I'm new to Docker and running Linux Mint on a laptop with only 30 GB of storage. Linux and Docker currently use about 17 GB, and opening Docker Desktop creates a large docker.raw file—roughly 28 GB—which consumes enough space to crash the system. Is there a terminal command or configuration file I can use to reduce Docker Desktop's allocated disk size without launching the graphical application? If not, would switching from Docker Desktop to the native Docker Engine be a better option?
2 Answers
The main issue isn’t just the raw file’s configured limit; Docker Desktop is using a VM on top of Linux. With only 30 GB of storage, that extra layer can be a poor fit. Removing Docker Desktop and installing Docker Engine directly should give you much more control over disk usage and avoid needing to open the Desktop application at all.
On Linux, Docker Desktop runs containers inside its own virtual machine, which is why it creates the docker.raw disk image and uses extra resources. You generally don’t need Docker Desktop there—install and run Docker Engine directly on the host instead. That avoids the large Desktop VM image. If you still want a web interface, Portainer is an option that can sit on top of the regular Docker Engine.
That makes sense. I’ll look into using Portainer with the native Docker Engine instead.
I was already using Linux Mint, so I’ll try replacing Docker Desktop with the native engine rather than increasing or shrinking the VM allocation.