Using the DOCKER_HOST environment variable

Consider using the DOCKER_HOST environment variable to migrate transparently from Docker to Podman Desktop on all platforms.

• Continue using familiar Docker commands.
• Take advantage of the benefits of Podman.
• Your tools, such as Gradle or Testcontainers, communicate with Podman without reconfiguration.

Prerequisites

• Podman

Procedure

1. Identify the location of your Podman socket

   Windows

   $ podman machine inspect --format '{{.ConnectionInfo.PodmanSocket.Path}}'

   macOS

   $ podman machine inspect --format '{{.ConnectionInfo.PodmanSocket.Path}}'

   Linux

   $ podman info --format '{{.Host.RemoteSocket.Path}}'

2. Set the DOCKER_HOST environment variable to your Podman socket location. Be sure to add the unix:// scheme to the path retrieved previously:

   $ export DOCKER_HOST=unix://<your_podman_socket_location>

Verification

• Your tools using the DOCKER_HOST environment variable, such as Gradle or Testcontainers, communicate with Podman without reconfiguration.