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aliases = ["/engine/articles/configuring/"]
title = "Configuring and running Docker"
description = "Configuring and running the Docker daemon on various distributions"
keywords = ["docker, daemon, configuration, running, process managers"]
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parent = "engine_admin"
weight = 3
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# Configuring and running Docker on various distributions
After successfully installing Docker, the `docker` daemon runs with its default
configuration.
In a production environment, system administrators typically configure the
`docker` daemon to start and stop according to an organization's requirements. In most
cases, the system administrator configures a process manager such as `SysVinit`, `Upstart`,
or `systemd` to manage the `docker` daemon's start and stop.
### Running the docker daemon directly
The `docker` daemon can be run directly using the `docker daemon` command. By default it listens on
the Unix socket `unix:///var/run/docker.sock`
$ docker daemon
INFO[0000] +job init_networkdriver()
INFO[0000] +job serveapi(unix:///var/run/docker.sock)
INFO[0000] Listening for HTTP on unix (/var/run/docker.sock)
...
...
### Configuring the docker daemon directly
If you're running the `docker` daemon directly by running `docker daemon` instead
of using a process manager, you can append the configuration options to the `docker` run
command directly. Other options can be passed to the `docker` daemon to configure it.
Some of the daemon's options are:
| Flag | Description |
|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------|
| `-D`, `--debug=false` | Enable or disable debug mode. By default, this is false. |
| `-H`,`--host=[]` | Daemon socket(s) to connect to. |
| `--tls=false` | Enable or disable TLS. By default, this is false. |
Here is a an example of running the `docker` daemon with configuration options:
$ docker daemon -D --tls=true --tlscert=/var/docker/server.pem --tlskey=/var/docker/serverkey.pem -H tcp://192.168.59.3:2376
These options :
- Enable `-D` (debug) mode
- Set `tls` to true with the server certificate and key specified using `--tlscert` and `--tlskey` respectively
- Listen for connections on `tcp://192.168.59.3:2376`
The command line reference has the [complete list of daemon flags](../reference/commandline/daemon.md)
with explanations.
### Daemon debugging
As noted above, setting the log level of the daemon to "debug" or enabling debug mode
with `-D` allows the administrator or operator to gain much more knowledge about the
runtime activity of the daemon. If faced with a non-responsive daemon, the administrator
can force a full stack trace of all threads to be added to the daemon log by sending the
`SIGUSR1` signal to the Docker daemon. A common way to send this signal is using the `kill`
command on Linux systems. For example, `kill -USR1 <daemon-pid>` sends the `SIGUSR1`
signal to the daemon process, causing the stack dump to be added to the daemon log.
> **Note:** The log level setting of the daemon must be at least "info" level and above for
> the stack trace to be saved to the logfile. By default the daemon's log level is set to
> "info".
The daemon will continue operating after handling the `SIGUSR1` signal and dumping the stack
traces to the log. The stack traces can be used to determine the state of all goroutines and
threads within the daemon.
## Ubuntu
As of `14.04`, Ubuntu uses Upstart as a process manager. By default, Upstart jobs
are located in `/etc/init` and the `docker` Upstart job can be found at `/etc/init/docker.conf`.
After successfully [installing Docker for Ubuntu](../installation/linux/ubuntulinux.md),
you can check the running status using Upstart in this way:
$ sudo status docker
docker start/running, process 989
### Running Docker
You can start/stop/restart the `docker` daemon using
$ sudo start docker
$ sudo stop docker
$ sudo restart docker
### Configuring Docker
The instructions below depict configuring Docker on a system that uses `upstart`
as the process manager. As of Ubuntu 15.04, Ubuntu uses `systemd` as its process
manager. For Ubuntu 15.04 and higher, refer to [control and configure Docker with systemd](systemd.md).
You configure the `docker` daemon in the `/etc/default/docker` file on your
system. You do this by specifying values in a `DOCKER_OPTS` variable.
To configure Docker options:
1. Log into your host as a user with `sudo` or `root` privileges.
2. If you don't have one, create the `/etc/default/docker` file on your host. Depending on how
you installed Docker, you may already have this file.
3. Open the file with your favorite editor.
```
$ sudo vi /etc/default/docker
```
4. Add a `DOCKER_OPTS` variable with the following options. These options are appended to the
`docker` daemon's run command.
```
DOCKER_OPTS="-D --tls=true --tlscert=/var/docker/server.pem --tlskey=/var/docker/serverkey.pem -H tcp://192.168.59.3:2376"
```
These options :
- Enable `-D` (debug) mode
- Set `tls` to true with the server certificate and key specified using `--tlscert` and `--tlskey` respectively
- Listen for connections on `tcp://192.168.59.3:2376`
The command line reference has the [complete list of daemon flags](../reference/commandline/daemon.md)
with explanations.
5. Save and close the file.
6. Restart the `docker` daemon.
```
$ sudo restart docker
```
7. Verify that the `docker` daemon is running as specified with the `ps` command.
```
$ ps aux | grep docker | grep -v grep
```
### Logs
By default logs for Upstart jobs are located in `/var/log/upstart` and the logs for `docker` daemon
can be located at `/var/log/upstart/docker.log`
$ tail -f /var/log/upstart/docker.log
INFO[0000] Loading containers: done.
INFO[0000] docker daemon: 1.6.0 4749651; execdriver: native-0.2; graphdriver: aufs
INFO[0000] +job acceptconnections()
INFO[0000] -job acceptconnections() = OK (0)
INFO[0000] Daemon has completed initialization
## CentOS / Red Hat Enterprise Linux / Fedora
As of `7.x`, CentOS and RHEL use `systemd` as the process manager. As of `21`, Fedora uses
`systemd` as its process manager.
After successfully installing Docker for [CentOS](../installation/linux/centos.md)/[Red Hat Enterprise Linux](../installation/linux/rhel.md)/[Fedora](../installation/linux/fedora.md), you can check the running status in this way:
$ sudo systemctl status docker
### Running Docker
You can start/stop/restart the `docker` daemon using
$ sudo systemctl start docker
$ sudo systemctl stop docker
$ sudo systemctl restart docker
If you want Docker to start at boot, you should also:
$ sudo systemctl enable docker
### Configuring Docker
For CentOS 7.x and RHEL 7.x you can [control and configure Docker with systemd](systemd.md).
Previously, for CentOS 6.x and RHEL 6.x you would configure the `docker` daemon in
the `/etc/sysconfig/docker` file on your system. You would do this by specifying
values in a `other_args` variable. For a short time in CentOS 7.x and RHEL 7.x you
would specify values in a `OPTIONS` variable. This is no longer recommended in favor
of using systemd directly.
For this section, we will use CentOS 7.x as an example to configure the `docker` daemon.
To configure Docker options:
1. Log into your host as a user with `sudo` or `root` privileges.
2. Create the `/etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d` directory.
```
$ sudo mkdir /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d
```
3. Create a `/etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/docker.conf` file.
4. Open the file with your favorite editor.
```
$ sudo vi /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/docker.conf
```
5. Override the `ExecStart` configuration from your `docker.service` file to customize
the `docker` daemon. To modify the `ExecStart` configuration you have to specify
an empty configuration followed by a new one as follows:
```
[Service]
ExecStart=
ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker daemon -H fd:// -D --tls=true --tlscert=/var/docker/server.pem --tlskey=/var/docker/serverkey.pem -H tcp://192.168.59.3:2376
```
These options :
- Enable `-D` (debug) mode
- Set `tls` to true with the server certificate and key specified using `--tlscert` and `--tlskey` respectively
- Listen for connections on `tcp://192.168.59.3:2376`
The command line reference has the [complete list of daemon flags](../reference/commandline/daemon.md)
with explanations.
6. Save and close the file.
7. Flush changes.
```
$ sudo systemctl daemon-reload
```
8. Restart the `docker` daemon.
```
$ sudo systemctl restart docker
```
9. Verify that the `docker` daemon is running as specified with the `ps` command.
```
$ ps aux | grep docker | grep -v grep
```
### Logs
systemd has its own logging system called the journal. The logs for the `docker` daemon can
be viewed using `journalctl -u docker`
$ sudo journalctl -u docker
May 06 00:22:05 localhost.localdomain systemd[1]: Starting Docker Application Container Engine...
May 06 00:22:05 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:05Z" level="info" msg="+job serveapi(unix:///var/run/docker.sock)"
May 06 00:22:05 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:05Z" level="info" msg="Listening for HTTP on unix (/var/run/docker.sock)"
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="+job init_networkdriver()"
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="-job init_networkdriver() = OK (0)"
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="Loading containers: start."
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="Loading containers: done."
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="docker daemon: 1.5.0-dev fc0329b/1.5.0; execdriver: native-0.2; graphdriver: devicemapper"
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="+job acceptconnections()"
May 06 00:22:06 localhost.localdomain docker[2495]: time="2015-05-06T00:22:06Z" level="info" msg="-job acceptconnections() = OK (0)"
_Note: Using and configuring journal is an advanced topic and is beyond the scope of this article._