Portainer is an open-source container management UI that provides a web-based dashboard for managing Docker containers, images, volumes, networks, and stacks. It is available as a free Community Edition (CE). This guide installs Portainer CE on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS.

Tested and valid on:

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 26.04 LTS with Docker Engine installed
A user with sudo privileges
Port 9443 open in UFW

Step 1 – Create the Portainer Volume

docker volume create portainer_data

Step 2 – Deploy Portainer CE

docker run -d 
  -p 8000:8000 
  -p 9443:9443 
  --name portainer 
  --restart=always 
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock 
  -v portainer_data:/data 
  portainer/portainer-ce:latest

Step 3 – Verify the Container is Running

docker ps | grep portainer

Step 4 – Access the Portainer Web UI

Open your browser and navigate to https://your-server-ip:9443. Accept the self-signed certificate warning, then create your admin account.

Step 5 – Allow Port in UFW

sudo ufw allow 9443/tcp

Step 6 – Connect to a Local Docker Environment

In the Portainer UI, select Docker as the environment type and click Connect. You will see all your containers, images, and volumes.

Step 7 – Update Portainer

docker stop portainer
docker rm portainer
docker pull portainer/portainer-ce:latest
# Re-run the Step 2 command

Conclusion

Portainer CE is running on Ubuntu 26.04 LTS. Use its web UI to manage containers visually, deploy stacks from the GUI, set up user access controls, and monitor resource usage across your Docker environment.

How to Install Portainer for Docker Management on Ubuntu 26.04