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title = "create"
description = "The create command description and usage"
keywords = ["docker, create, container"]
[menu.main]
parent = "smn_cli"
weight=1
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<![end-metadata]-->

# create

Creates a new container.

    Usage: docker create [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...]

    Create a new container

      -a, --attach=[]            Attach to STDIN, STDOUT or STDERR
      --add-host=[]              Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (host:ip)
      --blkio-weight=0           Block IO weight (relative weight)
      -c, --cpu-shares=0         CPU shares (relative weight)
      --cap-add=[]               Add Linux capabilities
      --cap-drop=[]              Drop Linux capabilities
      --cgroup-parent=""         Optional parent cgroup for the container
      --cidfile=""               Write the container ID to the file
      --cpu-period=0             Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) period
      --cpu-quota=0              Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) quota
      --cpuset-cpus=""           CPUs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      --cpuset-mems=""           Memory nodes (MEMs) in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      --device=[]                Add a host device to the container
      --dns=[]                   Set custom DNS servers
      --dns-search=[]            Set custom DNS search domains
      -e, --env=[]               Set environment variables
      --entrypoint=""            Overwrite the default ENTRYPOINT of the image
      --env-file=[]              Read in a file of environment variables
      --expose=[]                Expose a port or a range of ports
      -h, --hostname=""          Container host name
      --help=false               Print usage
      -i, --interactive=false    Keep STDIN open even if not attached
      --ipc=""                   IPC namespace to use
      -l, --label=[]             Set metadata on the container (e.g., --label=com.example.key=value)
      --label-file=[]            Read in a line delimited file of labels
      --link=[]                  Add link to another container
      --log-driver=""            Logging driver for container
      --log-opt=[]               Log driver specific options
      --lxc-conf=[]              Add custom lxc options
      -m, --memory=""            Memory limit
      --mac-address=""           Container MAC address (e.g. 92:d0:c6:0a:29:33)
      --memory-swap=""           Total memory (memory + swap), '-1' to disable swap
      --memory-swappiness=""     Tune a container's memory swappiness behavior. Accepts an integer between 0 and 100.
      --name=""                  Assign a name to the container
      --net="bridge"             Set the Network mode for the container
      --oom-kill-disable=false   Whether to disable OOM Killer for the container or not
      -P, --publish-all=false    Publish all exposed ports to random ports
      -p, --publish=[]           Publish a container's port(s) to the host
      --pid=""                   PID namespace to use
      --privileged=false         Give extended privileges to this container
      --read-only=false          Mount the container's root filesystem as read only
      --restart="no"             Restart policy (no, on-failure[:max-retry], always)
      --security-opt=[]          Security options
      -t, --tty=false            Allocate a pseudo-TTY
      -u, --user=""              Username or UID
      --ulimit=[]                Ulimit options
      --uts=""                   UTS namespace to use
      -v, --volume=[]            Bind mount a volume
      --volumes-from=[]          Mount volumes from the specified container(s)
      -w, --workdir=""           Working directory inside the container

The `docker create` command creates a writeable container layer over the
specified image and prepares it for running the specified command.  The
container ID is then printed to `STDOUT`.  This is similar to `docker run -d`
except the container is never started.  You can then use the 
`docker start <container_id>` command to start the container at any point.

This is useful when you want to set up a container configuration ahead of time
so that it is ready to start when you need it. The initial status of the
new container is `created`.

Please see the [run command](/reference/commandline/run) section and the [Docker run reference](
/reference/run/) for more details.

## Examples

    $ docker create -t -i fedora bash
    6d8af538ec541dd581ebc2a24153a28329acb5268abe5ef868c1f1a261221752
    $ docker start -a -i 6d8af538ec5
    bash-4.2#

As of v1.4.0 container volumes are initialized during the `docker create` phase
(i.e., `docker run` too). For example, this allows you to `create` the `data`
volume container, and then use it from another container:

    $ docker create -v /data --name data ubuntu
    240633dfbb98128fa77473d3d9018f6123b99c454b3251427ae190a7d951ad57
    $ docker run --rm --volumes-from data ubuntu ls -la /data
    total 8
    drwxr-xr-x  2 root root 4096 Dec  5 04:10 .
    drwxr-xr-x 48 root root 4096 Dec  5 04:11 ..

Similarly, `create` a host directory bind mounted volume container, which can
then be used from the subsequent container:

    $ docker create -v /home/docker:/docker --name docker ubuntu
    9aa88c08f319cd1e4515c3c46b0de7cc9aa75e878357b1e96f91e2c773029f03
    $ docker run --rm --volumes-from docker ubuntu ls -la /docker
    total 20
    drwxr-sr-x  5 1000 staff  180 Dec  5 04:00 .
    drwxr-xr-x 48 root root  4096 Dec  5 04:13 ..
    -rw-rw-r--  1 1000 staff 3833 Dec  5 04:01 .ash_history
    -rw-r--r--  1 1000 staff  446 Nov 28 11:51 .ashrc
    -rw-r--r--  1 1000 staff   25 Dec  5 04:00 .gitconfig
    drwxr-sr-x  3 1000 staff   60 Dec  1 03:28 .local
    -rw-r--r--  1 1000 staff  920 Nov 28 11:51 .profile
    drwx--S---  2 1000 staff  460 Dec  5 00:51 .ssh
    drwxr-xr-x 32 1000 staff 1140 Dec  5 04:01 docker