LAMP developer can't get to first base after installing Docker desktop

I have installed docker desktop on Ubuntu. I am not sure what to do next. I can’t find anything on https://docs.docker.com that makes sense to me.

My goal is to reach the point where I am doing local development within the container. That is, some combination of developing at the command line and also with a GUI text editor like Komodo or VSC. Like I normally would on a Linux machine. I don’t know how to start down the path towards “developing locally like I normally would on a Linux machine.”

Sorry to be so vague. I don’t even have a clear enough idea of how to get started to navigate the documentation. When I look in the menu at https://docs.docker.com I see a lot of things that are totally unfamiliar to me as a full-stack Linux developer who hasn’t used docker before.

Update: I got to the point where I can run…
sudo service docker status
…and I see the proper status output there. I’m just not sure how to actually develop in the container.

I am not sure I understand what you would like to do. Do you really want to develop “in containers” or you want to develop the source code on your machine and run it in containers? I am asking it because “developing in container” could mean you want to use a container as a workstation which is also possible.

Have you tried the “Get Started” page?

I can also recommend this tutorial: https://container.training/intro-selfpaced.yml.html#1

It is like a long Powerpoint presentation, but it tells you about the concept of containers and gives you some examples.

Before you start to work with containers, you need to understand what containers are. If you start with Docker Desktop, you will also have some difficulties, since everything will run in a virtual machine whether you want it or not. If you are an experienced Linux user, I recommend using Docker CE on Linux directly. Use Docker desktop only when you know it is what you need. For example if you really need Docker Extensions. I use Docker Desktop on my macOS, because it is easier than the alternatives, since macOS can’t run Linux containers without a virtual machine, but when I am on Linux, Docker CE is enough for me.

Thanks for the response. I was able to get much further along in the 24 hours or so after I posted the topic. I can now edit the files in the container with the host computer’s VSC, so I am now “developing locally like I normally would on a Linux machine.”

I am all set now.