Cannot Connect to the Docker Daemon at is the Docker Daemon Running?

The error:❌ “Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?” …means that your system (or Docker CLI) is trying to talk to the Docker service, but it isn’t running or accessible.

🛠 How to Fix It — Step-by-Step

✅ 1. Check if Docker is installed

Run:

If it says command not found, you need to install Docker first.

✅ 2. Start the Docker daemon

🔹 On Linux:

Try:

Then check:

To start it automatically on boot:

🔹 On macOS or Windows:

You must launch the Docker Desktop app (it starts the daemon).

• Search for Docker Desktop and open it.

• Wait until it says “Docker is running.”

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✅ 3. Permission issue?

If the Docker daemon is running but you still get the error, it’s likely a permissions issue accessing the Docker socket (/var/run/docker.sock).

Try running your command with sudo:

Or add your user to the docker group:

Then log out and back in, or run:

✅ 4. Check Docker service logs (Linux)

To see why it might not be starting:

✅ 5. WSL 2 Users (Windows Subsystem for Linux)

If you’re using Docker via WSL:

• Make sure Docker Desktop is running on Windows.

• Inside WSL, you may need to set environment variables. Run:

You can add that line to your .bashrc or .zshrc if needed.

✅ Quick Test

Once fixed, try:

If it prints a welcome message, you’re good to go.