Ways to enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop

Table of contents

This page outlines the different methods for enforcing sign-in for Docker Desktop.

Registry key method (Windows only)

Note

The registry key method is available with Docker Desktop version 4.32 and later.

To enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop on Windows, you can configure a registry key that specifies your organization's allowed users. The following steps guide you through creating and deploying the registry key to enforce this policy:

  1. Create the registry key. Your new key should look like the following:

    $ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Docker\Docker Desktop

  2. Create a multi-string value allowedOrgs.

    Important

    Only one entry for allowedOrgs is currently supported. If you add more than one value, sign-in enforcement silently fails.

  3. Use your organization's name, all lowercase as string data.

  4. Restart Docker Desktop.

  5. When Docker Desktop restarts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

In some cases, a system reboot may be necessary for enforcement to take effect.

Note

If a registry key and a registry.json file both exist, the registry key takes precedence.

Example deployment via Group Policy

The following example outlines how to deploy a registry key to enforce sign-in on Docker Desktop using Group Policy. There are multiple ways to deploy this configuration depending on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and management tools.

  1. Create the registry script. Write a script to create the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Docker\Docker Desktop key, add the allowedOrgs multi-string, and then set the value to your organization’s name.
  2. Within Group Policy, create or edit a Group Policy Objective (GPO) that applies to the machines or users you want to target.
  3. Within the GPO, navigate to Computer Configuration and select Preferences.
  4. Select Windows Settings then Registry.
  5. To add the registry item, right-click on the Registry node, select New, and then Registry Item.
  6. Configure the new registry item to match the registry script you created, specifying the action as Update. Make sure you input the correct path, value name (allowedOrgs), and value data (your organization’s name).
  7. Link the GPO to an Organizational Unit (OU) that contains the machines you want to apply this setting to.
  8. Test the GPO on a small set of machines first to ensure it behaves as expected. You can use the gpupdate /force command on a test machine to manually refresh its group policy settings and check the registry to confirm the changes.
  9. Once verified, you can proceed with broader deployment. Monitor the deployment to ensure the settings are applied correctly across the organization's computers.

plist method (Mac only)

Note

The plist method is available with Docker Desktop version 4.32 and later.

To enforce sign-in for Docker Desktop on macOS, you can use a plist file that defines the required settings. The following steps guide you through the process of creating and deploying the necessary plist file to enforce this policy:

  1. Create the file /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/desktop.plist.

  2. Open desktop.plist in a text editor and add the following content, where myorg is replaced with your organization’s name all lowercase:

    <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
      <key>allowedOrgs</key>
      <array>
          <string>myorg</string>
      </array>
  </dict>
</plist>

    Important

    Only one entry for allowedOrgs is currently supported. If you add more than one value, sign-in enforcement silently fails.

  3. Modify the file permissions to ensure the file cannot be edited by any non-administrator users.

  4. Restart Docker Desktop.

  5. When Docker Desktop restarts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

Note

If a plist and registry.json file both exist, the plist file takes precedence.

Example deployment

The following example outlines how to create and distribute the plist file to enforce sign-in on Docker Desktop. There are multiple ways to deploy this configuration depending on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and management tools.

  1. Follow the steps previously outlined to create the desktop.plist file.
  2. Use an MDM tool like Jamf or Fleet to distribute the desktop.plist file to /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/ on target macOS devices.
  3. Through the MDM tool, set the file permissions to permit editing by administrators only.
  1. Create a Bash script that can check for the existence of the .plist file in the correct directory, create or modify it as needed, and set the appropriate permissions. Include commands in your script to:
    • Navigate to the /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/ directory or create it if it doesn't exist.
    • Use the defaults command to write the required keys and values to the desktop.plist file. For example: 
      $ defaults write /Library/Application\ Support/com.docker.docker/desktop.plist allowedOrgs -string "myorg"
    • Change permissions of the plist file to restrict editing, using chmod and possibly chown to set the owner to root or another administrator account, ensuring it can't be easily modified by unauthorized users.
  2. Before deploying the script across the organization, test it on a local macOS machine to ensure it behaves as expected. Pay attention to directory paths, permissions, and the successful application of plist settings.
  3. Ensure that you have the capability to execute scripts remotely on macOS devices. This might involve setting up SSH access or using a remote support tool that supports macOS.
  4. Use a method of remote script execution that fits your organization's infrastructure. Options include:
    • SSH: If SSH is enabled on the target machines, you can use it to execute the script remotely. This method requires knowledge of the device's IP address and appropriate credentials.
    • Remote support tool: For organizations using a remote support tool, you can add the script to a task and execute it across all selected machines.
  5. Ensure the script is running as expected on all targeted devices. You may have to check log files or implement logging within the script itself to report its success or failure.

registry.json method (All)

The following instructions explain how to create and deploy a registry.json file to a single device. There are many ways to deploy the registry.json file. You can follow the example deployments outlined in the .plist file section. The method you choose is dependent on your organization's infrastructure, security policies, and the administrative rights of the end-users.

Option 1: Create a registry.json file to enforce sign-in

  1. Ensure the user is a member of your organization in Docker. For more details, see Manage members.

  2. Create the registry.json file.

    Based on the user's operating system, create a file named registry.json at the following location and make sure the file can't be edited by the user.

    Platform Location
    Windows /ProgramData/DockerDesktop/registry.json
    Mac /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json
    Linux /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

  3. Specify your organization in the registry.json file.

    Open the registry.json file in a text editor and add the following contents, where myorg is replaced with your organization’s name. The file contents are case-sensitive and you must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

    {
"allowedOrgs": ["myorg"]
}

    Important

    Only one entry for allowedOrgs is currently supported. If you add more than one value, sign-in enforcement silently fails.

  4. Verify that sign-in is enforced.

    To activate the registry.json file, restart Docker Desktop on the user’s machine. When Docker Desktop starts, verify that the Sign in required! prompt appears.

    In some cases, a system reboot may be necessary for the enforcement to take effect.

    Tip

    If your users have issues starting Docker Desktop after you enforce sign-in, they may need to update to the latest version.

Option 2: Create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop

To create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop, use the following instructions based on your user's operating system.

To automatically create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop, download Docker Desktop Installer.exe and run one of the following commands from the directory containing Docker Desktop Installer.exe. Replace myorg with your organization's name. You must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

If you're using PowerShell:

PS> Start-Process '.\Docker Desktop Installer.exe' -Wait 'install --allowed-org=myorg'

If you're using the Windows Command Prompt:

C:\Users\Admin> "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" install --allowed-org=myorg

To automatically create a registry.json file when installing Docker Desktop, download Docker.dmg and run the following commands in a terminal from the directory containing Docker.dmg. Replace myorg with your organization's name. You must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

$ sudo hdiutil attach Docker.dmg
$ sudo /Volumes/Docker/Docker.app/Contents/MacOS/install --allowed-org=myorg
$ sudo hdiutil detach /Volumes/Docker

Option 3: Create a registry.json file using the command line

To create a registry.json using the command line, use the following instructions based on your user's operating system.

To use the CLI to create a registry.json file, run the following PowerShell command as an administrator and replace myorg with your organization's name. The file contents are case-sensitive and you must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

PS>  Set-Content /ProgramData/DockerDesktop/registry.json '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}'

This creates the registry.json file at C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop\registry.json and includes the organization information the user belongs to. Make sure that the user can't edit this file, but only the administrator can:

PS C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop> Get-Acl .\registry.json


    Directory: C:\ProgramData\DockerDesktop


Path          Owner                  Access
----          -----                  ------
registry.json BUILTIN\Administrators NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM Allow  FullControl...

To use the CLI to create a registry.json file, run the following commands in a terminal and replace myorg with your organization's name. The file contents are case-sensitive and you must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

$ sudo mkdir -p "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker"
$ echo '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}' | sudo tee "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"

This creates (or updates, if the file already exists) the registry.json file at /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json and includes the organization information the user belongs to. Make sure that the file has the expected content, and that the user can't edit this file, but only the administrator can.

Verify that the content of the file contains the correct information:

$ sudo cat "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"
{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}

Verify that the file has the expected permissions (-rw-r--r--) and ownership (root and admin):

$ sudo ls -l "/Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json"
-rw-r--r--  1 root  admin  26 Jul 27 22:01 /Library/Application Support/com.docker.docker/registry.json

To use the CLI to create a registry.json file, run the following commands in a terminal and replace myorg with your organization's name. The file contents are case-sensitive and you must use lowercase letters for your organization's name.

$ sudo mkdir -p /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry
$ echo '{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}' | sudo tee /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

This creates (or updates, if the file already exists) the registry.json file at /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json and includes the organization information to which the user belongs. Make sure the file has the expected content and that the user can't edit this file, only the root can.

Verify that the content of the file contains the correct information:

$ sudo cat /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json
{"allowedOrgs":["myorg"]}

Verify that the file has the expected permissions (-rw-r--r--) and ownership (root):

$ sudo ls -l /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json
-rw-r--r--  1 root  root  26 Jul 27 22:01 /usr/share/docker-desktop/registry/registry.json

More resources