Nektarios Marmaras

Cloud Engineer

2 minute read

Table Of Contents

Introduction

Docker is a lightweight containerization platform that works exceptionally well on devices like the Raspberry Pi. However, there may be situations where you need to identify installed Docker packages, completely remove them, or clean up associated resources.

This guide is tailored for Raspberry Pi users and provides a comprehensive approach to:

  1. Checking installed Docker packages on your Raspberry Pi.
  2. Fully removing Docker and its related packages.
  3. Cleaning up residual data, such as images, containers, and volumes.
  4. Deactivating Docker-related network interfaces.

Whether you’re troubleshooting, performing a clean uninstall, or switching to a different container solution, these steps will ensure no traces of Docker remain on your Raspberry Pi.

Check Installed Docker Packages

Command

dpkg -l | grep -i docker

Possible Results

You may encounter any combination of the following packages:

  • docker
  • docker-ce
  • docker-compose
  • docker-doc
  • docker-engine
  • docker.io
  • podman-docker

Remove Docker Packages

Commands

To completely remove Docker packages from your Raspberry Pi, use the following commands:

apt-get purge
apt-get autoremove

Execution Methods

You can execute these commands in the following ways:

  1. Sequential Execution for Each Package 
    apt-get purge -y <package-name>...
apt-get autoremove -y <package-name>...
  2. Single Command for Multiple Packages 
    apt-get purge -y <packageA-name> <packageB-name> <packageC-name>...
apt-get autoremove -y <packageA-name> <packageB-name> <packageC-name>...
  3. Using a For-Loop 
    for pkg in <packageA-name> <packageB-name> <packageC-name>...; do
    apt-get purge -y $pkg
    apt-get autoremove -y $pkg
done

Additional Notes

The official Docker documentation for Raspberry Pi OS suggests removing the following packages to completely clean up Docker installations:

  • containerd
  • runc

2. Use of sudo

If you are not logged in as a root user on your Raspberry Pi, prepend all commands with sudo. For example:

sudo apt-get purge -y <package-name>

3. Difference Between remove and purge

The Docker documentation suggests using apt-get remove. However, it is preferable to use apt-get purge in combination with apt-get autoremove as this ensures removal of both the package and its associated system-wide configuration files.

Remove All Docker-Related Data

To remove Docker-related images, containers, volumes, and configurations from your Raspberry Pi, execute the following commands:

sudo umount /var/lib/docker/
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
sudo rm -rf /etc/docker
sudo rm /etc/apparmor.d/docker
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/containerd
sudo rm -rf /var/run/docker.sock
sudo rm -rf /usr/bin/docker-compose
sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list
sudo rm /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo groupdel docker

Deactivate Docker Network Interface and Ethernet Bridge

Disable docker0 Network Interface

To deactivate the docker0 network interface on your Raspberry Pi, run:

sudo ifconfig docker0 down

Delete the docker0 Ethernet Bridge

To remove the docker0 Ethernet bridge, run:

sudo ip link delete docker0

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can thoroughly identify, remove, and clean up all Docker-related packages, configurations, and data from your Raspberry Pi. This ensures no residual files or configurations are left behind, which is essential for troubleshooting, fresh installations, or switching to alternative containerization tools.

Key Considerations for Raspberry Pi Users:

  • Ensure your Raspberry Pi user has adequate administrative privileges for these commands (sudo may be required).
  • Be cautious about other applications that may depend on Docker before proceeding with the removal.

For further assistance, refer to the official Docker documentation for Raspberry Pi OS or consult the Docker community forums.

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