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# Experimental: Docker volume plugins
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Docker volume plugins enable Docker deployments to be integrated with external
storage systems, such as Amazon EBS, and enable data volumes to persist beyond
the lifetime of a single Docker host. See the [plugin documentation ](/experimental/plugins )
for more information.
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This is an experimental feature. For information on installing and using experimental features, see [the experimental feature overview ](experimental.md ).
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# Command-line changes
This experimental features introduces two changes to the `docker run` command:
- The `--volume-driver` flag is introduced.
- The `-v` syntax is changed to accept a volume name a first component.
Example:
$ docker run -ti -v volumename:/data --volume-driver=flocker busybox sh
By specifying a volume name in conjunction with a volume driver, volume plugins
such as [Flocker ](https://clusterhq.com/docker-plugin/ ), once installed, can be
used to manage volumes external to a single host, such as those on EBS. In this
example, "volumename" is passed through to the volume plugin as a user-given
name for the volume which allows the plugin to associate it with an external
volume beyond the lifetime of a single container or container host. This can be
used, for example, to move a stateful container from one server to another.
The `volumename` must not begin with a `/` .
# API changes
The container creation endpoint (`/containers/create`) accepts a `VolumeDriver`
field of type `string` allowing to specify the name of the driver. It's default
value of `"local"` (the default driver for local volumes).
# Related GitHub PRs and issues
- [#13161 ](https://github.com/docker/docker/pull/13161 ) Volume refactor and external volume plugins
Send us feedback and comments on [#13420 ](https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/13420 ),
or on the usual Google Groups (docker-user, docker-dev) and IRC channels.
