How to Completely Uninstall Docker from Ubuntu

You completely uninstall Docker from Ubuntu by removing the Docker Engine, CLI, and associated packages, then cleaning up remaining data like images, containers, and volumes.

Docker is a platform that allows you to build, ship, and run applications within isolated environments called containers. These containers package your application and its dependencies, ensuring consistency across different systems.

Simply removing Docker packages often leaves behind essential data such as your existing Docker images, containers, and configuration files. For a complete removal on Ubuntu, you must target these leftover elements after uninstalling the core software.

This process is vital when freeing up disk space, resolving software conflicts, or preparing for a fresh Docker installation. A thorough uninstallation guarantees your Ubuntu system is entirely free of all Docker-related components.

Delete Docker images, containers, and volumes

As mentioned above, users can delete Docker images, containers, volumes, and other configuration files before uninstalling Docker.

Here’s how to do that.

First, stop the Docker containers that are running, then remove them.

Run the command below to do that.

docker stop $(docker ps -a -q)

The command will list all the Docker containers and stop them. Once they are stopped, run the command below to remove them.

docker rm $(docker ps -a -q)

Next, remove Docker images. Run the command below to do that. The command lists all the active and intermediate images and removes them from the system.

docker rmi $(docker images -a -q)

Next, remove all Docker networks. The command will remove Docker custom networks from the system.

docker network prune

Next, remove all cache and volumes. You can do that using the command below.

docker system prune -a

The command will perform the following actions:

• Remove all stopped containers
• Remove networks that are not used by at least one container
• Remove Images without at least one container associated with them
• Remove build cache

Confirm when prompted.

Finally, uninstall Docker packages and delete leftover files. You can do that by running the commands below.

sudo apt remove docker-* --auto-remove
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
sudo groupdel docker
sudo rm -rf /var/run/docker.sock
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/bin/docker-compose && sudo rm -rf /etc/docker && sudo rm -rf ~/.docker

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• The guide provided comprehensive instructions on how to uninstall Docker from Ubuntu Linux, covering the deletion of images, containers, volumes, and packages and removing leftover files and configurations.
• Following these steps will effectively free up space on the system and ensure the complete removal of Docker and its associated components.
• Users are encouraged to share feedback or additional insights through the comments section for future reference and improvement.