Deploy a Docker Host with Quick Start in InMotion Central

Introduction

Docker lets you run applications in containers, so you can start a database, a web app, or a whole set of services with one command. Before you can do that, you need a server with Docker installed, the Docker service running, and Docker Compose ready for multi-container apps.

The Docker Host Quick Start template in InMotion Central sets all of that up at first boot. It launches an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server on your private network, gives it a public IP address, installs Docker and Docker Compose, and opens HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) for the containers you publish.

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to deploy a Docker host, confirm Docker is working, and check the versions that were installed.

Steps to Deploy the Docker Host Template

1. Open Quick Start in Your Cloud Project

1. Log in to InMotion Central and select Projects from the left navigation bar.
2. Open your cloud project and click Quick Start in the project sidebar.
3. Locate the Docker Host template card and click Deploy.

2. Configure Your Deployment Settings

In the Deploy Docker Host dialog, review or customize the settings:

Basic

• Stack name: Enter a name for this deployment (for example, docker-host). Use letters, numbers, dots, underscores, or hyphens.
• Server name: Enter a hostname for the new server (defaults to docker-1).
• Image: Choose Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.
• Flavor: Choose the server size (vCPU, RAM, and NVMe storage) that fits your workload.

Networking

• Public network: Keep External selected. This is the network your public IP address comes from.
• If your project already has a private network, select it from the Private network dropdown.
• If your project does not have a private network yet, InMotion Central offers to create a Private Network + Router deployment first, using the prefilled subnet (192.168.10.0/24) and DNS servers (1.1.1.1, 8.8.8.8).

SSH

• SSH key: Select an existing SSH key, click Generate New Key, or click Paste Public Key. You need a key to sign in to the server.
• SSH whitelist: Confirm the comma-separated IP addresses or CIDR ranges allowed on port 22 (prefilled with your current public IP address). Leave this field empty if you want port 22 closed.

3. Launch and Monitor Your Deployment

1. Click Deploy (or Create Network And Deploy if you are creating a private network at the same time).
2. Scroll down to My Deployments at the bottom of the Quick Start page to track progress.
3. Wait a few minutes while the server boots and installs Docker. When setup finishes, the Status column for docker-host changes to CREATE_COMPLETE.

4. Copy Your Server's Public IP Address

1. Next to your docker-host deployment under My Deployments, click Outputs.
2. Copy the floating_ip value. This is your server's public floating IP address.

How to Know the Installation Was Successful

Once your deployment status reaches CREATE_COMPLETE, sign in to the server and run a test container:

If you attached an SSH key and whitelisted your IP address during setup, connect to the server as the ubuntu user:

1$ ssh ubuntu@<floating_ip>
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Run Docker's test container

1$ sudo docker run --rm hello-world
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Docker downloads a small test image and runs it. The output includes:

Hello from Docker!
This message shows that your installation appears to be working correctly.

This confirms that the Docker service is running and the server can download images from Docker Hub.

What Was Automatically Installed

Running version and service checks on our test deployment confirmed everything configured at first boot:

Check the Ubuntu version installed

1$ lsb_release -ds
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Ubuntu 24.04.3 LTS

Check the version of Docker installed

1$ docker --version
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Docker version 29.1.3, build 29.1.3-0ubuntu3~24.04.2

Check the version of Docker Compose installed

1$ docker-compose --version
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docker-compose version 1.29.2, build unknown

Check that Docker is running

1$ systemctl is-active docker
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active

Docker is set to start automatically whenever the server restarts. Run Docker commands with sudo, or add the ubuntu user to the docker group (sudo usermod -aG docker ubuntu, then sign out and back in) to run them without sudo.

Ports 80 and 443 are already open, so a container you publish on either port (for example, sudo docker run -d -p 80:80 nginx) is reachable at http://<floating_ip>.