How to Install Portainer on RHEL 8

Managing containerized applications can be a complex task, especially on enterprise-level systems. Portainer, a lightweight management UI for Docker, simplifies this process, providing a user-friendly interface to handle Docker containers effortlessly. In this guide, we'll walk through the step-by-step process of installing Portainer on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8). Let's dive in!

Prerequisites:

Before we begin, ensure that you have the following prerequisites in place:

1. A machine running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.
2. Docker installed on your system.

Step 1: Update System Packages

Start by updating your system packages to ensure you have the latest software repositories and dependencies:

sudo dnf update

Step 2: Install Docker

If you haven't installed Docker yet, use the following commands to install it:

sudo dnf install docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Step 3: Download Portainer Docker Image

Pull the Portainer Docker image from the official repository using the following command:

sudo docker pull portainer/portainer-ce

Step 4: Create a Docker Volume

Create a Docker volume to persist Portainer data:

sudo docker volume create portainer_data

Step 5: Start Portainer Container

Now, run the Portainer container with the following command:

sudo docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9000:9000 --name=portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce

Step 6: Access Portainer Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:9000 or http://<your-server-ip>:9000. You will be prompted to set up an admin account. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

Additional Notes:

• Make sure that port 9000 is open in your firewall to allow external access.
• You can change the port by modifying the -p flag in the docker run command.
• For SSL support, consider using a reverse proxy like Nginx or Traefik.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Portainer on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8. With Portainer, managing Docker containers becomes a breeze, offering a powerful yet intuitive interface. Explore the various features Portainer has to offer and enhance your container management experience.