To create a Docker container on a Linux VPS, install Docker Engine, obtain an image, create and start a container, publish the application port, and verify that it is running. The shortest working example on a VPS is sudo docker run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginx. It creates a container from the nginx image, runs it in the background, and maps port 8080 on the VPS to port 80 in the container.
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What you need before creating a container
A container is not created directly by the Linux VPS provider. Docker Engine must already be installed and its daemon must be available on the server. Docker then uses an image, such as nginx, as the read-only starting point for a container and adds a writable container layer above it.
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- A Linux VPS with shell access: Connect over SSH with an account that can run commands through
sudo, or use an account with the permissions required by your Docker installation. - Docker Engine: On Ubuntu, use Docker’s official apt repository and installation instructions rather than relying on an unrelated package source.
- A container image: The examples use
nginxand Docker’sdocker/welcome-to-dockerimage. - A network plan: Decide which VPS port should receive traffic and which port the application listens on inside the container.
Remove unofficial or conflicting packages before installing Engine. Docker’s Ubuntu guidance specifically calls out packages such as docker.io and docker-compose. Leaving conflicting packages installed can result in a different Docker implementation, mismatched commands, or a daemon that does not behave as expected.
Install Docker Engine on an Ubuntu VPS
1. Remove conflicting packages
Before installing Docker Engine, remove conflicting packages identified by Docker’s Ubuntu instructions, including docker.io and docker-compose when they are present. The exact removal command depends on the Ubuntu release and the packages currently installed, so follow the current official Ubuntu installation page for the supported command sequence.
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2. Configure Docker’s official apt repository
Use Docker’s official apt repository and its current key and repository setup for your Ubuntu release. Repository instructions change as supported Ubuntu versions change; copying an old blog post can install an obsolete package or point apt at the wrong release.
3. Install Engine and confirm the CLI is available
Complete the official Engine installation, then run a harmless Docker command such as docker ps. An empty result is normal on a new host: it means the client can communicate with the daemon and there are no running containers. If the shell reports that docker is not found, or the client cannot reach the daemon, finish the Engine installation before trying to create a container.
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docker create versus docker run
The two commands are related but are not interchangeable in a workflow. docker create prepares a container without starting it. docker start starts that existing stopped container. docker run performs creation and startup in one operation.
| Command | What it does | When to use it | What happens next |
|---|---|---|---|
docker create |
Creates a writable container from an image and configures its command, name, ports, and other options. | When you want to prepare a container first and start it later. | The container remains stopped until you run docker start NAME. |
docker start |
Starts an existing stopped container. | When the container was created earlier or stopped temporarily. | The same container and its configured settings are used again. |
docker run |
Combines container creation and startup. | For the normal one-command deployment path. | The new container starts immediately; with -d, the command returns to your shell. |
A common mistake is running docker create and then checking only running containers. The container exists, but it will not appear in docker ps until it has been started. Use docker ps -a to include stopped and never-started containers.
Create a container first, then start it
This two-step pattern makes the distinction between configuration and execution explicit:
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- Create the container:
sudo docker create --name web -p 8080:80 nginx - Start the container:
sudo docker start web - Check its state:
sudo docker ps -a
The first command creates a container named web from the nginx image. The --name web option gives it a stable, human-readable name instead of a randomly generated one. The -p 8080:80 option records a port mapping from port 8080 on the VPS to port 80 in the container.
The second command starts the already-created container. Starting by name is useful when a deployment process separates provisioning from activation, or when you intentionally want to inspect a container’s configuration before allowing its main process to run.
The final command lists all containers. A running container has a running status; a container created but not started appears as stopped or created, depending on the Docker state shown by the CLI.
Create and start it in one command
For most small VPS deployments, docker run is simpler:
sudo docker run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginxEach option has a separate job:
sudo docker runcreates a new container and starts it.-dor--detachruns the container in the background and returns control of the terminal.--name webassigns the nameweb, which you can use in later Docker commands.-p 8080:80publishes host port 8080 and forwards it to container port 80.nginxis the image from which the container is created.
After the command completes, verify the result:
sudo docker ps -aIf the container is running, the published port should be shown in the listing. If it is stopped, the process inside the container has exited or startup failed; the container itself still exists and can be inspected with the same all-containers listing.
Use Docker’s official getting-started image
Docker’s run reference uses this example:
sudo docker run --detach --name welcome --publish 8080:80 docker/welcome-to-dockerIt is equivalent in purpose to the shorter form: it runs in the background, names the container welcome, and publishes the service on port 8080 of the VPS. The long options make the command easier to read in documentation and deployment notes: --detach means the same as -d, and --publish means the same as -p.
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Do not run both examples with the same name and host port at the same time. Container names must be unique, and two containers cannot normally claim the same host port. Choose one image, or choose a different name and host port for the second container.
Understand port publishing on a VPS
Host port versus container port
The syntax is -p HOST_PORT:CONTAINER_PORT. In -p 8080:80, clients connect to port 8080 on the VPS, while the application inside the container receives traffic on port 80. The numbers do not have to match; -p 9000:80 would expose the same container service through port 9000 on the host.
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Publishing a port does not change the application inside the image. It creates the forwarding rule that makes a container port reachable through the VPS network interface.
Default network exposure
When no host IP is supplied, Docker publishes the port on all interfaces by default, represented by 0.0.0.0. On a public VPS, that can make the service reachable from the internet if the provider’s network rules and the host firewall permit it. Treat every published port as an exposure decision, not merely a local convenience.
Before starting a public service, check the VPS firewall and any cloud-provider firewall. Allow only the ports that should be reachable. If the service is intended only for local software or an administrative tunnel, configure an appropriate host-IP binding instead of accepting the all-interface default; the exact binding should match your network design.
Publishing all exposed ports
-P or --publish-all publishes only ports that the image declares with Dockerfile EXPOSE or that are supplied with --expose. It does not publish every port a process might happen to open, and it does not let you choose a stable host port in the same explicit way as -p HOST_PORT:CONTAINER_PORT. Use explicit -p mappings when clients need a known VPS port.
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Verify that the container is usable
Check running containers
sudo docker psdocker ps shows running containers. Confirm that the expected name, image, status, and port mapping are present.
Include stopped containers
sudo docker ps -aUse the -a option whenever a container is missing from the running list. It distinguishes several common situations: the container was never started, it started and then exited, or it is currently running but you are looking at an incomplete command result.
Test the service from the VPS
For the examples above, the intended endpoint is the VPS on port 8080. A browser or HTTP client should target the server’s address and that port, subject to the VPS firewall and any upstream security group. If the service is not reachable, check the Docker listing first, then confirm that the host port is allowed by the firewall. A correct container does not override a blocked network path.
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Why a detached container may stop
A detached container is not a virtual machine that stays alive independently of its workload. It remains running while its root process is running. When that root process exits, the container exits as well. This behavior matters when an image is designed for a short command rather than a long-lived service.
For a web container, the image must start its web server as the container’s main process. If that process terminates because of a configuration error or another failure, docker ps will no longer show the container, while docker ps -a will still show it. The presence of a container record therefore proves that creation succeeded, not that the service is currently healthy.
The --rm option can remove a container automatically after its root process exits. That can keep short-lived test containers tidy, but it also removes the stopped container record that would otherwise help you investigate an exit. For a first deployment, omitting --rm leaves the container available in docker ps -a while you troubleshoot.
Troubleshoot the most common creation failures
“Docker command not found”
Docker Engine is not installed, or the shell cannot see the installed CLI. Return to the official Ubuntu installation process, remove conflicting packages, configure the official apt repository, and complete the Engine installation before running the container commands.
Permission denied when talking to Docker
The current account does not have permission to access the Docker daemon. Run the command with sudo, as in the examples, or ask the VPS administrator to configure an approved non-root Docker access method.
The name is already in use
Docker names identify individual containers. If web already exists, create the new container with another name, or start the existing one with sudo docker start web. Do not assume that repeating docker run --name web ... will replace the original container; it attempts to create another container with a duplicate name.
The host port is already allocated
Another service or container is using the selected VPS port. Choose an unused host port and keep the container port unchanged, or stop the conflicting service after confirming that doing so is safe. The mapping can be changed only when creating the container, so a new container may be required for a different publication rule.
The container appears in ps -a but not in ps
It is not running. If you used docker create, start it explicitly with sudo docker start NAME. If you used docker run -d, the root process may have exited. Check the image’s expected startup behavior and the container’s status before changing network settings.
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Check three separate layers: the container is running, the mapping uses the intended host and container ports, and the VPS or provider firewall allows the host port. Because an unspecified host IP publishes on all interfaces, a failure caused by an overly restrictive firewall is different from an accidental public exposure caused by an overly broad rule.
A repeatable deployment checklist
- Connect to the Linux VPS and confirm that your account can use
sudo. - Remove conflicting packages such as
docker.ioanddocker-composewhen present. - Install Docker Engine from Docker’s official apt repository for the Ubuntu release on the VPS.
- Run
sudo docker psto confirm that the CLI can reach the daemon. - Choose the image and identify the port the application listens on inside the container.
- Choose a unique container name and an available VPS host port.
- Use
docker createfollowed bydocker startwhen you want separate preparation and activation, or usedocker run -dfor a one-command deployment. - Review the exposure implied by
-p; without a host IP, Docker binds the published port on all interfaces. - Run
sudo docker ps -aand confirm that the expected container state and mapping are present. - Test the service through the VPS address and host port, then adjust firewall rules only as needed.
Which command should you use?
Choose docker run when the image, name, and port mapping are known and you want the usual create-and-start workflow. It reduces the chance of forgetting the separate docker start step.
Choose docker create followed by docker start when provisioning and activation are separate operational stages, when another person or process must review the configuration, or when you want to demonstrate exactly when a container begins executing its root process.
Whichever path you choose, the reliable verification loop is the same: start the container, run docker ps to see active containers, and fall back to docker ps -a whenever a container is absent or has stopped. That distinction—created, running, or exited—prevents most first-deployment confusion on a Linux VPS.
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