How to Continue a Docker Container Which has Exited

Docker containers have reformed how programming is developed, deployed, and managed, offering unmatched productivity and consistency across various conditions. In any case, overseeing containers, particularly when they’ve exited, requires a nuanced way to deal with guarantee smooth tasks. At the point when a Docker container exits, it implies the interaction it was running has stopped. This could occur because of different reasons like getting done with its responsibility, experiencing an error, or being manually stopped by a client.

However, it’s fundamental to comprehend the reason why the container exited in any case to forestall a repeat of comparable issues. Proper logging and checking of containerized applications can help recognize and troubleshoot the fundamental issues. Also, taking on accepted procedures for containers the executives, for example, utilizing well-being checks and carrying out agile closure instruments, can improve the dependability and flexibility of Dockerized conditions. By dominating the procedures for overseeing exited Docker containers, you can guarantee the consistent activity of your containerized applications and augment the advantages of container innovation.

In this guide, we will direct you on how to run a docker container and we can interact and attach to the running container in the end.

Understanding of Primary Terminologies

  • Containers: is an industry-standard center container runtime that gives the essential usefulness to overseeing holders on a framework. It handles the holder lifecycle the executives, picture move, and capacity. Although Docker now employs its own container runtime, the container runtime that Docker initially used was contained.
  • Docker Image: An image that is a lightweight and standalone, executable package that contains everything needed to run and delivery the packages everywhere and it is a platform independent.
  • Amazon Web Services: AWS abbreviated as Amazon Web Services is a cloud provider, it provides a cloud computing platform and it offers cloud services like EC2, RDS, ELB, ASG, etc… globally to every corner of the world over the internet.
  • EC2 instance: EC2 is an Elastic Cloud compute one of the AWS services that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. EC2 instance is a Virtual server that can be rented from AWS to run our software. This allows you to scale up and down your computing capacity as you need.

What is Docker?

Docker is a digital lunchbox that holds apps and all the stuff they need to work.it makes apps easy to carry and run on different computers.

  • docker simplifies the process of building and shipping and running applications easily.
  • docker includes all necessary dependencies needed to run the application efficiently.
  • this makes it easier for developers and operations team to collaborate effectively.
  • so, it reduces the infrastructure costs and delivers software reliable and quickly across different environment.
  • docker is an open source platform for developing and running and shipping applications and softwares,products.

Docker containers share the host system’s kernel, making them more lightweight and efficient.Docker utilizes operating-system-level virtualization to create isolated environments called containers.

Docker provides a range of features and tools to streamline the containerization process, including Docker Engine, which is the runtime that executes containers; Docker Hub, a cloud-based registry for sharing and distributing container images; Docker Compose, a tool for defining and managing multi-container applications; and Docker Swarm and Kubernetes for orchestrating and scaling containerized applications across clusters of machines.

What is Docker Container?

Docker containers are merely as Virtual Machines. A Docker container is a lightweight, independent, executable bundle that contains everything expected to run a piece of programming, including the code, runtime, framework instruments, libraries, and settings. It is made from a Docker image, which fills in as an outline for the container.

Containers are isolated conditions that sudden spike in demand for top of a host operating system, imparting the part to different Containers and the host framework. This isolation guarantees that containers are convenient across various conditions and can run reliably no matter what the basic infrastructure.

What Is a Exited Container?

Exited container is also a docker container which actually was a previous running and executing docker container. unfortunately it should be stopped for some reason whether the process running inside the docker container may completed it execution or else it may face or encounter some error inside the container.

  • we can list out the exited docker container by using filter and set state as exited it will show all exited containers.
  • we can also again start these exited containers by using docker start command.

How to Run A Exited Docker Container? A Step-By-Step Guide

Step 1: Login into AWS console

Step 2: Launch EC2 instance

  • Launch the EC2 instance with amazon linux AMI and select instance type and configured VPC,security groups
  • root volume gp2 with 8Gb memory.
  • allow ssh port 22 and https port 443
  • finally, connect the instance through CLI terminal with ssh command
ssh -i keypair ec2-user@public-IP

Step 3: Install and start Docker

  • install the docker with the help of yum
sudo yum install -y docker

  • Start and enable the docker to use docker services with systemctl
  • Set the read and write permissions to the docker socket
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo chmod 666 /var/run/docker.sock

Step 4: List out the Stopped / Exited Container

  • First we need to verify and identify the existed containers which you want to run or restart the containers.
  • you can do this by executing the following command in your terminal.
docker ps -a --filter "status=exited"

Step 5: Note Container ID or Name

  • There,you can see the existed containers and the containers are in stopped stage.
  • From the list of exited containers, note down the Container ID or the name of the containers which you want to restart.

Step 6: Start the stopped or Existed Container

  • When you identified the existed containers, you can start it using the following command.
docker start  <Container ID or Name>
  • Replace the Container ID or Name with docker container ID and names

Step 7: Verify the running containers

  • After start or run your docker containers, you can verify the running docker containers status to make sure if it is in running stage by the following command
docker ps

  • It will show the all running containers

Step 8: Attach to the Container

  • We can interact with the listed container and can do some operations in containers shell.
  • To associate with the container’s shell or view its result, you can append to it utilizing the accompanying order.

  • We have Successfully run the exited container.

Run Exited Docker Container – FAQs

What is docker container?

Docker container is a standalone, lightweight executable package of software it includes everything we need to deploy or host our product or application.

  • docker containers are similar to Virtual Machines VMs.

How do I manage Docker containers?

To manage the docker containers there are several commands for managing containers, such as

  • to list out the running containers
docker ps
  • to run a stopped docker container
docker start <container_name>
  • to stop the docker container
docker stop <container ID>
  • to remove a docker container
docker rm <container ID>

How can we pull a Docker images from docker registry?

you can pull docker images from docker hub or docker registry you simply follow the below command

docker pull <image name>

for example:

docker pull ubuntu

How do I create a Docker container?

If you want to create docker container, first you need to pull docker image from docker registry. with this docker image you can create the docker container. for this execute or run the command using docker

 docker run --name <container_name> <image_name>