Introduction

The LFG Node CLI runs your workloads inside Docker. When your machine is carrying an old Docker build, the node software can refuse to start and you will see a message that the installed Docker version is not compatible with the LFG Node software. The fix is to stop the node, update Docker to the current release, and bring the node back online.

This guide covers the full cycle: stopping your node and Docker, updating Docker to the latest version, and restarting both. The steps below are written for the LFG Node software requirement of Ubuntu Linux 22.04 or higher with Docker Engine.

Prior Knowledge

Before you start, it helps to be familiar with these articles:

You will run these commands on the same machine that hosts your node, either directly or over SSH. Run them as root or with sudo.

Step 1: Check Your Current Docker Version

First, confirm which version of Docker is installed so you know whether an update is needed. Run:

docker --version

If the version is behind the current Docker Engine release (for example, an older build such as 19.03.x), it is too old for the LFG Node software and should be updated. You can also confirm your node version at any time with lfgnode version.

Step 2: Stop Your Node and Docker

Stop the node so its workloads shut down cleanly before you touch Docker:

lfgnode stop

Confirm the node is no longer active:

lfgnode status

Then stop the Docker service itself:

sudo systemctl stop docker

Step 3: Update Docker

Run the command below to update Docker. It disables the running service, removes the old Docker packages, re-adds the official Docker repository, and installs the latest version of Docker Engine. Copy the whole block and run it as one command:

sudo systemctl disable --now docker; \
sudo apt-get purge docker.io docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io -y; \
sudo apt-get update; \
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl -y; \
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings; \
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc; \
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc; \
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null; \
sudo apt-get update; \
sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y

The install may take a few minutes. Let it finish before moving on.

Step 4: Verify the Update

Check the Docker version again to confirm the new release is in place:

docker --version

You should now see a current Docker Engine build rather than the old version from Step 1.

Step 5: Restart Docker and Your Node

Make sure the Docker service is enabled and running:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Start your node again:

lfgnode start

Confirm the node is healthy:

lfgnode status

For a fuller view of your node and its workloads, run lfgnode info. Once the status reports the node as active, the update is complete and your node is back online.

Still Having Issues?

If the node still will not start after updating Docker, you can reinstall Docker and the LFG Node CLI together by re-running the official LFG installation script, which always pulls the latest Linux, Docker, and node updates:

wget -O lfg.sh https://link.lfg.inc/lfgnode-linux-script && chmod +x lfg.sh && bash lfg.sh

If prompted to restart services, select all and press Ok. If the problem continues, reach out through the LFG Support Center or contact our team with your node address and the error message you are seeing.

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