docker restart container failed: “already in use”,

Question

I first got my nginx docker image:

docker pull nginx

Then I started it:

docker run -d -p 80:80 --name webserver nginx

Then I stopped it:

docker stop webserver

Then I tried to restart it:

$docker run -d -p 80:80 --name webserver nginx
docker: Error response from daemon: Conflict. The container name "/webserver" is already in use by container 036a0bcd196c5b23431dcd9876cac62082063bf62a492145dd8a55141f4dfd74. You have to remove (or rename) that container to be able to reuse that name..
See 'docker run --help'.

Well, it's an error. But in fact there's nothing in container list now:

docker container list
CONTAINER ID        IMAGE               COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS              PORTS               NAMES

Why I restart nginx image failed? How to fix it?

Answer 1

As the error says.

You have to remove (or rename) that container to be able to reuse that name

This leaves you two options.

• You may delete the container that is using the name "webserver" using the command

  docker rm 036a0bcd196c5b23431dcd9876cac62082063bf62a492145dd8a55141f4dfd74

and retry.

• Or you may use a different name during the run command. This is not recommended, as you no longer need that docker.

It's better to remove the unwanted docker and reuse the name.

Answer 2

It is because

• you have used --name switch.
• container is stopped and not removed

You find it stopped

docker ps -a

You can simply start it using below command:

docker start webserver

EDIT: Alternatives If you want to start the container with below command each time,

docker run -d -p 80:80 --name webserver nginx

then use one of the following:

method 1: use --rm switch i.e., container gets destroyed automatically as soon as it is stopped

docker run -d -p 80:80 --rm --name webserver nginx

method 2: remove it explicitly after stopping the container before starting the command that you are currently using.

docker stop <container name>
docker rm <container name>