desktop.
New
- For all platforms: The Docker Dashboard Volume Management feature now offers the ability to clean up volumes using multi-select checkboxes efficiently.
- For Mac: Docker Desktop allows macOS users to enable a new experimental file-sharing technology called VirtioFS.
Docker Desktop 4.5.0
Security:
- For Mac: It fixed an issue where Docker Desktop is used to access any user file on the host from a container, bypassing the permitted list of shared folders.
- For Windows: It Fixed an issue where Docker Desktop permits assailants to push or move arbitrary files.
- New: Introduces the latest version of the Docker menu, creating a consistent user experience across all operating systems. The ‘docker version’ displays the version of the Docker Desktop installed on the machine.
Docker Desktop 4.4.0
For Windows: Fixed login issues in from WSL 2
Docker Desktop 4.3.0
- For all platforms: Added a self-diagnose notification if the host lacks Internet connectivity.
- For Mac: Docker Desktop on Apple silicon no longer requires Rosetta 2, except for three optional command line tools.
- For Windows: It fixed an issue causing Docker Desktop to fail during startup if the home directory path contains a character used in regular expressions.
Docker Desktop 4.2.0
- Pause/Resume: It is now possible to pause the Docker Desktop session when not actively used, saving CPU resources on your machine.
- Software Updates: Integrated option to turn off the automatic check for updates is available for users on all Docker subscriptions, including Docker Personal and Docker Pro.
- Window management: The Docker Dashboard window size and position endure when you close and reopen Docker Desktop. Fixed Docker Desktop as it sometimes hung when clicking Exit in the fatal error dialog.
- Mac: Fixed issue that caused Docker Desktop to stop reacting upon clicking Exit on the fatal error dialog.
Docker Desktop 4.1.0
Docket had a few enhancement integrated as follows:
- Software Updates: The Software Updates section informs you about new updates and permits you to download, update or view information on what’s included in the more recent version.
- Compose V2 Select to use Docker Compose V2 in the General settings.
- Volume Management: Volume management is open for users on any subscription, including Docker Personal.
For Windows
Rectified bug associated with anti-malware software triggering; self-diagnose avoids calling the net.exe utility.
Docker Desktop 4.0.0
- Docker announced updates and extensions to the product subscriptions to increase productivity and collaboration and added security for our developers and businesses.
- Docker Desktop stays free for small businesses, personal use, education, and non-commercial open-source projects.
- It demands a paid subscription (Pro, Team, or Business), for as little as $5 a month, for professional use in larger enterprises.
- Docker was released for Mac and windows.
Summary
Docker Desktop is an easy-to-install application on Mac or Windows that helps you build and share containerized applications and microservices. It delivers a simple interface that handles containers, applications, and images directly from the machine without including the CLI to perform core actions. Docker Desktop operates with the choice of development tools and languages and delivers a vast library of certified images and templates in Docker Hub.
