This guide will help you access your server via SSH and use Docker to manage your applications. Your server comes with Docker and Docker Compose pre-installed.
1. Accessing Your Server (SSH)
To manage Docker, you must log in to your server's terminal.
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For Windows: Open Command Prompt or PowerShell.
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For Mac/Linux: Open the Terminal.
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Command:
ssh root@[Your_Server_IP] -
Password: Use the default VPS password provided in your delivery email.
2. Verifying Docker Status
Once logged in, verify that the Docker service is running correctly.
Check Service Status
systemctl status docker
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Look for "Active: active (running)" in green.
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If it is not running, start it with:
systemctl start docker
Check Running Containers
docker ps
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This lists all active containers. If your server is fresh, this list will be empty.
3. Basic Docker Commands
Use these commands to manage your applications:
| Task | Command |
| List active containers | docker ps |
| List ALL containers (even stopped) | docker ps -a |
| View resource usage (CPU/RAM) | docker stats |
| Stop a container | docker stop [Container_ID] |
| Start a container | docker start [Container_ID] |
| Remove a container | docker rm -f [Container_ID] |
| Check Docker version | docker --version |
4. Troubleshooting Common Issues
Issue: "Cannot connect to the Docker daemon"
If you get an error when running docker commands, the service might be stuck.
Solution: Restart the Docker engine:
systemctl restart docker
Issue: Permission Denied
Ensure you are logged in as the root user. If you are using a different user, you must add sudo before every command (e.g., sudo docker ps).
Issue: Disk Space Full
Docker can consume a lot of space over time with old images. To clean up unused data, run:
docker system prune -af
5. Running Your First Test Container
To confirm everything is working perfectly, try running a simple "Hello World" container:
docker run hello-world
If successful, Docker will download a small test image and display a "Hello from Docker!" message.
Technical Support: If Docker fails to start or commands return system errors, please contact our support team with a copy of the error message.
