Docker Container Auto Restart

[!NOTE]

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To make a Docker container start automatically after a system reboot, you need to set its restart policy when running or updating the container. Here's how you can do it:

1. Use --restart flag when running a container Run your container with one of the --restart policies:

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docker run -d --restart unless-stopped my-container-image

Restart Policies:

• no (default) → Container does not restart.

• always → Container always restarts after a reboot or crash.

• unless-stopped → Container restarts unless explicitly stopped.

• on-failure → Restarts only if the container exits with an error.

👉 Recommended: unless-stopped ensures the container starts again after a reboot but doesn’t restart if you manually stopped it.

1. Update an existing container’s restart policy If the container is already running, update its restart policy with:

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docker update --restart unless-stopped my-container-name

1. Enable Docker service at boot (if needed) Ensure the Docker service itself starts on boot:

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sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

To check its status:

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sudo systemctl status docker

1. Verify Containers Restart After Reboot Restart your system:

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sudo reboot

After rebooting, check running containers:

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docker ps -a

Your container should be running if its restart policy is set correctly.