Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/apple/container/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
This guide covers essential container lifecycle operations including creating, starting, stopping, and managing running containers.
Creating containers
The container create command creates a container from an image without starting it. This is useful when you want to configure a container but start it later.
container create --name my-container ubuntu:latest echo "hello"
container start command:
container start my-container
Use container run to create and start a container in a single command. The run command is a combination of create and start.
Running containers
The container run command is the most common way to start containers. It creates and starts a container in one operation.
Basic usage
# Run a container and attach an interactive shell
container run -it ubuntu:latest /bin/bash
# Run a background web server
container run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginx:latest
# Set environment variables and limit resources
container run -e NODE_ENV=production --cpus 2 --memory 1G node:18
Common options
Process options
Management options
Resource options
-e, --env: Set environment variables (format: key=value)--env-file: Read environment variables from a file-u, --user: Set the user for the process-w, --workdir: Set the initial working directory-i, --interactive: Keep standard input open-t, --tty: Open a TTY with the process
-d, --detach: Run the container in the background--name: Assign a name to the container--rm: Automatically remove the container after it stops--entrypoint: Override the entrypoint of the image--init: Run an init process that forwards signals and reaps processes
-c, --cpus: Number of CPUs to allocate-m, --memory: Amount of memory (with optional K, M, G, T, or P suffix)
Detached vs. interactive mode
Detached mode (-d) runs containers in the background:
container run -d --name my-web-server --rm web-test
--detach flag runs the container in the background, so you can continue running commands in the same terminal.
Interactive mode (-it) allows you to interact with the container:
container run -it ubuntu:latest /bin/bash
-i flag keeps stdin open, and -t allocates a pseudo-TTY.
You will often see these two options abbreviated and specified together as -ti or -it.
Starting and stopping containers
Starting containers
Start a stopped container:
container start <container-id>
container start --attach --interactive my-container
Stopping containers gracefully
The container stop command stops running containers gracefully by sending a signal (default: SIGTERM):
# Stop a specific container
container stop my-web-server
# Stop multiple containers
container stop container1 container2 container3
# Stop all running containers
container stop --all
# Specify a custom timeout before SIGKILL
container stop --time 10 my-container
The --time option specifies seconds to wait before killing the container (default: 5 seconds).
container kill command immediately kills running containers:
# Kill a container with default KILL signal
container kill my-container
# Send a custom signal
container kill --signal SIGTERM my-container
# Kill all running containers
container kill --all
Use kill with caution: it does not allow for graceful shutdown. Prefer stop for normal operations.
Executing commands in running containers
The container exec command runs a new command inside a running container:
# Execute a single command
container exec my-web-server ls /content
Interactive shell
Run an interactive shell to explore the container:
container exec --tty --interactive my-web-server sh
/content # ls
index.html
/content # uname -a
Linux my-web-server 6.12.28 #1 SMP Tue May 20 15:19:05 UTC 2025 aarch64 Linux
/content # exit
The --tty and --interactive flags allow you to interact with the shell from your host terminal. These are often abbreviated as -it.
Additional exec options
# Run as a specific user
container exec --user www-data my-container whoami
# Set environment variables
container exec --env DEBUG=true my-container /app/script.sh
# Change working directory
container exec --workdir /var/log my-container ls -la
# Run in detached mode
container exec --detach my-container /background-task.sh
Viewing container logs
The container logs command displays the output from your containerized application.
Basic usage
container logs my-web-server
192.168.64.1 - - [15/May/2025 03:00:03] "GET / HTTP/1.1" 200 -
Following logs in real-time
container logs --follow my-web-server
Press Ctrl+C to stop following the logs.
Limiting log output
# Show only the last 50 lines
container logs -n 50 my-web-server
Viewing boot logs
Use the --boot option to see the logs for the virtual machine boot and init process:
container logs --boot my-web-server
[ 0.098284] cacheinfo: Unable to detect cache hierarchy for CPU 0
[ 0.098466] random: crng init done
[ 0.099657] brd: module loaded
[ 0.100707] loop: module loaded
[ 0.127467] EXT4-fs (vda): mounted filesystem without journal. Quota mode: disabled.
[ 0.127525] VFS: Mounted root (ext4 filesystem) readonly on device 254:0.
[ 0.143252] Run /sbin/vminitd as init process
2025-05-15T02:24:08+0000 info vminitd : [vminitd] vminitd booting...
Listing containers
The container list (or container ls) command shows containers.
List running containers
ID IMAGE OS ARCH STATE ADDR
my-web-server web-test:latest linux arm64 running 192.168.64.3
List all containers (including stopped)
You can abbreviate the --all option to -a: Inspecting containers
The container inspect command displays detailed container information in JSON format:
container inspect my-web-server | jq
[
{
"status": "running",
"networks": [
{
"address": "192.168.64.3/24",
"gateway": "192.168.64.1",
"hostname": "my-web-server.test.",
"network": "default"
}
],
"configuration": {
"mounts": [],
"hostname": "my-web-server",
"id": "my-web-server",
"resources": {
"cpus": 4,
"memoryInBytes": 1073741824
}
}
}
]
Use jq to filter and format JSON output:# Get only the IP address
container inspect my-web-server | jq '.[0].networks[0].address'
Deleting containers
The container delete (or container rm) command removes one or more containers.
Delete stopped containers
container delete my-container
Delete multiple containers
container delete container1 container2 container3
Force delete running containers
container delete --force my-running-container
Forcing deletion of a running container will immediately kill it without graceful shutdown.
Delete all containers
Auto-remove with —rm flag
Use the --rm flag when running a container to automatically remove it after it stops:
container run --rm --name temp-container ubuntu:latest echo "hello"
Pruning stopped containers
The container prune command removes all stopped containers to reclaim disk space:
The command outputs the amount of space freed after deletion.
Pruning only affects stopped containers. Running containers are not touched.