The Tool Desk
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Check your Raspberry Pi OS and CPU architecture first
Docker publishes different installation instructions for 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS and 64-bit ARM systems. Choosing the wrong repository can leave apt unable to find packages or, worse, install packages that cannot run on the board.
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Identify the kernel architecture
Run these commands on the Pi:
uname -m
getconf LONG_BIT
cat /etc/os-releaseaarch64normally indicates a 64-bit ARM user space. Use Docker’s Debian arm64 instructions, even when the distribution identifies itself as Raspberry Pi OS.armv7lnormally indicates 32-bit ARMv7. Use Docker’s Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian armhf instructions.armv6lidentifies ARMv6 hardware. Official Docker packages do not support Raspberry Pi 1 models or Raspberry Pi Zero and Zero W devices based on ARMv6.
getconf LONG_BIT confirms whether the installed user space is 32 or 64 bit. A 64-bit-capable board running a 32-bit OS still needs the 32-bit instructions until you reinstall a 64-bit operating system.
Understand the 32-bit support cutoff
Docker Engine 28 is the last major release with official packages for 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS (armhf). Engine 29 no longer provides official Raspbian 32-bit packages. Debian armhf packages in the Engine 29 release target ARMv7 and will not run on ARMv6. Do not assume that every Raspberry Pi model, or every 32-bit installation, has the same support status.
| Pi software or hardware condition | Installation route | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS or another 64-bit Debian-based ARM system | Docker’s Debian arm64 repository instructions | Confirm that the release is one supported by Docker’s current Debian documentation. |
| 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS on ARMv7 hardware | Docker’s Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian armhf repository instructions | Engine 28 is the final major line with official 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS packages. |
| ARMv6 Raspberry Pi 1, Pi Zero or Pi Zero W | No official Docker package route | Docker identifies these devices as unsupported by its official packages. |
Architecture is a property of the installed operating system as well as the board. For example, a newer Pi capable of 64-bit execution still presents an armhf user space when booted from a 32-bit image. Check both values before adding a repository, and keep the output with your system notes so a later package change can be audited.
Install Docker Engine and the Compose plugin from apt
The repository method installs Docker Engine, the command-line client, containerd, Buildx and the Compose plugin as a coordinated set. It also gives apt a route for future package updates.
Use the repository page for your exact platform
Open Docker’s current installation page for either Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit armhf) or Debian (64-bit arm64). Follow that page’s commands to add Docker’s signing key and the repository that matches your release and architecture. Do not copy a Raspbian repository definition onto a 64-bit installation, or a Debian arm64 definition onto a 32-bit one. Repository names and supported releases can change, so the current Docker page is the authority for the exact stanza.
After the repository is configured, refresh apt and install the Engine packages plus the Compose plugin:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-pluginIf apt reports that one of these packages has no installation candidate, stop and recheck the OS release, architecture and repository configuration rather than substituting packages from an unrelated architecture. On 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS, package availability is also constrained by the Engine 28 cutoff.
Start and verify the Docker service
Check that the daemon is running and perform Docker’s basic test:
sudo systemctl status docker
sudo docker run hello-worldThe test downloads a small image and prints a success message when the client can reach the daemon and the daemon can create a container. A failed test is an Engine or networking problem, not a Compose problem. If the service is inactive, resolve the systemd or storage error first; installing Compose cannot repair a stopped daemon.
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Verify Compose as a plugin
The current command is space-separated:
docker compose versionThis should print the installed Compose version. The hyphenated docker-compose command belongs to the older standalone implementation and is not the command installed by docker-compose-plugin. Use docker compose in new instructions and scripts unless a project explicitly requires the legacy tool.
Run Docker as a non-root user only after considering the access
Docker commands require sudo by default. Docker documents a Linux post-installation procedure that can allow a non-root account to invoke Docker commands. Read that procedure and its security implications before enabling it: access to the Docker daemon is highly privileged. Until you have made that deliberate choice, keep using sudo docker and sudo docker compose. If you do change the account setup, test a new login session and document which users can control the daemon.
Keep the Docker Engine and Compose plugin current
Host-package maintenance updates Docker itself, not the application images named by a Compose project. Schedule it separately from service updates and record which package versions were installed.
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Use apt for repository-installed components
When you are ready to update the host, refresh package metadata and apply available updates through the Docker repository:
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sudo apt-get install --only-upgrade docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-pluginYour distribution may also offer broader security updates through its normal upgrade process. Review the transaction before accepting it, especially on a Pi that runs storage, networking or home-automation services. Restarting Docker or changing its package versions can interrupt containers, so perform host maintenance during a planned window. Afterward, repeat docker version and docker compose version and check that the daemon returned to an active state.
Why manual plugin installation needs extra work
Docker offers a manual Compose plugin installation for users who need to select a particular binary version or cannot use the repository. Docker’s Linux instructions warn: “Manual installations don’t auto-update.” A manually installed plugin therefore requires you to track releases, replace the binary and verify its version yourself. The apt package is the more maintainable choice when your OS and architecture match Docker’s repository.
| Method | How updates work | Appropriate when |
|---|---|---|
| Docker apt repository | Engine and Compose plugin updates are delivered through apt after apt-get update. |
Your Raspberry Pi OS/Debian release and architecture are supported. |
| Manual Compose plugin binary | No automatic update; you select, replace and verify the binary yourself. | You deliberately need a manually pinned plugin version or cannot use the repository. |
Do not confuse a newer Compose client with newer service software. Updating the plugin changes how Compose interprets and applies project files; it does not silently download replacement application images.
Update the images used by a Compose project
A Compose project has its own lifecycle. Work from the directory containing compose.yaml, compose.yml or the project’s explicitly selected Compose file.
1. Review the configuration and image tags
Before downloading anything, inspect each service’s image: value, registry, tag and any bind mounts or published ports. Prefer an explicit, tested version tag for important services. A floating tag such as latest can change without a reviewable version number; Docker’s documentation does not promise that it is safe or interruption-free.
Back up the Compose file and any environment file that supplies variables. Keep the currently deployed tag or image digest so that you can return to it if the new image fails. Read the application maintainer’s release notes as well; a container image can require a changed environment variable, volume layout or migration even when the Compose syntax is unchanged.
2. Pull the declared service images
sudo docker compose pullThe Compose pull command downloads the images configured for the project. It does not, by itself, replace running containers or change the host’s Docker Engine package. If a registry requires authentication, log in using the project’s documented procedure and verify that the Pi has enough storage for the new layers before pulling.
3. Reconcile the project and start the services
sudo docker compose up -dup creates containers that do not exist and starts them according to the Compose configuration. When an image or relevant setting changed, Compose may recreate the affected container. The -d option leaves the services running in the background. If your project uses a non-default file, include the same file-selection option you use in normal operation.
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sudo docker compose ps
sudo docker compose logsUse ps to confirm that expected services are running. Read the logs for startup errors, failed health checks, migration messages and binding conflicts. For a single service, add its service name to the logs command; for a bounded review, add the Compose options your project already uses to limit or follow output.
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5. Validate the service itself
Compose reporting a running container does not prove that the application is healthy. Connect to the service through its normal local client or web endpoint, verify that data and persistent volumes are present, and exercise the critical operation your users depend on. Keep the previous image tag and configuration available until this check succeeds.
Plan a rollback before you update
An image update can introduce a configuration change, a database migration or an architecture mismatch. A practical rollback plan contains the previous Compose file, environment values and image reference, plus a backup appropriate to the service’s data.
- Record the currently running image tags or digests and commit or copy the Compose configuration.
- Pull the replacement image and apply it during a maintenance window.
- Check
docker compose ps, logs and the service’s own functionality. - If the service fails, restore the previous configuration and image reference, run
sudo docker compose pullfor that older reference, then runsudo docker compose up -d. - Investigate data migrations separately. Reverting an image does not automatically undo a database schema change.
Because Compose may recreate containers, clients can see a brief interruption. The documented commands provide an update workflow, not a zero-downtime guarantee. High-availability behavior requires an architecture designed for it and is not supplied automatically by a single Raspberry Pi.
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Secure published ports and Docker’s firewall behavior
Publishing a port in Compose exposes a host port to the network interfaces covered by that mapping. Docker warns that published container ports can bypass rules managed with common ufw or firewalld configurations. Treat every ports: entry as an exposure decision, not merely an application setting.
- Bind services only to the interface or address that needs access when the application supports that form of mapping.
- Review router forwarding and the Pi’s reachable networks before exposing an administrative service.
- Use Docker’s documented
DOCKER-USERchain when you need filtering rules that apply before container-specific forwarding. - Docker supports firewall rules managed through
iptables-nftandiptables-legacy; it does not support rules created directly withnftin the same way. Do not assume a rule visible in a direct-nft ruleset controls a published Docker port.
After changing a Compose file, re-read its port mappings and test from the networks that should and should not be able to connect. A service that works locally may still be unintentionally reachable on the LAN or the internet. Keep management interfaces private unless remote access is an explicit requirement, and avoid treating a host firewall’s default policy as proof that a published container port is blocked.
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“Package docker-compose-plugin has no installation candidate”
- Run
uname -mandgetconf LONG_BITagain. - Confirm that you followed the Docker page for Debian arm64 or Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian armhf, rather than mixing repository definitions.
- Check whether your 32-bit system is affected by the Engine 28 final-release limit.
- Run
sudo apt-get updateand inspect repository errors before retrying installation.
“docker compose” is not recognized
Verify that docker-compose-plugin is installed and run docker compose version again. Installing an old standalone docker-compose binary does not install the plugin-style command. If the package is present but the command is missing, check that you are invoking the same Docker CLI that apt installed.
The Docker daemon is unavailable
Check sudo systemctl status docker, then inspect the service log with your distribution’s systemd journal command. Resolve daemon startup or storage errors before troubleshooting Compose; Compose cannot operate without a functioning Engine.
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A pulled image will not start on the Pi
Check the image’s published architecture and the Pi’s architecture. ARMv6 devices are not supported by Docker’s official packages, and an image built only for another CPU architecture cannot run natively on an ARM Pi. Review the image tag, logs and any platform declaration in the project rather than repeatedly recreating the container.
A service disappeared after up
Compare the Compose file used for the update with the one used previously, including profiles, project-directory options and environment files. Then run sudo docker compose ps and inspect logs. A different file or profile can legitimately define a different set of services.
The update filled the Pi’s storage
Do not delete volumes or application data as a first response. Identify which images, containers and volumes are in use, preserve the rollback image and backup, then remove only unused objects according to Docker’s documented cleanup commands. Storage pressure can also prevent a new container from starting even when the image pull completed successfully.
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A repeatable maintenance routine
For a small Pi server, this sequence keeps host and application maintenance distinct:
- Check the current Docker and Compose versions with
docker versionanddocker compose version. - Apply host package updates through apt when you have a maintenance window.
- Back up the Compose configuration, environment values and application data required for recovery.
- Review image tags and release notes supplied by each application project.
- Run
sudo docker compose pullin the project directory. - Run
sudo docker compose up -dto reconcile the services. - Check
sudo docker compose ps, logs and real application behavior. - Record the deployed image references and retain the previous working configuration until validation is complete.
This routine gives you a clear distinction between updating the Docker machinery on the Raspberry Pi and updating the containers that provide your applications. It also makes an interrupted or unsuccessful deployment recoverable instead of turning every image refresh into an untracked change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same Docker installation commands on every Raspberry Pi?
No. Match the instructions to the installed OS and architecture. Docker provides Raspberry Pi OS/Raspbian armhf instructions for supported 32-bit ARMv7 systems and Debian arm64 instructions for 64-bit ARM. ARMv6 Pi 1 and Pi Zero-family devices are not supported by Docker’s official packages.
What is the newest Docker Engine line for 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS?
Engine 28 is the last major release with official 32-bit Raspberry Pi OS packages. Engine 29 no longer provides official Raspbian 32-bit packages, so plan a supported 64-bit operating-system migration or another platform rather than assuming the repository will continue indefinitely.
Is docker-compose different from docker compose?
Yes. docker compose is the current Docker CLI plugin command installed by docker-compose-plugin. The hyphenated command refers to the older standalone implementation and is not what the plugin package installs.
Does docker compose pull update my running containers?
No. It downloads the images declared by the Compose project. Run docker compose up -d afterward to create or recreate containers from the updated images and configuration, then inspect status, logs and the application itself.
Should I use the latest image tag for automatic updates?
Use an explicit, tested tag for important services. A floating tag can change without a reviewable version number, and Docker does not promise that an update is safe or interruption-free. Keep the previous tag or digest so you can roll back.
Will updating Docker or a Compose image avoid downtime?
No guarantee is provided. Package changes, container recreation and application migrations can interrupt service. Use a maintenance window, validate the result and keep backups and the previous configuration available.
Why can a published port bypass my firewall?
Docker warns that published container ports can bypass rules managed by common ufw or firewalld configurations. Review each Compose port mapping, bind only where needed, and use Docker’s documented DOCKER-USER chain for relevant filtering. Docker supports iptables-nft and iptables-legacy, not direct nft rules in the same way.
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No. Docker’s Linux instructions state that manual installations do not auto-update. You must track releases, replace the plugin binary and verify its version yourself. The repository package is easier to maintain when your platform is supported.
The Bottom Line
Use Docker’s repository instructions that match the Pi’s OS and architecture, install docker-compose-plugin with the Engine packages, and verify with docker compose version. Maintain the host through apt, update project images separately with docker compose pull followed by docker compose up -d, and always review ports, logs, backups and rollback references before declaring the update complete.
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