podman-desktop/website/docs/migrating-from-docker/customizing-docker-compatibility.md

sidebar_position	title	description	keywords	tags
2	Customizing Docker compatibility	How to customize the Docker compatibility feature	podman desktop podman Docker compatibility Kubernetes	enable-docker-compatibility disable-docker-compatibility

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Customizing Docker compatibility

With Podman Desktop, you can customize the Docker compatibility feature. If you want to run your Docker applications on a Podman engine, you can enable the feature.

The binding between the Podman machine and the system socket is not known. So, Podman Desktop displays only the server information on the Docker Compatibility page.

Podman Desktop uses the podman-mac-helper utility to automatically link the Docker socket to the Podman machine. This utility provides a compatibility layer that allows you to:

• Run Docker commands on a Podman engine.
• Make your tools, such as Maven or Testcontainers communicate with Podman without reconfiguration.

Podman Desktop provides information about the Podman machine that emulates the Docker socket on the Docker Compatibility page. Click the Podman details icon to view the details of the Podman machine.

The binding between the Podman machine and the system socket is not known. So, Podman Desktop displays only the server information on the Docker Compatibility page.

Enable Docker compatibility

Prerequisites

• A running Podman machine.

Procedure

• Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button.

A Docker Compatibility section is added to the list of Settings.

Verification

Perform any of the following steps:

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Podman version rather than the Docker version:

  $ docker info --format=json | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

• Run the docker context list command to check that the Docker CLI context is set to the default value npipe:////./pipe/docker_engine.

Procedure

The Docker socket compatibility mode is enabled by default. However, if you have disabled the Docker socket and want to re-enable it, you must enable the Third-Party Docker Tool Compatibility setting.

1. Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button. A Docker Compatibility section is added to the list of Settings.
2. Click Docker Compatibility in the Settings. The Docker Compatibility page opens.
3. Click Enable in the Third-Party Docker Tool Compatibility setting.
4. Enter your machine password when prompted. A successful operation notification opens.
5. Click OK. A notification prompts you to restart your Podman machine.
6. Click Yes.

Verification

Perform any of the following steps:

• Check whether the Docker socket is a symbolic link for the Podman socket:

  $ ls -la /var/run/docker.sock
  

  The output points to a podman.sock file, as shown below:

  /var/run/docker.sock -> /Users/username/.local/share/containers/podman/machine/podman.sock
  

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Podman version rather than the Docker version:

  $ curl -s --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock "http://v1.41/info"  | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

• Run the docker context list command to check that the Docker CLI context is set to unix:///var/run/docker.sock.

Procedure

• Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button.

A Docker Compatibility section is added to the list of Settings.

Verification

Perform any of the following steps:

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Podman version rather than the Docker version:

  $ docker info --format=json | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

• Run the docker context list command to check that the Docker CLI context is set to the default value unix:///var/run/docker.sock.

Disable Docker compatibility

Prerequisites

• A running Podman machine.

Procedure

• Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button.

  The Docker Compatibility section is removed from the list of Settings.

Verification

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Docker version rather than the Podman version:

  $ docker info --format=json | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

Procedure

1. Click Docker Compatibility in the Settings. The Docker Compatibility page opens.
2. Click Disable in the Third-Party Docker Tool Compatibility setting.
3. Enter your machine password when prompted. A successful operation notification opens.
4. Click OK. A notification prompts you to restart your Podman machine.
5. Click Yes.
6. Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button. The Docker Compatibility section is removed from the Settings list.

Verification

Perform any of the following steps:

• Check that the Docker socket is not a symbolic link for the Podman socket:

  $ ls -la /var/run/docker.sock
  

  The output returns the following:

  ls: /var/run/docker.sock: No such file or directory
  

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Docker version rather than the Podman version:

  $ curl -s --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock "http://v1.41/info"  | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

Procedure

• Go to Settings > Preferences > Docker Compatibility, and click the toggle button.

  The Docker Compatibility section is removed from the list of Settings.

Verification

• Run the following command to check the output returns the Docker version rather than the Podman version:

  $ docker info --format=json | jq -r .ServerVersion
  

Additional resources

• Managing Docker compatibility
• podman-mac-helper source