How to Restart a Container in Docker: Simple Commands

To restart a Docker container, use the docker restart [container_name_or_id] command. This stops and then starts the container immediately, applying any changes or refreshing its state.

Syntax

The basic syntax to restart a Docker container is:

• docker restart [OPTIONS] CONTAINER

Where:

• CONTAINER is the container's name or ID you want to restart.
• OPTIONS can include -t to specify the timeout in seconds before killing the container.

bash

docker restart [OPTIONS] CONTAINER

Example

This example shows how to restart a running container named my_app. The command stops the container and starts it again immediately.

bash

docker restart my_app

Output

my_app

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when restarting containers include:

• Using the wrong container name or ID, which causes an error.
• Not waiting for the container to fully stop before starting dependent services.
• Assuming docker restart updates the container image; it only restarts the existing container.

Always verify the container name with docker ps before restarting.

bash

docker restart wrong_name
# Error: No such container: wrong_name

docker restart my_app
# Correct usage restarts the container named my_app

Output

Error response from daemon: No such container: wrong_name
my_app

Quick Reference

Here is a quick summary of useful commands related to restarting containers:

bash

docker ps
# Lists running containers

docker restart my_app
# Restarts container named my_app

docker stop my_app
# Stops container

docker start my_app
# Starts container

Output

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE     COMMAND                  CREATED        STATUS       PORTS     NAMES
123abc456def   nginx     "/docker-entrypoint.…"   2 hours ago    Up 2 hours             my_app

my_app

my_app

my_app

Key Takeaways

Use docker restart [container_name_or_id] to quickly stop and start a container.

Verify container names with docker ps before restarting to avoid errors.

Restarting a container does not update its image; recreate the container to apply image changes.

Use the -t option to set a timeout before forcefully stopping the container.

Restarting helps refresh container state without manual stop and start commands.