Quick Start with Docker Extension 
The Docker Extension for Meshery extends Docker Desktopβs position as the developerβs go-to Kubernetes environment with easy access to full the capabilities of Mesheryβs collaborative cloud native management features.
Prerequisites
- You need Docker Desktop version of 4.10 or higher for this.
- This document applies only when Docker Desktop uses kubeadm with Kubernetes enabled. If you are using kind, please refer to the Kind section.
Install the Docker Meshery Extension
Select one of the following three options to install the Docker Meshery Extension:
Using Docker Desktop
Navigate to the Extensions marketplace of Docker Desktop. Search for Meshery and click the Install button to install the extension.
Click Open when installation is done or click Meshery on the left under Extensions.
Click Login to open the Layer5 Cloud login page. Login or Sign up and you will be redirected back to Docker Desktop.
Finally, click Launch Meshery to load Meshery Dashboard on a browser window. It runs at http://localhost:9081/ by default.
You can also open http://localhost:9081/ directly on a browser on the local machine after installing the Docker extension and complete the Layer5 Cloud login process to achieve the same result.
Using Docker Hub
Another way to install the Meshery Docker Extension is from the Docker Hub. Navigate to the Meshery Docker Extension page and click Open in Docker Desktop to get started. Once installed, the rest of the process is same as above.
Using Docker CLI
Finally, you can also install the Meshery Docker Extension using the Docker CLI. Follow the commands in the clipboard below.
docker extension install meshery/docker-extension-meshery Successfully installed Meshery mesheryctl system dashboard
It runs as a set of one or more containers inside your Docker Desktop virtual machine.
Finally, you can now fully utilize Meshery to manage and monitor your cloud-native infrastructure.
Remove Meshery as a Docker Extension
You can remove the Docker Extension from Docker Desktop interface or from the CLI.
Removing from Docker Desktop
Navigate to Manage under Extensions, click the ellipsis button (three vertical dots) and select Uninstall.
Removing using Docker CLI
To remove the extension from the command line, use the docker extension rm
command.
$ docker extension rm meshery/docker-extension-meshery
Additional Cleanup
There could be redisual Images and Networks to remove after removing/uninstalling the extension. Follow the steps below to do so.
Remove Meshery Images (if necessary)
Meshery pulls Docker images for deploying the extension and there could be additional Meshery/Layer5 images based on how it was configured. You can remove these images using the docker rmi
command. Start by listing all the images and then running the command for each image you want to remove. For example:
$ docker rmi layer5/meshery:stable-latest
Remove Meshery Docker Networks (if necessary)
Meshery creates custom Docker networks, and they could still be left after the extension uninstall. These can be removed using the docker network rm
command. For example:
$ docker network rm meshery_default
Recent Discussions with "meshery" Tag
- May 16 | Contributor Training Session: Meshery UI β May 15th, 2025
- May 16 | Contributor Training Session: E2E Testing in Meshery UI β May 8th, 2025
- May 14 | Meshery Development Meeting | May 14th, 2025
- May 07 | Meshery Development Meeting | May 7th 2025
- Apr 30 | Meshery Development Meeting | April 30th, 2025
- Apr 24 | [Newcomersβ Meeting] Contributor Training Session: Meshery CI / CD β April 24th, 2025
- Apr 23 | Meshery Development Meeting | April 23rd, 2025
- Apr 17 | [Newcomersβ Meeting] End-to-End Testing in Meshery CLI using BATs β April 17, 2025
- Apr 10 | [Newcomers' Meeting] Contributing to Meshery Docs β April 10, 2025
- Apr 16 | Meshery Development Meeting | April 16th, 2025
Suggested Reading
- Docker - Install Meshery on Docker