If you’ve followed our setup guides, you’ve already run a few docker run commands — but it helps to understand what’s actually happening under the hood, and whether your machine can even run Docker in the first place. This post covers the fundamentals: what Docker is, how it works on Windows and Mac, and the exact system requirements you’ll need.
What Is Docker, Actually?
Docker is a tool that packages an application — along with everything it needs to run (dependencies, runtime, configuration) — into an isolated unit called a container. Instead of manually installing Java, configuring paths, and hoping everything plays nicely together, you pull a pre-built container image and run it with a single command. The container behaves the same way regardless of what else is installed on your machine.
For game servers specifically, this means you can run a Minecraft server, a Valheim server, and other services side by side without them interfering with each other’s dependencies or configuration — each one lives in its own isolated container.
How Docker Actually Runs on Windows and Mac
This is the part most beginners skip past, but it matters for troubleshooting: Docker containers are fundamentally Linux technology. On Windows and Mac, Docker Desktop works by running a small Linux virtual machine in the background, and your containers actually run inside that VM. Docker Desktop handles all of this automatically, but it’s why Docker has real system requirements around virtualization support — without it, the whole thing can’t function.
- On Windows, Docker Desktop uses the WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) backend by default, which runs a lightweight Linux environment alongside Windows.
- On Mac, Docker Desktop uses Apple’s Virtualization framework on modern machines (or the older HyperKit on some older systems).
- On Linux, no VM is needed — Docker containers run natively, since Linux is what containers are built around in the first place.
System Requirements: Windows
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit (Home or Pro) or Windows 11 64-bit
- Processor: 64-bit CPU with virtualization support (Intel VT-x or AMD-V/SVM) and Second Level Address Translation (SLAT)
- RAM: 4GB minimum, 8GB recommended for typical use — 16GB if you’re running several containers simultaneously
- Disk space: At least 6GB free for Docker Desktop itself and base images, though this grows quickly with real usage (container images, world data, build caches)
- WSL 2 enabled: Docker Desktop’s installer can enable this for you automatically on a fresh system
Checking if virtualization is enabled: Open Task Manager, go to the Performance tab, and check the CPU section — it should show “Virtualization: Enabled.” If it shows disabled, you’ll need to enable it in your BIOS/UEFI settings before Docker Desktop will start.
System Requirements: Mac
- macOS version: Docker Desktop supports the three most recent macOS major releases (currently macOS 13 Ventura, 14 Sonoma, and 15 Sequoia)
- Chip architecture: Both Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and Intel Macs are supported — but you need to download the correct build for your specific chip. Installing the wrong one will fail or fall back to slow emulation.
- RAM: Same as Windows — 4GB minimum, 8GB comfortable for typical use
- Rosetta 2: Required on Apple Silicon Macs if you ever need to run images built for Intel/AMD (x86_64) architecture under emulation — some game server images may need this
Checking your Mac’s chip: Click the Apple menu → About This Mac, and look for a line labeled “Chip” (Apple Silicon) or “Processor” (Intel). Alternatively, run uname -m in Terminal — it returns arm64 on Apple Silicon or x86_64 on Intel.
Why RAM Requirements Matter More Than They Look
The minimums above are genuinely bare-minimum. In practice:
- The background Linux VM itself uses roughly 1.5-2.5GB of RAM before you’ve even started a container
- Add a single game server container, and you’re comfortably past the 4GB minimum on a normal day
- If you’re planning to run multiple game servers simultaneously (say, Minecraft + Valheim), 16GB is a much more realistic target — which lines up with what we recommend in our mini PC hardware guide
Installing Docker Desktop
The process is straightforward on both platforms:
- Download the official installer from Docker’s website, making sure to pick the correct build for your OS and chip architecture
- Run the installer — on Windows, it may prompt to enable WSL 2 automatically; on Mac, you’ll drag the app into Applications
- Launch Docker Desktop and accept the terms
- Wait for the whale icon in your system tray/menu bar to show as running — that means the engine is active and ready
You can verify everything’s working by running:
docker --version
docker run hello-world
If both commands succeed, you’re ready to start pulling game server images.
Getting Started
Now that you know what’s happening under the hood, you’re ready to put it to use. Check out our guides for setting up a Minecraft server or setting up a Valheim server to put your new Docker install to work.