Cannot Connect to the Docker Daemon at Unix:///var/run/docker.sock. is the Docker Daemon Running?

When using Docker, you may encounter the error message "cannot connect to the docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. is the docker daemon running?". This error occurs when the Docker daemon is not running and can be resolved by following a few simple steps.

Investigating the Error Message

This error message is displayed when the Docker daemon is not running. The Docker daemon is responsible for running containers and can be thought of as the engine behind Docker. When the Docker daemon is not running, the error message is displayed and the user is prompted to check if the Docker daemon is running.

Resolving the Issue

The issue can be resolved by following these steps:

  1. Check if the Docker daemon is running by typing the command docker ps in your terminal.

  2. If the Docker daemon is not running, start it by typing the command sudo service docker start in your terminal.

  3. Once the Docker daemon is running, type the command docker ps again to confirm that it is running.

  4. If the Docker daemon is running, the error message should no longer be displayed.

By following the steps outlined above, you can successfully resolve the error message "cannot connect to the docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. is the docker daemon running?". Once the Docker daemon is running, you can use Docker without any further issues.