Docker on VPS
DotMoose VPSes provide root access; Docker Engine can be installed by the customer. The container runtime does not remove responsibility for the guest OS, persistent data, firewall, updates, monitoring or restores.
Choose a supported Linux image, update it, create controlled admin access and install Docker using current upstream guidance rather than a stale copy/paste installer. Docker’s Ubuntu documentation also calls out conflicting distro packages that should be removed before installing the official engine packages.
An OCI image should be replaceable. Keep application secrets outside the image, identify which paths require volumes, and decide whether state belongs in a volume, database, object store or another service before deployment.
Docker port publishing changes the guest’s network exposure. Keep database/admin ports private where possible and reconcile Docker rules with the host firewall rather than assuming one automatically understands the other.
A compose file can recreate topology but not lost database rows or uploads. Document application-consistent database dumps, persistent-volume copies, retention and a tested restore path.
Docker is currently a self-managed VPS workload option, not a separate fully managed Docker platform. Customers control the guest and container runtime. DotMoose Managed App Starter is a different operator-managed product with its own workload contract.