A detailed guide on installing Portainer Docker UI Web Interface on Debian

Introduction

Debian is a popular Linux distribution known for its stability and reliability. One of the greatest advantages of Debian is its package management system, which allows users to easily install and manage software on their systems. In this article, we will explore how to install the Portainer Docker UI Web Interface on Debian, providing you with a powerful tool to manage your Docker containers with ease.

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the installation process, let’s make sure we have everything we need to get started:
1) Debian version 9 or newer
2) A physical or virtual server with 4GB RAM, a dual core processor and 50GB of free disk space
3) For cloud deployment a public static IP and a fully qualified domain name may also be needed
4) An SSH client such as Putty
5) Full root or sudo access to the server

Docker installation

To install Portainer, we need Docker to be installed on our system. If you haven’t installed Docker yet, follow these steps: Update the package list:

sudo apt update

Install some necessary packages that let apt use packages over HTTPS:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common

Add the GPG key for the official Docker repository:

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

Add the Docker repository to APT sources:

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Update the package lists again:

sudo apt update

Install Docker:

sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Start and enable Docker to run on system boot:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Now that we have Docker up and running, let’s move on to installing Portainer.

Installing Portainer

Portainer provides an intuitive web interface to manage your Docker containers. Follow the steps below to install Portainer on your Debian system: Pull the Portainer image from the Docker registry:

sudo docker pull portainer/portainer-ce

Create a Docker volume to persist Portainer data:

sudo docker volume create portainer_data

Start the Portainer container:

sudo docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9000:9000 --name=portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce

Once the installation process is complete, you can access the Portainer web interface through your browser by entering your server’s IP address followed by port 9000 (e.g., http://your_server_ip:9000).

Using Portainer

Now that Portainer is up and running on your Debian system, let’s explore some of its key features and functionalities.

Logging in to Portainer

Open your preferred web browser. Enter the IP address of your Debian server followed by port 9000 (e.g., http://your_server_ip:9000). You will be greeted with the Portainer login page. Create an admin account by providing the required details. Once you have created your admin account, log in using your credentials.

Managing Docker Containers

Portainer allows you to manage your Docker containers through its user-friendly interface. Here are some basic tasks you can perform:

1)Creating a Container:
Click on the “Create Container” button and fill in the necessary details such as the container name, image, ports, and volumes. Click “Create” to create the container.

2)Starting a Container:
Click on the “Containers” tab, find the container you want to start, and click on the play button.

3)Stopping a Container:
On the “Containers” tab, locate the container you wish to stop and click on the stop button.

4)Removing a Container:
In the “Containers” tab, find the container you want to remove, click on the three-dot menu, and select “Remove.”

Managing Docker Images and Volumes

In addition to containers, Portainer offers functionalities to manage Docker images and volumes. Here’s how you can perform some common tasks:

Pulling an Image:
On the “Images” tab, click on the “Pull Image” button and provide the image name and tag. Click “Pull” to download the image.

Creating a Volume:
Navigate to the “Volumes” tab, click on the “Create Volume” button, and enter the desired volume name. Adjust the other settings as per your requirements and click “Create.”

Exploring Portainer Settings

Portainer provides various settings that allow you to customize your experience. Some settings worth exploring include:

Endpoint Management:
Portainer allows you to manage multiple Docker endpoints, enabling you to easily switch between different Docker environments.

User and Team Management:
You can create additional user accounts and teams with different access levels and permissions.

Authentication and Security:
Secure your Portainer instance by enabling authentication methods such as OAuth or LDAP and configuring SSL/TLS certificates.

Conclusion

In this detailed guide, we have walked through the process of installing Portainer Docker UI Web Interface on Debian. With Portainer, managing Docker containers, images, and volumes becomes a breeze through its intuitive web interface. Spend less time on the command line and more time focusing on your containerized applications. Happy Dockering!