I'm working on setting up an old laptop with Linux to dabble in Docker for my job, as there's potential for growth in my role, and I really enjoy learning this stuff. I was thinking of using a lightweight Linux distro like EndeavourOS with the XFCE desktop. However, I need the Docker environment to run Ubuntu 20.04 since that's what my company uses. Would this be an inefficient approach? Should I just install Ubuntu 20.04 directly and have Docker reference the main OS instead? I'm not too familiar with the terminology, so any help would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
You really don’t need a GUI if the laptop has limited resources. I usually install XFCE with a VNC service, so I can access it remotely if needed, but I keep it off most of the time. Most tasks can be done through the command line, and you can SSH into it from other devices for access.
I recommend sticking with a well-supported distro like Debian or Ubuntu for running Docker. You definitely want to avoid Docker Desktop on Linux; instead, go with Docker Engine and Compose. If you choose Ubuntu, make sure you don't install Docker through snap but follow the official installation guide. Also, consider whether you really need a desktop environment since Docker is mainly a command-line tool—it's common to run it headless and access via SSH instead.
Thanks for the advice! So sticking with Ubuntu seems best as it aligns with my work setup. I still want to run a web browser and maybe Discord (or just the web version) for work meetings on the go. Would I still need a desktop environment for that?
You might not need a full GUI for that. You can usually run browsers without a desktop environment, but having one can make it easier if you want a more comfortable interface. You can always experiment!
The host operating system isn’t a huge deal since containers are pretty flexible. You can run any distro you like; just focus on what works best for you!
This sounds like a cool option, but I’m a bit new to this. Do you have any guides for remote access setups that could help me in the future?