Docker Engine & Docker Compose v2 on Ubuntu 24.04 – Modern Container Infrastructure on a Secure LTS Base

Docker Engine and Docker Compose v2 together form a comprehensive containerization and orchestration toolset. When deployed on Ubuntu 24.04, an LTS (Long Term Support) release with a modern Linux kernel and systemd integration, Docker becomes a powerful and flexible platform for both development and production-grade container environments.

System Compatibility and Environment

Ubuntu 24.04 ships with:

  • Linux Kernel 6.8 – Offers full support for cgroups v2, namespaces, and OverlayFS
  • systemd 255 – Enhances service management and integrates cleanly with Docker
  • AppArmor and seccomp – Enabled by default for container-level security
  • Snap & APT support – Flexible ways to manage Docker-related packages

This system stack ensures high compatibility with containerized applications and services managed through Docker Engine and Compose v2.

Docker Engine Overview

Docker Engine is the container runtime that manages images, containers, networks, and volumes. It is composed of:

  • dockerd – The background daemon
  • docker – The command-line interface
  • containerd and runc – The runtime components for OCI-compliant container execution

Key features of Docker Engine on Ubuntu 24.04:

  • Native systemd service integration (systemctl start docker)
  • Uses OverlayFS for efficient layered file systems
  • Integrated logging via journald
  • Supports rootless containers for enhanced security
  • Provides strong resource control via cgroups v2

Docker Compose v2

Docker Compose v2 is the next generation of Compose, rewritten in Go and distributed as a plugin for the Docker CLI (unlike v1, which was a separate Python script). It is invoked using:

docker compose

instead of:

docker-compose

Key capabilities of Docker Compose v2 on Ubuntu 24.04:

  • Native integration with Docker CLI (docker compose)
  • Multi-container orchestration via declarative docker-compose.yml files
  • Improved performance and resource usage over Compose v1
  • Compatibility with Docker Swarm mode (via deploy: directives)
  • Seamless compatibility with container networking, volumes, secrets, and configs

Ubuntu 24.04’s updated GNU toolchain and Go 1.22 compatibility ensure that Docker Compose v2 operates with full feature parity and system-level optimization.

Use Cases

Typical use cases for Docker Engine and Compose v2 on Ubuntu 24.04 include:

  • Development environments using isolated multi-service stacks (e.g., web server + database)
  • Local testing of microservices with consistent, reproducible configurations
  • CI/CD pipelines that build and test container images
  • Production deployments using Compose as a lightweight orchestration tool
  • Education and prototyping of distributed systems

Ubuntu’s LTS status ensures these workloads remain stable for years, reducing maintenance effort.

Resource Isolation and Performance

Docker benefits from Ubuntu’s support for key Linux kernel technologies:

FeatureRole in DockerSupported in Ubuntu 24.04
Cgroups v2Resource limitsYes
OverlayFSLayered file systemsYes
AppArmorSecurity profilesYes
SeccompSyscall filteringYes
NamespacesIsolation (process, user, mount)Yes

Compose v2 supports parallel container startup and leverages Docker networking to connect services through internal DNS (<service_name>:<port>), which improves startup time and runtime stability.

Security and System Hardening

Ubuntu 24.04 enhances Docker’s security posture with:

  • Enforced AppArmor profiles to sandbox containers
  • Optional rootless Docker mode to avoid elevated privileges
  • FirewallD and UFW for managing exposed ports
  • Auditd and journald for log visibility
  • Unattended-upgrades for automatic security patching

Administrators can also enforce minimal base images (e.g., Alpine, distroless) and custom seccomp profiles to further reduce attack surfaces.

Orchestration Readiness

While Docker Compose v2 is often used for local or small-scale environments, it can be extended to:

  • Docker Swarm for native clustering and service management
  • Kubernetes using tools like Kompose or Skaffold
  • Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) integration with Terraform or Ansible

Compose’s YAML-based configuration is compatible with tools that convert or deploy to container orchestrators.

Ubuntu 24.04 as a Base Image

Docker Compose v2 and Docker Engine also benefit from Ubuntu’s popularity as a base image:

  • Official ubuntu:24.04 image available from Docker Hub
  • Trusted, security-maintained, and frequently updated
  • Wide compatibility with system libraries and package managers (APT)
  • Suitable for language runtimes (Python, Node.js, PHP, Go) and system tools

Using Ubuntu as both the host OS and container base image can simplify consistency and debugging across environments.

Docker Engine and Docker Compose v2 on Ubuntu 24.04 provide a modern, secure, and high-performance container environment that is ideal for development, testing, and production. The combination leverages Ubuntu’s LTS lifecycle, systemd integration, and kernel enhancements to deliver containerized services with minimal overhead and maximum flexibility.

For developers and system administrators who value stability, modern tooling, and broad community support, Ubuntu 24.04 is an excellent host platform for Docker-based infrastructure.

Step 1: Set Up a Server Instance on Shape.Host

Before you begin, you need a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 server. Shape.Host offers scalable and reliable VPS hosting—perfect for Docker deployments.

Follow these steps to create your VPS:

Visit https://shape.host and log in.

Click “Create” from the dashboard.

Choose “Instance” as the resource type.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with Create > Instance highlighted.

Select a server location that suits your latency needs (e.g., Europe, USA).

Shape.host instance form with the data center location selector highlighted.

Set the operating system to Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit).

Choose a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 2 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD.

Shape.host instance form with the operating system image selector highlighted.

Click “Create Instance” to launch the server.

Shape.host instance form with the Create Instance button highlighted.

Copy the IP address listed under your instance’s Resources section.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with the server IP address highlighted.

How to Connect to Your Instance

Once the VPS is live, connect to it using SSH:

For Linux/macOS:

ssh root@your_server_ip

For Windows (using PuTTY):

  1. Download PuTTY from https://www.putty.org.
  2. Open PuTTY, paste the server IP into the Host Name field.
  3. Set port to 22 and connection type to SSH.
  4. Click Open and log in as root.

Step 2: Install Docker Engine & Docker Compose v2

Use the commands below in order. These commands reflect real setup steps with added context for clarity.

1. Update the package index:

apt update
Terminal showing APT package management commands and output.

2. Check if Docker is already installed:

docker --version

3. Install dependencies for secure package management:

apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release

4. Create directory for Docker GPG key:

install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings

5. Download Docker’s official GPG key:

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | \
gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

6. Adjust permissions on the key file:

chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
Terminal showing file ownership or permission commands.

7. Add Docker’s APT repository:

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | \
tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

8. Update the package index again:

apt update
Terminal showing APT package management commands and output.

9. Install Docker Engine, CLI, containerd, Buildx, and Compose v2:

apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
Terminal showing APT package management commands and output.

10. Confirm Docker Engine version:

docker --version

11. Confirm Docker Compose v2 is installed:

docker compose version
Terminal showing the installed Docker Compose version.

Step 3: Run a Test Container Using Docker Compose

To validate the Docker Compose setup, follow these steps:

1. Create a test directory and navigate into it:

mkdir ~/compose-test && cd ~/compose-test

2. Create a simple docker-compose.yml file:

nano docker-compose.yml
Terminal showing file and directory setup commands.

Paste the following contents:

services:
  hello:
    image: hello-world

Save and close the file (CTRL+O, ENTER, then CTRL+X in nano).

Terminal showing the GNU nano editor and configuration text.

3. Start the container using Docker Compose:

docker compose up

You should see output indicating that the hello-world image was downloaded and run successfully.

Terminal showing container image download progress.

You’ve installed Docker Engine and Docker Compose v2 on Ubuntu 24.04 and verified the setup with a working test container. This environment is now ready for deploying microservices, containerized applications, or even full-stack systems.

For high-performance Linux SSD Vps instances ideal for Docker, check out Shape.Host—offering reliable infrastructure with full root access and modern hardware.

Start deploying on Shape.Host today