Install Docker on your VPS

Docker works on any KVM VPS with root access.

Install with the official script

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Read what a script does before running it; the alternative is Docker's apt repository instructions.

Use it without sudo

usermod -aG docker deploy

Log out and back in for the group change to apply.

Verify

docker run --rm hello-world
docker compose version

Run something real

docker run -d --name web -p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 --restart unless-stopped nginx

--restart unless-stopped brings it back after a reboot.

Housekeeping

docker ps -a          # containers
docker system df      # disk usage
docker system prune   # remove unused data (asks first)

Also read Set up a firewall with UFW about how Docker interacts with the firewall.