diff --git a/docker-deploy/hosts-setup.sh b/docker-deploy/hosts-setup.sh
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..f22f04711
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker-deploy/hosts-setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+#! /bin/bash
+### Group, user and folder creation
+## Add  docker group if not exists
+echo "Adding group 'docker'"
+groupadd -f docker
+##
+echo "Add user 'fate'"
+useradd -s /bin/bash -g docker -d /home/fate -m fate
+## Set the password
+echo "Set password for 'fate'"
+passwd fate
+mkdir -p /data/projects/fate
+## change ownership
+chown -R fate:docker /data/projects/fate
+
+#### (Re)Install Docker with latest engine and compose plugin
+## snap is not suitable since it requires docker-compose.yml file on  Home tree
+## apt version does not support  composer plugin (may be for Ubuntu 20.04) but this causes denial of "docker compose" 
+## form present in FATE scripts and allows only "docker-compose"
+
+# remove the existing docker and compose
+for pkg in docker.io docker-doc docker-compose podman-docker containerd runc; do sudo apt-get remove $pkg; done
+sudo snap remove docker 
+#sudo snap remove docker --purge  //to save time by avoiding saving the snapshot
+
+
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg
+
+#install keys for repository
+sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
+curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
+sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
+
+#add repository
+echo \
+  "deb [arch="$(dpkg --print-architecture)" signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
+  "$(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME")" stable" | \
+  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
+
+#update and install the latest version
+sudo apt-get update
+sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin