How to Completely Uninstall Docker

Docker is a popular containerization platform that enables developers to create, deploy, and run applications in a lightweight and portable environment. However, there may come a time when you need to completely uninstall Docker from your system. In this guide, we will walk you through the process of completely uninstalling Docker from your Linux system, including removing all associated files and directories.

Completely Uninstall Docker

Step 1: Stop All Running Docker Containers

Before you can uninstall Docker, you need to stop all running containers. You can do this by running the following command:

sudo docker stop $(sudo docker ps -aq)

This command will stop all running containers, including those that are in a paused or exited state.

Step 2: Remove Docker Images, Containers, and Volumes.

Next, you need to remove all Docker images, containers, and volumes. You can do this by running the following commands:

sudo docker rm $(sudo docker ps -aq)
sudo docker rmi $(sudo docker images -q)
sudo docker volume prune

The first command removes all containers, the second command removes all images, and the third command removes all volumes that are not associated with a container.

Step 3: Uninstall Docker Packages.

Now that you have removed all associated files and directories, you can uninstall the Docker packages. The command to do this will depend on your Linux distribution.

• For Ubuntu, you can run the following command:

sudo apt-get purge docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

• For CentOS, you can run the following command:

sudo yum remove docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Step 4: Remove Docker Directories.

After uninstalling the Docker packages, you need to remove any remaining Docker directories. You can do this by running the following commands:

sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/containerd

These commands will remove the Docker and containerd directories, respectively.

Step 5: Remove Docker Configuration Files.

Next, you need to remove any remaining Docker configuration files. You can do this by running the following commands:

sudo rm -rf /etc/docker
sudo rm -rf /etc/containerd

These commands will remove the Docker and containerd configuration directories, respectively.

Step 6: Remove Docker Group

If you created a Docker group during installation, you should remove it now. You can do this by running the following command:

sudo groupdel docker

Step 7: Remove Docker Dependencies

Finally, you should remove any remaining Docker dependencies. You can do this by running the following command:

sudo apt-get autoremove

This command will remove any packages that were installed as dependencies of Docker but are no longer needed.

Step 8. Troubleshooting Tips

If you encounter any issues during the uninstallation process, here are some troubleshooting tips that may help:

• If you are unable to stop all running containers, you can use the --force flag to forcefully stop them:

sudo docker stop $(sudo docker ps -aq) --force

• If you are unable to remove all Docker images, you can use the --force flag to forcefully remove them:

sudo docker rmi $(sudo docker images -q) --force

• If you are unable to remove all Docker volumes, you can use the --force flag to forcefully remove them:

sudo docker volume prune --force

• If you are unable to remove the Docker directories, you may need to use the --recursive flag to remove them recursively:

sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker --recursive
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/containerd --recursive

• If you are unable to remove the Docker configuration files, you may need to use the --recursive flag to remove them recursively:

sudo rm -rf /etc/docker --recursive
sudo rm -rf /etc/containerd --recursive

• If you are unable to remove the Docker group, you may need to use the --force flag to forcefully remove it:

sudo groupdel docker --force

• If you are unable to remove all Docker dependencies, you may need to use the --purge flag to purge them:

sudo apt-get autoremove --purge

Conclusion

In this guide, we have shown you how to completely uninstall Docker from your Linux system, including removing all associated files and directories. We have also provided some troubleshooting tips and additional resources to help you with the uninstallation process. By following these steps, you can ensure that Docker is completely removed from your system.