How To Deploy & Use Docker Containers on Your VPS

Your VPS has lots of empty space. You want to run multiple applications without conflicts. You need isolated environments that start fast and use fewer resources. Docker containers solve all these problems.

What Are Docker Containers?

Think of your VPS as an apartment building. Without Docker, each application needs its own floor with everything: walls, plumbing, electricity. This wastes space.

Docker containers are like efficient studio apartments. Each one has exactly what it needs. Nothing extra. They share the building’s core systems but stay completely separate from each other.

Here’s what makes containers special:

• They start in 1-2 seconds instead of minutes
• Each container runs independently without conflicts
• You can move containers between servers easily
• Applications always work the same way everywhere
• Resource usage is minimal compared to full virtual machines

Why Use Docker on Your VPS?

You have one VPS. You want to run WordPress, a database, maybe a Node.js app, and a monitoring tool. Without Docker, installing all these creates a mess. Different apps need different versions of PHP, Python, or other dependencies. They conflict with each other.

Docker fixes this:

• Run 10 different applications without version conflicts
• Test new software without breaking your production setup
• Update one app without touching the others
• Delete an app completely with one command
• Scale up resources for busy apps instantly

What You Need Before Starting

Let’s check if you’re ready. You need these basics:

1. A VPS with Modern Specs

Your server needs:

• 1GB RAM minimum (2GB recommended for multiple containers)
• 20GB storage space
• Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, or Debian 11
• Root or sudo access

2. Basic Terminal Skills

You should know how to SSH into your server and run commands. That’s it. Docker handles the complex stuff.

3. 20 Minutes of Time

Installing Docker is quick. Getting your first container running takes even less time.

Installing Docker on Your VPS

Let’s get Docker running. This process is straightforward.

Also See: How To Install Docker and Kubernetes on Your VPS?

Step 1: Connect to Your VPS

Open your terminal and connect:

ssh root@your_vps_ip

Enter your password when prompted.

Step 2: Update Your System

Make sure everything is current:

apt update
apt upgrade -y

This takes a few minutes. Your system downloads updates.

Step 3: Install Docker

Docker provides an official installation script. Download and run it:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sh get-docker.sh

The script installs Docker automatically. It takes 2-3 minutes.

Step 4: Verify Docker Works

Test your installation:

docker --version

You should see something like “Docker version 24.0.7”. If you see this, Docker is installed correctly.

Step 5: Test with a Container

Run your first container:

docker run hello-world

Docker downloads a tiny test image and runs it. You’ll see a welcome message. This confirms everything works.

Understanding Docker Basics

Before running real applications, learn these key concepts:

Images vs Containers

An image is like a recipe. It contains instructions for creating an application environment. A container is the actual running instance created from that recipe.

You download images once. You can create unlimited containers from them.

Docker Hub

Docker Hub is like an app store for container images. Thousands of pre-built images exist for popular software: databases, web servers, development tools, and more.

Basic Docker Commands

• docker ps – See running containers
• docker ps -a – See all containers (including stopped ones)
• docker images – List downloaded images
• docker stop container_name – Stop a running container
• docker rm container_name – Delete a container
• docker rmi image_name – Delete an image

Running Your First Real Application

Let’s deploy something useful: Nginx web server.

Launch Nginx Container

Run this command:

docker run -d -p 80:80 --name my-nginx nginx

What this does:

• -d runs the container in background (detached mode)
• -p 80:80 maps port 80 on your VPS to port 80 in the container
• –name my-nginx gives your container a friendly name
• nginx is the image to use

Open your browser and visit your VPS IP address. You’ll see the Nginx welcome page. You just deployed a web server in 5 seconds.

Stop and Remove the Container

When you’re done:

docker stop my-nginx
docker rm my-nginx

The web server disappears completely. No leftover files. No configuration cleanup needed.

Running a Database Container

Databases are perfect for containers. Let’s run MySQL.

Start MySQL Container

docker run -d --name my-mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=yourpassword -p 3306:3306 mysql:8.0

This creates a MySQL database instantly. The -e flag sets an environment variable for the root password.

Connect to Your Database

From another container or your VPS:

docker exec -it my-mysql mysql -p

Enter your password and you’re inside MySQL.

Using Docker Compose for Multiple Containers

Running multiple containers with separate commands gets messy. Docker Compose solves this. It lets you define all your containers in one file.

Install Docker Compose

apt install docker-compose -y

Create a WordPress Stack

Make a new directory and create a file called docker-compose.yml:

mkdir wordpress-site
cd wordpress-site
nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this configuration:


version: '3'
services:
wordpress:
image: wordpress:latest
ports:
- "8080:80"
environment:
WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db:3306
WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: wordpress
db:
image: mysql:5.7
environment:
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: wordpress
MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress


Launch Everything

docker-compose up -d

Docker Compose starts both WordPress and MySQL together. Visit http://your_vps_ip:8080 and you’ll see the WordPress installation screen.

You just deployed a complete WordPress site with database in under a minute.

Managing Container Data

Containers are temporary. When you delete a container, its data disappears. Volumes fix this problem.

Create a Volume

docker volume create my-data

Use Volume in Container

docker run -d --name my-mysql -v my-data:/var/lib/mysql -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=pass mysql:8.0

Now your database data lives in the volume. Delete the container and create a new one with the same volume. Your data persists.

Security Best Practices

Containers are secure by default, but you should follow these practices:

Don’t Run Containers as Root

Create containers with specific user IDs when possible. Many official images already do this.

Keep Images Updated

Pull new versions regularly:

docker pull nginx:latest
docker pull mysql:8.0

Use Specific Image Tags

Instead of nginx:latest, use nginx:1.25.3. This prevents unexpected changes when images update.

Limit Container Resources

Prevent one container from eating all your VPS resources:

docker run -d --memory="512m" --cpus="1.0" nginx

Monitoring Your Containers

You need to know what your containers are doing.

Check Container Logs

docker logs my-nginx

See what’s happening inside a container without logging in.

View Resource Usage

docker stats

See CPU, memory, and network usage for all running containers in real-time.

Inspect Container Details

docker inspect my-nginx

Get complete information about a container’s configuration.

Common Use Cases for Docker on VPS

Here’s what people actually run in containers:

Development Environments

Test new applications without affecting your production setup. Spin up containers, break things, delete them. Your VPS stays clean.

Multiple Websites

Run 10 different websites, each with its own PHP version, without conflicts. Each site lives in its own container.

Microservices

Split large applications into small services. Each service runs in its own container. Scale the busy ones independently.

CI/CD Pipelines

Build, test, and deploy code automatically. Containers ensure tests run in identical environments every time.

Why Choose VpsWala for Running Docker Containers