How to verify the status of a stopped Docker container?

Verifying the Status of a Stopped Docker Container

When a Docker container is stopped, it's essential to be able to verify its status to ensure that it's not running and to troubleshoot any issues that may have caused it to stop. Here's how you can verify the status of a stopped Docker container:

Checking the Container's Status

To check the status of a stopped Docker container, you can use the docker ps command with the -a (or --all) option. This will display all containers, including those that are not currently running.

docker ps -a

The output will show the container's ID, the image it was created from, the command that was used to start it, the time it was created, the status, and the names of the containers.

If the container is stopped, the status will be displayed as "Exited (x) x seconds ago" or "Exited (x) x minutes ago", where "x" represents the exit code and the time since the container stopped.

Inspecting the Container's Details

To get more detailed information about a stopped Docker container, you can use the docker inspect command. This command will provide you with a JSON-formatted output containing various details about the container, such as its configuration, network settings, and resource usage.

docker inspect <container_id>

The output will include information like the container's ID, image, state (which will show that the container is stopped), and any error messages or exit codes that may have caused the container to stop.

Checking the Container's Logs

If you need to investigate why a Docker container stopped, you can check its logs using the docker logs command. This will display the output from the container's standard output (stdout) and standard error (stderr) streams.

docker logs <container_id>

The logs may contain error messages or other information that can help you understand why the container stopped.

Mermaid Diagram: Verifying the Status of a Stopped Docker Container

graph TD A[Start] --> B[Run Docker Container] B --> C[Container Stops] C --> D[Check Container Status with docker ps -a] D --> E[Inspect Container Details with docker inspect] D --> F[Check Container Logs with docker logs] E --> G[Troubleshoot and Resolve Issues] F --> G G --> H[End]

This diagram illustrates the process of verifying the status of a stopped Docker container, starting from running the container, to checking its status, inspecting its details, and reviewing its logs to troubleshoot and resolve any issues.

By following these steps, you can effectively verify the status of a stopped Docker container and gather the necessary information to understand why it stopped and how to address any problems that may have occurred.