docker container create
Description | Create a new container |
---|---|
Usage | docker container create [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...] |
Aliases | docker create |
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.
Options
Option | Default | Description |
---|---|---|
--add-host | Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (host:ip) | |
--annotation | API 1.43+
Add an annotation to the container (passed through to the OCI runtime) | |
-a, --attach | Attach to STDIN, STDOUT or STDERR | |
--blkio-weight | Block IO (relative weight), between 10 and 1000, or 0 to disable (default 0) | |
--blkio-weight-device | Block IO weight (relative device weight) | |
--cap-add | Add Linux capabilities | |
--cap-drop | Drop Linux capabilities | |
--cgroup-parent | Optional parent cgroup for the container | |
--cgroupns | API 1.41+
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 | Write the container ID to the file | |
--cpu-count | CPU count (Windows only) | |
--cpu-percent | CPU percent (Windows only) | |
--cpu-period | Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) period | |
--cpu-quota | Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) quota | |
--cpu-rt-period | API 1.25+ Limit CPU real-time period in microseconds | |
--cpu-rt-runtime | API 1.25+ Limit CPU real-time runtime in microseconds | |
-c, --cpu-shares | CPU shares (relative weight) | |
--cpus | API 1.25+ Number of CPUs | |
--cpuset-cpus | CPUs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1) | |
--cpuset-mems | MEMs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1) | |
--device | Add a host device to the container | |
--device-cgroup-rule | Add a rule to the cgroup allowed devices list | |
--device-read-bps | Limit read rate (bytes per second) from a device | |
--device-read-iops | Limit read rate (IO per second) from a device | |
--device-write-bps | Limit write rate (bytes per second) to a device | |
--device-write-iops | Limit write rate (IO per second) to a device | |
--disable-content-trust | true | Skip image verification |
--dns | Set custom DNS servers | |
--dns-option | Set DNS options | |
--dns-search | Set custom DNS search domains | |
--domainname | Container NIS domain name | |
--entrypoint | Overwrite the default ENTRYPOINT of the image | |
-e, --env | Set environment variables | |
--env-file | Read in a file of environment variables | |
--expose | Expose a port or a range of ports | |
--gpus | API 1.40+ GPU devices to add to the container ('all' to pass all GPUs) | |
--group-add | Add additional groups to join | |
--health-cmd | Command to run to check health | |
--health-interval | Time between running the check (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s) | |
--health-retries | Consecutive failures needed to report unhealthy | |
--health-start-interval | API 1.44+
Time between running the check during the start period (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s) | |
--health-start-period | API 1.29+
Start period for the container to initialize before starting health-retries countdown (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s) | |
--health-timeout | Maximum time to allow one check to run (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s) | |
--help | Print usage | |
-h, --hostname | Container host name | |
--init | API 1.25+
Run an init inside the container that forwards signals and reaps processes | |
-i, --interactive | Keep STDIN open even if not attached | |
--io-maxbandwidth | Maximum IO bandwidth limit for the system drive (Windows only) | |
--io-maxiops | Maximum IOps limit for the system drive (Windows only) | |
--ip | IPv4 address (e.g., 172.30.100.104) | |
--ip6 | IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::33) | |
--ipc | IPC mode to use | |
--isolation | Container isolation technology | |
--kernel-memory | Kernel memory limit | |
-l, --label | Set meta data on a container | |
--label-file | Read in a line delimited file of labels | |
--link | Add link to another container | |
--link-local-ip | Container IPv4/IPv6 link-local addresses | |
--log-driver | Logging driver for the container | |
--log-opt | Log driver options | |
--mac-address | Container MAC address (e.g., 92:d0:c6:0a:29:33) | |
-m, --memory | Memory limit | |
--memory-reservation | Memory soft limit | |
--memory-swap | Swap limit equal to memory plus swap: '-1' to enable unlimited swap | |
--memory-swappiness | -1 | Tune container memory swappiness (0 to 100) |
--mount | Attach a filesystem mount to the container | |
--name | Assign a name to the container | |
--network | Connect a container to a network | |
--network-alias | Add network-scoped alias for the container | |
--no-healthcheck | Disable any container-specified HEALTHCHECK | |
--oom-kill-disable | Disable OOM Killer | |
--oom-score-adj | Tune host's OOM preferences (-1000 to 1000) | |
--pid | PID namespace to use | |
--pids-limit | Tune container pids limit (set -1 for unlimited) | |
--platform | API 1.32+ Set platform if server is multi-platform capable | |
--privileged | Give extended privileges to this container | |
-p, --publish | Publish a container's port(s) to the host | |
-P, --publish-all | Publish all exposed ports to random ports | |
--pull | 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 | no | Restart policy to apply when a container exits |
--rm | Automatically remove the container and its associated anonymous volumes when it exits | |
--runtime | Runtime to use for this container | |
--security-opt | Security Options | |
--shm-size | Size of /dev/shm | |
--stop-signal | Signal to stop the container | |
--stop-timeout | API 1.25+ Timeout (in seconds) to stop a container | |
--storage-opt | Storage driver options for the container | |
--sysctl | Sysctl options | |
--tmpfs | Mount a tmpfs directory | |
-t, --tty | Allocate a pseudo-TTY | |
--ulimit | Ulimit options | |
-u, --user | Username or UID (format: <name|uid>[:<group|gid>]) | |
--userns | User namespace to use | |
--uts | UTS namespace to use | |
-v, --volume | Bind mount a volume | |
--volume-driver | Optional volume driver for the container | |
--volumes-from | Mount volumes from the specified container(s) | |
-w, --workdir | Working directory inside the container |
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