docker create

Command Name: 

docker create

Description:

Create a new container.

The docker create command 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

Difference between docker run and docker create is that docker create never started the container. You have to start it using docker start command.

Syntax:

easywhatis$ docker create --help
Usage: docker create [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...]
Create a new container
Options:
      --add-host list                  Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (host:ip)
  -a, --attach list                    Attach to STDIN, STDOUT or STDERR
      --blkio-weight uint16            Block IO (relative weight), between 10 and 1000, or 0 to disable (default 0)
      --blkio-weight-device list       Block IO weight (relative device weight) (default [])
      --cap-add list                   Add Linux capabilities
      --cap-drop list                  Drop Linux capabilities
      --cgroup-parent string           Optional parent cgroup for the container
      --cidfile string                 Write the container ID to the file
      --cpu-period int                 Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) period
      --cpu-quota int                  Limit CPU CFS (Completely Fair Scheduler) quota
      --cpu-rt-period int              Limit CPU real-time period in microseconds
      --cpu-rt-runtime int             Limit CPU real-time runtime in microseconds
  -c, --cpu-shares int                 CPU shares (relative weight)
      --cpus decimal                   Number of CPUs
      --cpuset-cpus string             CPUs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      --cpuset-mems string             MEMs in which to allow execution (0-3, 0,1)
      --device list                    Add a host device to the container
      --device-cgroup-rule list        Add a rule to the cgroup allowed devices list
      --device-read-bps list           Limit read rate (bytes per second) from a device (default [])
      --device-read-iops list          Limit read rate (IO per second) from a device (default [])
      --device-write-bps list          Limit write rate (bytes per second) to a device (default [])
      --device-write-iops list         Limit write rate (IO per second) to a device (default [])
      --disable-content-trust          Skip image verification (default true)
      --dns list                       Set custom DNS servers
      --dns-option list                Set DNS options
      --dns-search list                Set custom DNS search domains
      --domainname string              Container NIS domain name
      --entrypoint string              Overwrite the default ENTRYPOINT of the image
  -e, --env list                       Set environment variables
      --env-file list                  Read in a file of environment variables
      --expose list                    Expose a port or a range of ports
      --gpus gpu-request               GPU devices to add to the container ('all' to pass all GPUs)
      --group-add list                 Add additional groups to join
      --health-cmd string              Command to run to check health
      --health-interval duration       Time between running the check (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
      --health-retries int             Consecutive failures needed to report unhealthy
      --health-start-period duration   Start period for the container to initialize before starting health-retries countdown (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
      --health-timeout duration        Maximum time to allow one check to run (ms|s|m|h) (default 0s)
      --help                           Print usage
  -h, --hostname string                Container host name
      --init                           Run an init inside the container that forwards signals and reaps processes
  -i, --interactive                    Keep STDIN open even if not attached
      --ip string                      IPv4 address (e.g., 172.30.100.104)
      --ip6 string                     IPv6 address (e.g., 2001:db8::33)
      --ipc string                     IPC mode to use
      --isolation string               Container isolation technology
      --kernel-memory bytes            Kernel memory limit
  -l, --label list                     Set meta data on a container
      --label-file list                Read in a line delimited file of labels
      --link list                      Add link to another container
      --link-local-ip list             Container IPv4/IPv6 link-local addresses
      --log-driver string              Logging driver for the container
      --log-opt list                   Log driver options
      --mac-address string             Container MAC address (e.g., 92:d0:c6:0a:29:33)
  -m, --memory bytes                   Memory limit
      --memory-reservation bytes       Memory soft limit
      --memory-swap bytes              Swap limit equal to memory plus swap: '-1' to enable unlimited swap
      --memory-swappiness int          Tune container memory swappiness (0 to 100) (default -1)
      --mount mount                    Attach a filesystem mount to the container
      --name string                    Assign a name to the container
      --network network                Connect a container to a network
      --network-alias list             Add network-scoped alias for the container
      --no-healthcheck                 Disable any container-specified HEALTHCHECK
      --oom-kill-disable               Disable OOM Killer
      --oom-score-adj int              Tune host's OOM preferences (-1000 to 1000)
      --pid string                     PID namespace to use
      --pids-limit int                 Tune container pids limit (set -1 for unlimited)
      --privileged                     Give extended privileges to this container
  -p, --publish list                   Publish a container's port(s) to the host
  -P, --publish-all                    Publish all exposed ports to random ports
      --read-only                      Mount the container's root filesystem as read only
      --restart string                 Restart policy to apply when a container exits (default "no")
      --rm                             Automatically remove the container when it exits
      --runtime string                 Runtime to use for this container
      --security-opt list              Security Options
      --shm-size bytes                 Size of /dev/shm
      --stop-signal string             Signal to stop a container (default "SIGTERM")
      --stop-timeout int               Timeout (in seconds) to stop a container
      --storage-opt list               Storage driver options for the container
      --sysctl map                     Sysctl options (default map[])
      --tmpfs list                     Mount a tmpfs directory
  -t, --tty                            Allocate a pseudo-TTY
      --ulimit ulimit                  Ulimit options (default [])
  -u, --user string                    Username or UID (format: <name|uid>[:<group|gid>])
      --userns string                  User namespace to use
      --uts string                     UTS namespace to use
  -v, --volume list                    Bind mount a volume
      --volume-driver string           Optional volume driver for the container
      --volumes-from list              Mount volumes from the specified container(s)
  -w, --workdir string                 Working directory inside the container
easywhatis$

Example:

Create and Start Ubuntu Container assuming that the ubuntu image is present on the local system.

easywhatis$ docker images
REPOSITORY          TAG                 IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
busybox/test        1.1                 d6b60f8d8167        6 days ago          1.22MB
nginx               latest              ed21b7a8aee9        12 days ago         127MB
ubuntu              latest              4e5021d210f6        3 weeks ago         64.2MB
busybox             latest              83aa35aa1c79        4 weeks ago         1.22MB
easywhatis$ docker create -t -i ubuntu bash
f57c562e6983544dc0d3f4698df559bf59a9af75accd82594b8736ce69816e8d
easywhatis$ docker ps -a
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS               NAMES
f57c562e6983        ubuntu              "bash"              6 seconds ago       Created                                 priceless_snyder
easywhatis$ docker start -a -i f57c562e6983
root@f57c562e6983:/#

Create and Start Ubuntu Container with 100MB memory assuming that the ubuntu image is present on the local system.

easywhatis$ docker ps -a
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS               NAMES
easywhatis$ docker images
REPOSITORY          TAG                 IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
busybox/test        1.1                 d6b60f8d8167        6 days ago          1.22MB
nginx               latest              ed21b7a8aee9        12 days ago         127MB
ubuntu              latest              4e5021d210f6        3 weeks ago         64.2MB
busybox             latest              83aa35aa1c79        4 weeks ago         1.22MB
easywhatis$ docker create -t -i -m 100mb ubuntu bash
a5bb226d185066ff331b3ca4b82825785d3fa4da18cba00993045c823f92db90
easywhatis$ docker ps -a
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS               NAMES
a5bb226d1850        ubuntu              "bash"              15 seconds ago      Created
eloquent_knuth
easywhatis$ docker start -a -i a5b
root@a5bb226d1850:/# exit
exit
easywhatis$ docker start -a -i -d a5b
unknown shorthand flag: 'd' in -d
See 'docker start --help'.
easywhatis$ docker start -a -i a5b
root@a5bb226d1850:/
easywhatis$ docker stats
CONTAINER ID        NAME                CPU %               MEM USAGE / LIMIT   MEM %               NET I/O             BLOCK I/O           PIDS
a5bb226d1850        eloquent_knuth      0.00%               788KiB / 100MiB     0.77%               1.12kB / 0B         0B / 0B             1
^C
easywhatis$