"Package 'docker-ce' has no installation candidate" in 18.04

Question

I'm following the official Docker installation guide for docker-ce on Ubuntu.

When I get to sudo apt install docker-ce I get E: Package 'docker-ce' has no installation candidate:

$ sudo apt-get update
Hit:1 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic InRelease
Hit:2 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates InRelease
Hit:3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-backports InRelease
Hit:4 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security InRelease
Reading package lists... Done

$ sudo apt-get install \
>     apt-transport-https \
>     ca-certificates \
>     curl \
>     software-properties-common
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
ca-certificates is already the newest version (20180409).
curl is already the newest version (7.58.0-2ubuntu3).
software-properties-common is already the newest version (0.96.24.32.1).
The following NEW packages will be installed
  apt-transport-https
0 to upgrade, 1 to newly install, 0 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.
Need to get 1,692 B of archives.
After this operation, 152 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] 
Get:1 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic/universe amd64 apt-transport-https all 1.6.1 [1,692 B]
Fetched 1,692 B in 0s (65.4 kB/s)               
Selecting previously unselected package apt-transport-https.
(Reading database ... 116694 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../apt-transport-https_1.6.1_all.deb ...
Unpacking apt-transport-https (1.6.1) ...
Setting up apt-transport-https (1.6.1) ...

$ curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
OK

$ sudo apt-key fingerprint 0EBFCD88
pub   rsa4096 2017-02-22 [SCEA]
      9DC8 5822 9FC7 DD38 854A  E2D8 8D81 803C 0EBF CD88
uid           [ unknown] Docker Release (CE deb) <docker@docker.com>
sub   rsa4096 2017-02-22 [S]

$ sudo add-apt-repository \
>    "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
>    $(lsb_release -cs) \
>    stable"
Hit:1 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic InRelease
Hit:2 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates InRelease                                                                                    
Hit:3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-backports InRelease                                                                                  
Get:4 https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu bionic InRelease [64.4 kB]                                                       
Hit:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security InRelease                                                               
Fetched 64.4 kB in 0s (141 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done

robin@xps:~/git/snapcraft.io$ sudo apt-get update
Hit:1 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic InRelease
Hit:2 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-updates InRelease                                      
Hit:3 http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-backports InRelease                                                                                   
Hit:4 https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu bionic InRelease                                                                                        
Hit:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security InRelease                                                                
Reading package lists... Done  

$ sudo apt-get install docker-ce
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Package docker-ce is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

E: Package 'docker-ce' has no installation candidate

My first thought was that Docker haven't released a package for Bionic yet (it's very new) but when I searched for "install docker-ce ubuntu 18.04" I found a guide which seems 18.04 specific, and basically just gives exactly the same instructions - suggesting that it at least worked for the author:

https://linuxconfig.org/how-to-install-docker-on-ubuntu-18-04-bionic-beaver

Does anyone have any idea why this might not be working for me?

score 134 · Answer 1 · edited Jun 23 '21 at 07:09

Run this if you want to install the docker-ce on Ubuntu 18.04:

sudo apt install apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu `lsb_release -cs` test"
sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce

To check if the installation ended successfuly, just run:

docker -v

should output:

Docker version 18.06.1-ce, build e68fc7a

score 44 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 14 '19 at 16:16

From the same guide you referenced, you can use repository for 17.10 instead at this moment:

deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu artful stable

And all docker-ce dependent packages will be resolved from the ubuntu bionic repository. Check the Docker documentation for more info. No compatibility issues to worry about :)

2018-07-19 update

Docker 18.06 has been updated to bionic repository, this workaround is not required anymore!

score 14 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 14 '19 at 17:09

I had the same issue, here is how I fixed it:

$ sudo snap install docker

$docker -v

Docker version 18.06.1-ce, build e68fc7a


$sudo docker version


Client:
 Version:           18.06.1-ce
 API version:       1.38
 Go version:        go1.10.4
 Git commit:        e68fc7a
 Built:             Tue May  7 18:01:43 2019
 OS/Arch:           linux/386
 Experimental:      false

Server:
 Engine:
  Version:          18.06.1-ce
  API version:      1.38 (minimum version 1.12)
  Go version:       go1.10.4
  Git commit:       e68fc7a
  Built:            Tue May  7 18:01:44 2019
  OS/Arch:          linux/386

score 10 · Answer 4 · edited Jun 22 '21 at 01:25

10

Some of the guides jumped the gun; docker-ce is not available for Ubuntu 18.04 yet at the time of this post. You can check the list of supported versions here.

That same guide you linked to suggested installing docker.io; this is what I did. It's a workaround until docker-ce supports 18.04.

edited Jun 22 '21 at 01:25

Thomas Ward

78,878

answered Apr 30 '18 at 16:11

ajh158

209

score 8 · Answer 5 · edited May 09 '18 at 10:57

8

Following the steps here in the Docker documentation worked for me. I just had to change stable to test in this command

sudo add-apt-repository \ 
"deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
$(lsb_release -cs) \
stable"

edited May 09 '18 at 10:57

Zanna

72,312

answered May 09 '18 at 10:26

xExplorer

121

score 3 · Answer 6 · edited Dec 15 '20 at 22:31

3

If you are getting the error, Package 'docker-ce' has no installation candidate, then use this:

sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable edge test"

edited Dec 15 '20 at 22:31

Nmath

12,664

answered Dec 15 '20 at 19:37

Cavorting Smackiness

31

score 1 · Answer 7 · edited Feb 07 '23 at 06:12

1

Snap package of docker will be easily install able on Ubuntu 19.04 (Disco) and it worked for me.

Check out the documentation for it here:

https://github.com/docker/docker-snap

edited Feb 07 '23 at 06:12

cocomac

3,824

answered Jul 04 '19 at 08:44

Myster-Mayur

199

score 1 · Answer 8 · answered May 21 '21 at 14:55

1

By Executing the following commands we can install docker

 curl -fsSL get.docker.com | CHANNEL=stable sh
 sudo apt install docker-ce
 sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

answered May 21 '21 at 14:55

Ramesh Ponnusamy

441

"Package 'docker-ce' has no installation candidate" in 18.04

8 Answers8

2018-07-19 update

Linked