page_title: Installation on Amazon EC2
page_description: Please note this project is currently under heavy development. It should not be used in production. 
page_keywords: amazon ec2, virtualization, cloud, docker, documentation, installation

# Amazon EC2

> **Note**:
> Docker is still under heavy development! We don't recommend using it in
> production yet, but we're getting closer with each release. Please see
> our blog post, [Getting to Docker 1.0](
> http://blog.docker.io/2013/08/getting-to-docker-1-0/)

There are several ways to install Docker on AWS EC2:

 - [*Amazon QuickStart (Release Candidate - March 2014)*](
    #amazon-quickstart-release-candidate-march-2014) or
 - [*Amazon QuickStart*](#amazon-quickstart) or
 - [*Standard Ubuntu Installation*](#standard-ubuntu-installation)

**You'll need an** [AWS account](http://aws.amazon.com/) **first, of
course.**

## Amazon QuickStart

1. **Choose an image:**
   - Launch the [Create Instance
     Wizard](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/v2/home?#LaunchInstanceWizard:)
     menu on your AWS Console.
   - Click the `Select` button for a 64Bit Ubuntu
     image. For example: Ubuntu Server 12.04.3 LTS
   - For testing you can use the default (possibly free)
     `t1.micro` instance (more info on
     [pricing](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/)).
   - Click the `Next: Configure Instance Details`
     button at the bottom right.

2. **Tell CloudInit to install Docker:**
   - When you're on the "Configure Instance Details" step, expand the
     "Advanced Details" section.
   - Under "User data", select "As text".
   - Enter `#include https://get.docker.io` into
     the instance *User Data*.
     [CloudInit](https://help.ubuntu.com/community/CloudInit) is part
     of the Ubuntu image you chose; it will bootstrap Docker by
     running the shell script located at this URL.

3. After a few more standard choices where defaults are probably ok,
   your AWS Ubuntu instance with Docker should be running!

**If this is your first AWS instance, you may need to set up your
Security Group to allow SSH.** By default all incoming ports to your new
instance will be blocked by the AWS Security Group, so you might just
get timeouts when you try to connect.

Installing with `get.docker.io` (as above) will
create a service named `lxc-docker`. It will also
set up a [*docker group*](../binaries/#dockergroup) and you may want to
add the *ubuntu* user to it so that you don't have to use
`sudo` for every Docker command.

Once you`ve got Docker installed, you're ready to try it out – head on
over to the [*First steps with Docker*](/use/basics/) or
[*Examples*](/examples/) section.

## Amazon QuickStart (Release Candidate - March 2014)

Amazon just published new Docker-ready AMIs (2014.03 Release Candidate).
Docker packages can now be installed from Amazon's provided Software
Repository.

1. **Choose an image:**
   - Launch the [Create Instance
     Wizard](https://console.aws.amazon.com/ec2/v2/home?#LaunchInstanceWizard:)
     menu on your AWS Console.
   - Click the `Community AMI` menu option on the
     left side
   - Search for `2014.03` and select one of the Amazon provided AMI,
     for example `amzn-ami-pv-2014.03.rc-0.x86_64-ebs`
   - For testing you can use the default (possibly free)
     `t1.micro` instance (more info on
     [pricing](http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/)).
   - Click the `Next: Configure Instance Details`
      button at the bottom right.

2. After a few more standard choices where defaults are probably ok,
   your Amazon Linux instance should be running!
3. SSH to your instance to install Docker :
   `ssh -i <path to your private key> ec2-user@<your public IP address>`

4. Once connected to the instance, type
    `sudo yum install -y docker ; sudo service docker start`
 to install and start Docker

## Standard Ubuntu Installation

If you want a more hands-on installation, then you can follow the
[*Ubuntu*](../ubuntulinux/#ubuntu-linux) instructions installing Docker
on any EC2 instance running Ubuntu. Just follow Step 1 from [*Amazon
QuickStart*](#amazon-quickstart) to pick an image (or use one of your
own) and skip the step with the *User Data*. Then continue with the
[*Ubuntu*](../ubuntulinux/#ubuntu-linux) instructions.

Continue with the [*Hello World*](/examples/hello_world/#hello-world) example.
