A Vagrantfile to start an Ubuntu Docker Host with the docker socket exposed on 192.168.56.10:2375

Vagrantfile

# -*- mode: ruby -*-
# vi: set ft=ruby :

# All Vagrant configuration is done below. The "2" in Vagrant.configure
# configures the configuration version (we support older styles for
# backwards compatibility). Please don't change it unless you know what
# you're doing.

HOSTNAME='dockerhost.local'

Vagrant.configure("2") do |config|
  config.vm.hostname = HOSTNAME
  # The most common configuration options are documented and commented below.
  # For a complete reference, please see the online documentation at
  # https://docs.vagrantup.com.

  # Every Vagrant development environment requires a box. You can search for
  # boxes at https://vagrantcloud.com/search.
  config.vm.box = "ubuntu/focal64"

  # Disable automatic box update checking. If you disable this, then
  # boxes will only be checked for updates when the user runs
  # `vagrant box outdated`. This is not recommended.
  # config.vm.box_check_update = false

  # Create a forwarded port mapping which allows access to a specific port
  # within the machine from a port on the host machine. In the example below,
  # accessing "localhost:8080" will access port 80 on the guest machine.
  # NOTE: This will enable public access to the opened port
  # config.vm.network "forwarded_port", guest: 80, host: 8080

  # Create a forwarded port mapping which allows access to a specific port
  # within the machine from a port on the host machine and only allow access
  # via 127.0.0.1 to disable public access
  # config.vm.network "forwarded_port", guest: 80, host: 8080, host_ip: "127.0.0.1"

  # Create a private network, which allows host-only access to the machine
  # using a specific IP.
  config.vm.network "private_network", ip: "192.168.56.10"
  config.vm.network 'forwarded_port', guest: 2375, host: 2375, id: 'dockerd'

  # Create a public network, which generally matched to bridged network.
  # Bridged networks make the machine appear as another physical device on
  # your network.
  # config.vm.network "public_network"

  # Share an additional folder to the guest VM. The first argument is
  # the path on the host to the actual folder. The second argument is
  # the path on the guest to mount the folder. And the optional third
  # argument is a set of non-required options.
  # config.vm.synced_folder "./", "/vagrant_data"
  config.vm.synced_folder "~/.aws", "/shared/.aws"
  config.vm.synced_folder "~/.ssh", "/shared/.ssh"

  # Provider-specific configuration so you can fine-tune various
  # backing providers for Vagrant. These expose provider-specific options.
  # Example for VirtualBox:
  #
  # config.vm.provider "virtualbox" do |vb|
  #   # Display the VirtualBox GUI when booting the machine
  #   vb.gui = true
  #
  #   # Customize the amount of memory on the VM:
  #   vb.memory = "1024"
  # end
  #
  # View the documentation for the provider you are using for more
  # information on available options.

  # Enable provisioning with a shell script. Additional provisioners such as
  # Ansible, Chef, Docker, Puppet and Salt are also available. Please see the
  # documentation for more information about their specific syntax and use.
  config.vm.provision "shell" do |s|
    ssh_pub_key = File.open("#{Dir.home}/.ssh/id_rsa.pub", "rb").read
    ssh_prv_key = File.open("#{Dir.home}/.ssh/id_rsa", "rb").read
    local_username = ENV['USER'].downcase
    workspace_dir = Dir.pwd
    workspace_dir.slice! Dir.home

    s.inline = <<-SHELL
      apt-get update -y && apt upgrade -y
      apt-get install -y install virtualbox-guest-dkms ntp ntpdate
  
      # SETUP DOCKER WITH SOCKET EXPOSED ON PORT 2375
      wget -qO- https://get.docker.com/ | sh
      echo '{"hosts": ["tcp://0.0.0.0:2375", "unix:///var/run/docker.sock"]}' > /etc/docker/daemon.json
      mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d
      echo "[Service]
      ExecStart=
      ExecStart=/usr/bin/dockerd
      " > /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/override.conf
      systemctl daemon-reload
      systemctl restart docker.service

      # SETUP THE USER
      echo "#{ssh_pub_key}" >> "/home/vagrant/.ssh/authorized_keys"
      echo "#{ssh_prv_key}" >> "/home/vagrant/.ssh/id_rsa"
      ln -s /shared/.aws "/home/vagrant/.aws"
      ln -s "/vagrant" "/home/vagrant/#{workspace_dir}"

      ln -s /home /Users
      ln -s /home/vagrant "/home/#{local_username}"

      usermod -a -G docker vagrant

      # Extras
      bash <(curl -Ss https://my-netdata.io/kickstart.sh)
    SHELL
  end
  config.vm.provider "virtualbox" do |v|
    v.name = HOSTNAME
    v.memory = 8192
    v.cpus = 4
  end
end

I have a folder in my mac's home dir called 'Work'. Many people have one called 'workplaces' or something. We will call this "Workspace".

1. Install vagrant and virtualbox on your Mac
2. Put this Vagrantfile in that Workspace directory so the Workspace dir is the scope of the shared files between your Mac and your Docker Host.
3. From the Workspace directory run vagrant up and your docker host VM will be created.

The docker host will have the Workspace folder shared as well as your ~/.aws directory and your public key (~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub) will be copied across to authorized_hosts. So you can shell in, but as the user vagrant

This docker host is at 192.168.56.10 and the docker socket is exposed on port 2375

So, add export DOCKER_HOST=tcp://192.168.56.10:2375 to your shell to use this docker host instead of Docker Desktop. You can add that line to ~/.ssh/bashrc so it's permanently set.

You should be able to ssh into vagrant@192.168.56.10 and be able to run docker ps to see the containers running on that host (none for now).