Install Docker on Armbian

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Run these steps on your reComputer RK3576 or RK3588.

1. Install Docker

Skip this step if Docker is already installed. For a development setup, run:

bash
bash <(curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com)

2. Configure storage for OTA-enabled Armbian

On Armbian 26.8.7 Gnome and newer with OTA overlayroot enabled, move Docker and containerd storage outside the root overlay. Otherwise, containers may fail with an overlay mount error (invalid argument). Skip this step on systems without overlayroot.

Confirm /media/root-rw is mounted on the writable userdata filesystem, not overlay:

bash
findmnt -T /media/root-rw
sudo mkdir -p /etc/docker /etc/containerd

Edit /etc/docker/daemon.json:

bash
sudo nano /etc/docker/daemon.json

Set this property, preserving any existing settings:

json
{
  "data-root": "/media/root-rw/docker"
}

To save in nano, press Ctrl+O (the letter O), then Enter to confirm the filename. Press Ctrl+X to exit and return to the terminal.

Edit /etc/containerd/config.toml:

bash
sudo nano /etc/containerd/config.toml

Set root at the top level, before any [table] sections. Replace an existing root value rather than adding a duplicate:

toml
root = "/media/root-rw/containerd"

Save and exit nano again: press Ctrl+O, Enter, then Ctrl+X.

3. Restart and verify

bash
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl restart containerd docker
sudo docker run --rm hello-world

When you see Hello from Docker!, Docker is ready for model deployment.