DockerCLI/docs/reference/commandline/container_create.md

39 KiB

create

Create a new container

Aliases

docker container create, docker create

Options

Name Type Default Description
--add-host list Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (host:ip)
--annotation map map[] Add an annotation to the container (passed through to the OCI runtime)
-a, --attach list Attach to STDIN, STDOUT or STDERR
--blkio-weight uint16 0 Block IO (relative weight), between 10 and 1000, or 0 to disable (default 0)
--blkio-weight-device list Block IO weight (relative device weight)
--cap-add list Add Linux capabilities
--cap-drop list Drop Linux capabilities
--cgroup-parent string Optional parent cgroup for the container
--cgroupns string Cgroup namespace to use (host|private)
'host': Run the container in the Docker host's cgroup namespace
'private': Run the container in its own private cgroup namespace
'': Use the cgroup namespace as configured by the
default-cgroupns-mode option on the daemon (default)
--cidfile string Write the container ID to the file
--cpu-count int64 0 CPU count (Windows only)
--cpu-percent int64 0 CPU percent (Windows only)
--cpu-period int64 0 Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) period
--cpu-quota int64 0 Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) quota
--cpu-rt-period int64 0 Limit CPU real-time period in microseconds
--cpu-rt-runtime int64 0 Limit CPU real-time runtime in microseconds
-c, --cpu-shares int64 0 CPU shares (relative weight)
--cpus decimal Number of CPUs
--cpuset-cpus string CPUs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
--cpuset-mems string MEMs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
--device list Add a host device to the container
--device-cgroup-rule list Add a rule to the cgroup allowed devices list
--device-read-bps list Limit read rate (bytes per second) from a device
--device-read-iops list Limit read rate (IO per second) from a device
--device-write-bps list Limit write rate (bytes per second) to a device
--device-write-iops list Limit write rate (IO per second) to a device
--disable-content-trust Skip image verification
--dns list Set custom DNS servers
--dns-option list Set DNS options
--dns-search list Set custom DNS search domains
--domainname string Container NIS domain name
--entrypoint string Overwrite the default ENTRYPOINT of the image
-e, --env list Set environment variables
--env-file list Read in a file of environment variables
--expose list Expose a port or a range of ports
--gpus gpu-request GPU devices to add to the container ('all' to pass all GPUs)
--group-add list Add additional groups to join
--health-cmd string Command to run to check health
--health-interval duration 0s Time between running the check (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
--health-retries int 0 Consecutive failures needed to report unhealthy
--health-start-interval duration 0s Time between running the check during the start period (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
--health-start-period duration 0s Start period for the container to initialize before starting health-retries countdown (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
--health-timeout duration 0s Maximum time to allow one check to run (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
--help Print usage
-h, --hostname string Container host name
--init Run an init inside the container that forwards signals and reaps processes
-i, --interactive Keep STDIN open even if not attached
--io-maxbandwidth bytes 0 Maximum IO bandwidth limit for the system drive (Windows only)
--io-maxiops uint64 0 Maximum IOps limit for the system drive (Windows only)
--ip string IPv4 address (e.g., 172.30.100.104)
--ip6 string IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::33)
--ipc string IPC mode to use
--isolation string Container isolation technology
--kernel-memory bytes 0 Kernel memory limit
-l, --label list Set meta data on a container
--label-file list Read in a line delimited file of labels
--link list Add link to another container
--link-local-ip list Container IPv4/IPv6 link-local addresses
--log-driver string Logging driver for the container
--log-opt list Log driver options
--mac-address string Container MAC address (e.g., 92:d0:c6:0a:29:33)
-m, --memory bytes 0 Memory limit
--memory-reservation bytes 0 Memory soft limit
--memory-swap bytes 0 Swap limit equal to memory plus swap: '-1' to enable unlimited swap
--memory-swappiness int64 -1 Tune container memory swappiness (0 to 100)
--mount mount Attach a filesystem mount to the container
--name string Assign a name to the container
--network network Connect a container to a network
--network-alias list Add network-scoped alias for the container
--no-healthcheck Disable any container-specified HEALTHCHECK
--oom-kill-disable Disable OOM Killer
--oom-score-adj int 0 Tune host's OOM preferences (-1000 to 1000)
--pid string PID namespace to use
--pids-limit int64 0 Tune container pids limit (set -1 for unlimited)
--platform string Set platform if server is multi-platform capable
--privileged Give extended privileges to this container
-p, --publish list Publish a container's port(s) to the host
-P, --publish-all Publish all exposed ports to random ports
--pull string missing Pull image before creating (always, |missing, never)
-q, --quiet Suppress the pull output
--read-only Mount the container's root filesystem as read only
--restart string no Restart policy to apply when a container exits
--rm Automatically remove the container when it exits
--runtime string Runtime to use for this container
--security-opt list Security Options
--shm-size bytes 0 Size of /dev/shm
--stop-signal string Signal to stop the container
--stop-timeout int 0 Timeout (in seconds) to stop a container
--storage-opt list Storage driver options for the container
--sysctl map map[] Sysctl options
--tmpfs list Mount a tmpfs directory
-t, --tty Allocate a pseudo-TTY
--ulimit ulimit Ulimit options
-u, --user string Username or UID (format: <name|uid>[:<group|gid>])
--userns string User namespace to use
--uts string UTS namespace to use
-v, --volume list Bind mount a volume
--volume-driver string Optional volume driver for the container
--volumes-from list Mount volumes from the specified container(s)
-w, --workdir string Working directory inside the container

Description

The docker container create (or shorthand: docker create) command creates a new container from the specified image, without starting it.

When creating a container, the Docker daemon 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 container start (or shorthand: docker start) 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's ready to start when you need it. The initial status of the new container is created.

The docker create command shares most of its options with the docker run command (which performs a docker create before starting it). Refer to the docker run CLI reference for details on the available flags and options.

Examples

Create and start a container

The following example creates an interactive container with a pseudo-TTY attached, then starts the container and attaches to it:

$ docker container create -i -t --name mycontainer alpine
6d8af538ec541dd581ebc2a24153a28329acb5268abe5ef868c1f1a261221752

$ docker container start --attach -i mycontainer
/ # echo hello world
hello world

The above is the equivalent of a docker run:

$ docker run -it --name mycontainer2 alpine
/ # echo hello world
hello world

Initialize volumes

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