[GH-ISSUE #2863] Amnezia VPN client fails with ErrorCode 203 during AmneziaWG protocol installation on Debian 13 server until I manually install docker to the server #1302

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opened 2026-10-13 20:39:48 +00:00 by bsakaguchi · 1 comment

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-13 20:39:48 +00:00

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Originally created by @bogser7 on GitHub (Jul 23, 2026).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/amnezia-vpn/amnezia-client/issues/2863

Describe the bug
Amnezia VPN client fails with "ErrorCode 203. Server error: Docker failed" during AmneziaWG protocol installation on Debian 13 server until I manually install docker to the server according to the official docker's manual (https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/).

To Reproduce

Create a fresh Debian 13 VPS.
In Amnezia VPN client choose "Self-hosted VPN" in Connection tab, enter the VPS's IP address, User name, Password, then Continue and Continue.
See the error.

Log files
Amnezia VPN client's log file: AmneziaVPN.log.

Desktop (please complete the following information):

OS: Windows 10

Server (please complete the following information):

OS: Debian 13

Additional context
Seems the problem is that the Amnezia VPN client's docker installation script is obsolete for Debian 13. As I see from the log file the client uses "sudo /usr/bin/apt-get -yq install docker.io" command to install the docker and the next "docker --version" fails with "bash: line 24: docker: command not found". The installation command is not valid for Debian 13, according to https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/ docker should be installed with other batch of commands in case of Debian 13.

Originally created by @bogser7 on GitHub (Jul 23, 2026). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/amnezia-vpn/amnezia-client/issues/2863 **Describe the bug** Amnezia VPN client fails with "ErrorCode 203. Server error: Docker failed" during AmneziaWG protocol installation on Debian 13 server until I manually install docker to the server according to the official docker's manual (https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/). **To Reproduce** 1. Create a fresh Debian 13 VPS. 2. In Amnezia VPN client choose "Self-hosted VPN" in Connection tab, enter the VPS's IP address, User name, Password, then Continue and Continue. 3. See the error. **Log files** Amnezia VPN client's log file: [AmneziaVPN.log](https://github.com/user-attachments/files/30288979/AmneziaVPN.log). **Desktop (please complete the following information):** - OS: Windows 10 **Server (please complete the following information):** - OS: Debian 13 **Additional context** Seems the problem is that the Amnezia VPN client's docker installation script is obsolete for Debian 13. As I see from the log file the client uses "sudo /usr/bin/apt-get -yq install docker.io" command to install the docker and the next "docker --version" fails with "bash: line 24: docker: command not found". The installation command is not valid for Debian 13, according to https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/ docker should be installed with other batch of commands in case of Debian 13.

bsakaguchi commented

2026-10-13 20:39:49 +00:00

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@sun-demon commented on GitHub (Sep 23, 2026):

I hit the same ErrorCode 203, but on Debian 11 (Bullseye). Root cause was different: security.debian.org for Bullseye was dead after EOL, so apt returned 404 on everything and Docker never got installed. Snapshot workaround helped temporarily, but the real fix was upgrading to Debian 12 (Bookworm) — after that Docker installed cleanly and AmneziaWG set up without 203.

Quick Docker check before blaming AmneziaVPN:

command -v docker && docker --version || echo "docker: NOT INSTALLED"
sudo systemctl is-active docker || echo "daemon: NOT RUNNING"
sudo docker run --rm hello-world

If not installed, use the official repo instead of docker.io:

sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<EOF
Types: deb
URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/debian
Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")
Components: stable
Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture)
Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
EOF
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Thanks to 🐋 DeepSeek for helping me trace the EOL repo issue and the upgrade path.

@sun-demon commented on GitHub (Sep 23, 2026): I hit the **same ErrorCode 203**, but on **Debian 11 (Bullseye)**. Root cause was different: `security.debian.org` for Bullseye was dead after EOL, so `apt` returned `404` on everything and Docker never got installed. Snapshot workaround helped temporarily, but the real fix was **upgrading to Debian 12 (Bookworm)** — after that Docker installed cleanly and AmneziaWG set up without 203. Quick Docker check before blaming AmneziaVPN: ```bash command -v docker && docker --version || echo "docker: NOT INSTALLED" sudo systemctl is-active docker || echo "daemon: NOT RUNNING" sudo docker run --rm hello-world ``` If not installed, use the official repo instead of `docker.io`: ```bash sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.sources <<EOF Types: deb URIs: https://download.docker.com/linux/debian Suites: $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") Components: stable Architectures: $(dpkg --print-architecture) Signed-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc EOF sudo apt update sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin sudo systemctl enable --now docker ``` Thanks to 🐋 **DeepSeek** for helping me trace the EOL repo issue and the upgrade path.

bsakaguchi referenced this issue

2026-10-13 21:20:44 +00:00

[PR #1302] [CLOSED] feature: added ui for DefaultVPN #2306