How to install Portainer (in Docker)

Goal: run Portainer CE in Docker with persistent data, then log in to the UI.

Prerequisites

• Docker installed (see Docker guide)
• A host with a stable IP/DNS name

Step 1 — Create a Docker volume for Portainer data

docker volume create portainer_data

Step 2 — Run Portainer CE

Portainer needs access to the Docker socket to manage the local engine.

docker run -d \
  --name portainer \
  --restart=always \
  -p 8000:8000 \
  -p 9443:9443 \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce:latest

Verify

docker ps --filter name=portainer
docker logs --tail 50 portainer

Step 3 — Access the web UI

Open:

• https://<host-ip>:9443

Accept the certificate warning (self-signed by default).

Step 4 — First-time setup

In Portainer:

• Create the initial admin user
• Select Get Started
• Choose the local environment (Docker)

Optional — Harden access (recommended)

• Put Portainer behind your reverse proxy (TLS + auth)
• Restrict access to your management VLAN
• Don’t expose it directly to the Internet

Troubleshooting

• Portainer won’t start
  • Check docker logs portainer for port conflicts or permission issues.
• UI loads but can’t see containers
  • Confirm the socket mount exists: /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock.

Next steps

• Install Pi-hole in Docker (see guide)
• Add other stacks via “Stacks” (Compose) in Portainer