{"id":48381,"date":"2025-02-08T08:18:28","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T08:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=48381"},"modified":"2025-07-12T05:38:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:38:45","slug":"docker-restart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/docker-restart\/","title":{"rendered":"Docker commands Guide – docker restart with examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s a complete tutorial<\/strong> on docker restart<\/code>, covering how it works, a comprehensive list of examples, and practical use cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What is docker restart<\/code>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

docker restart<\/code> is a Docker command used to stop and then start a container<\/strong> with a single command. It\u2019s useful when you want to refresh or troubleshoot<\/strong> a container without deleting it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Stops the container and immediately starts it again.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Maintains the container\u2019s state and data (not affected by the restart).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Helps in debugging<\/strong>, configuration changes<\/strong>, and service recovery<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Basic Syntax<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
    docker<\/span> restart<\/span> [OPTIONS]<\/span> CONTAINER<\/span> [CONTAINER...]<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Common Options:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • -t<\/code>, --time<\/code>: Specify the timeout<\/strong> (in seconds) before forcibly stopping the container. The default timeout is 10 seconds<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Examples of docker restart<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      1. Restart a Running Container<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart my_container\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This stops and restarts my_container<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      2. Restart a Stopped Container<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart stopped_container\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This starts a previously stopped container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      3. Restart Multiple Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart container1 container2 container3\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This command restarts multiple containers simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      4. Restart a Container with a Custom Timeout<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart -t 20 my_container\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This gives the container 20 seconds<\/strong> to stop gracefully before being forcibly stopped and restarted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      5. Restart All Running Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart $(docker ps -q)\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This restarts every running container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      6. Use in a Shell Script<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      #!\/bin\/bash<\/span>\ndocker restart web_container db_container cache_container\necho<\/span> \"Containers restarted successfully.\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This script restarts multiple containers and displays a success message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      7. Restart a Container by ID<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart a1b2c3d4e5f6\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      You can use the container\u2019s ID instead of its name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      8. Restart the Last Created Container<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker restart $(docker ps -lq)\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This restarts the most recently created container.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      9. Restart Containers with Specific Filters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      If you want to restart containers based on their status or name, combine docker ps<\/code> with docker restart<\/code>:<\/p>\n\n\n
      docker restart $(docker ps -q --filter \"status=exited\"<\/span>)\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This restarts all exited containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      10. Automate Restarts for a Monitoring System<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      while<\/span> true<\/span>; do<\/span>\n  docker restart monitoring_container\n  sleep 300<\/span>  # Restart the container every 5 minutes<\/span>\ndone\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This continuously restarts a monitoring container every 5 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Use Cases for docker restart<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      1. Refresh Services<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Restart services to apply configuration changes<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Useful after environment variable updates<\/strong> or software upgrades<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        2. Debugging and Recovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Restart non-responsive containers to recover from errors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Helps resolve temporary network or resource-related issues<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          3. Automated Maintenance<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Schedule periodic container restarts for memory cleanup<\/strong> or log rotation<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Useful in stateless services<\/strong> where frequent restarts won\u2019t disrupt functionality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            4. CI\/CD Pipelines<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Restart containers during continuous integration and deployment<\/strong> to apply changes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              5. Service Dependency Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Restart dependent services in a specific order (e.g., restart the database before restarting the web server).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                6. Development and Testing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Quickly restart containers during development<\/strong> to test changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Common in local development environments<\/strong> using Docker Compose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n
                  List of Common docker restart<\/code> Commands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                  Command<\/strong><\/th>Description<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                  docker restart my_container<\/code><\/td>Restart a single container<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart stopped_container<\/code><\/td>Restart a stopped container<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart container1 container2<\/code><\/td>Restart multiple containers<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart -t 20 my_container<\/code><\/td>Restart a container with a 20-second timeout<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart $(docker ps -q)<\/code><\/td>Restart all running containers<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart $(docker ps -lq)<\/code><\/td>Restart the last created container<\/td><\/tr>
                  docker restart a1b2c3d4e5f6<\/code><\/td>Restart a container using its ID<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n
                  Best Practices for Using docker restart<\/code>:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Use custom timeouts (-t<\/code>)<\/strong> for services that need extra time to shut down gracefully.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  2. Monitor container health<\/strong> after restarting to ensure services resume correctly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  3. Combine with docker logs<\/code><\/strong> to check for errors after restarting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  4. Avoid frequent restarts<\/strong> for critical services\u2014consider using health checks and restart policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  5. Automate container restarts<\/strong> using cron jobs or scripts for scheduled maintenance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n
                    Common Errors and Solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. “No such container”<\/strong>
                      \u2192 Ensure the container name or ID is correct. Use docker ps -a<\/code> to find it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. “Container is already restarting”<\/strong>
                      \u2192 Check if the container has a restart policy (docker inspect<\/code>). Wait for it to finish restarting or stop it manually: docker stop my_container docker restart my_container<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. Timeout Issues<\/strong>
                      \u2192 Increase the timeout with -t<\/code> for services that take longer to shut down.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      Exit Codes and Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      • 0<\/strong> \u2192 Successful restart.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • 1<\/strong> \u2192 Error during restart. Check logs with docker logs<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n
                        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                        Here\u2019s a complete tutorial on docker restart, covering how it works, a comprehensive list of examples, and practical use cases. What is docker restart? docker restart is a Docker command… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4862],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-docker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48381","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48381"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48381\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48384,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48381\/revisions\/48384"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48381"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48381"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48381"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}