Why do I need Docker for Laravel?

I am new to Laravel development, and I spent the last 5 hours trying to get a Laravel project up and running using Docker (which apparently is obligatory). Every single time I try to create a new Laravel project using the provided curl cmd, it says Docker is not running although it is. Literally spent the last hour browsing the internet for possible solutions, but nothing works.

Why do I have to install Docker, Debian & co on my Windows 10 machine for Laravel development?

source https://stackoverflow.com/questions/67852654/why-do-i-need-docker-for-laravel