Introduction

Docker Swarm is a powerful tool for container orchestration, enabling you to manage a cluster of Docker nodes as a single virtual system. In this guide, you will learn how to install and set up Docker Swarm on Rocky Linux, which can be efficiently hosted on a Windows VPS UK for optimal performance and scalability.

Prerequisites

• A Rocky Linux server with root access
• Docker installed on your server
• Basic knowledge of Linux commands
• An active internet connection

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your package index and upgrading existing packages:

sudo dnf update -y

Step 2: Install Docker

If you haven't installed Docker yet, you can do so with the following commands:

sudo dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core
sudo dnf config-manager --add-repo=https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
sudo dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Start and enable the Docker service:

sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Step 3: Initialize Docker Swarm

To create a new Swarm cluster, run the following command:

sudo docker swarm init

This command will display the command to add additional nodes to your Swarm cluster.

Step 4: Add Worker Nodes to the Swarm

If you have additional nodes that you want to add to your Swarm, use the command provided in the previous step, which looks like this:

sudo docker swarm join --token SWMTKN-1-0xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx your_manager_ip:2377

Replace your_manager_ip with the IP address of your manager node.

Step 5: Verify the Swarm Status

To check the status of your Swarm and see which nodes are active, use the following command:

sudo docker node ls

Step 6: Deploy a Service to the Swarm

To deploy a service to your Swarm, use the following command:

sudo docker service create --name my_service --replicas 3 nginx

This command creates a service named my_service with 3 replicas running the Nginx image.

Step 7: Manage the Service

You can check the status of your services with:

sudo docker service ls

To inspect a specific service, use:

sudo docker service ps my_service

Step 8: Conclusion

You have successfully installed Docker Swarm on Rocky Linux. This powerful orchestration tool allows you to manage your Docker containers efficiently, especially when hosted on a Windows VPS. For further assistance with your hosting needs, explore various VPS UK Windows solutions, including Windows Virtual Private Server Hosting and Windows VPS Hosting UK for optimal performance and security.