command: docker debug

short: Get a shell into any container or image. An alternative to debugging with `docker exec`.

long: |-

Docker Debug is a CLI command that helps you follow best practices by keeping your images small and secure.

With Docker Debug, you can debug your images while they contain the bare minimum to run your application.

It does this by letting you create and work with slim images or containers that are often difficult to debug because all tools have been removed.

For example, while typical debug approaches like `docker exec -it my-app bash` may not work on a slim container, `docker debug` will work.

With `docker debug` you can get a debug shell into any container or image, even if they don't contain a shell.

You don't need to modify the image to use Docker Debug.

However, using Docker Debug still won't modify your image.

Docker Debug brings its own toolbox that you can easily customize.

The toolbox comes with many standard Linux tools pre-installed, such as `vim`, `nano`, `htop`, and `curl`.

Use the builtin `install` command to add additional tools available on https://search.nixos.org/packages.

Docker Debug supports `bash`, `fish`, and `zsh`.

By default it tries to auto-detect your shell.

Custom builtin tools:

- `install [tool1] [tool2]`: Add Nix packages from: https://search.nixos.org/packages, see [example](#managing-your-toolbox-using-the-install-command).

- `uninstall [tool1] [tool2]`: Uninstall Nix packages.

- `entrypoint`: Print, lint, or run the entrypoint, see [example](#understanding-the-default-startup-command-of-a-container-entry-points).

- `builtins`: Show custom builtin tools.

> [!NOTE]

>

> For images and stopped containers, all changes are discarded when leaving the shell.

> At no point, do changes affect the actual image or container.

> When accessing running or paused containers, all filesystem changes are directly visible to the container.

> The `/nix` directory is never visible to the actual image or container.

usage: debug [OPTIONS] {CONTAINER|IMAGE}

pname: docker

plink: docker.yaml

options:

- option: shell

value_type: shell

default_value: "auto"

description: "Select a shell. Supported: `bash`, `fish`, `zsh`, `auto`."

deprecated: false

hidden: false

experimental: false

experimentalcli: false

kubernetes: false

swarm: false

- option: command

shorthand: c

value_type: string

default_value: false

description: Evaluate the specified commands instead of starting an interactive session, see [example](#running-commands-directly-eg-for-scripting).

deprecated: false

hidden: false

experimental: false

experimentalcli: false

kubernetes: false

swarm: false

- option: host

value_type: string

default_value: false

description: "Daemon docker socket to connect to. E.g.: `ssh://root@example.org`, `unix:///some/path/docker.sock`, see [example](#remote-debugging-using-the---host-option)."

deprecated: false

hidden: false

experimental: false

experimentalcli: false

kubernetes: false

swarm: false

deprecated: false

experimental: false

experimentalcli: false

kubernetes: false

swarm: false

examples: |-

### Debugging containers that have no shell (slim containers)

The `hello-world` image is very simple and only contains the `/hello` binary.

It's a good example of a slim image.

There are no other tools and no shell.

Run a container from the `hello-world` image:

```console

$ docker run --name my-app hello-world

```

The container exits immediately. To get a debug shell inside, run:

```console

$ docker debug my-app

```

The debug shell allows you to inspect the filesystem:

```console

docker > ls

dev etc hello nix proc sys

```

The file `/hello` is the binary that was executed when running the container.

You can confirm this by running it directly:

```console

docker > /hello

```

After running the binary, it produces the same output.

### Debugging (slim) images

You can debug images directly by running:

```console

$ docker debug hello-world

...

docker > ls

dev etc hello nix proc sys

```

You don't even need to pull the image as `docker debug` will do this automatically like the `docker run` command.

### Modifying files of a running container

Docker debug lets you modify files in any running container.

The toolbox comes with `vim` and `nano` pre-installed.

Run an nginx container and change the default `index.html`:

```console

$ docker run -d --name web-app -p 8080:80 nginx

d3d6074d0ea901c96cac8e49e6dad21359616bef3dc0623b3c2dfa536c31dfdb

```

To confirm nginx is running, open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:8080.

You should see the default nginx page.

Now, change it using vim:

```console

vim /usr/share/nginx/html/index.html

```

Change the title to "Welcome to my app!" and save the file.

Now, reload the page in the browser and you should see the updated page.

### Managing your toolbox using the `install` command

The builtin `install` command lets you add any tool from https://search.nixos.org/packages to the toolbox.

Keep in mind adding a tool never modifies the actual image or container.

Tools get added to only your toolbox.

Run `docker debug` and then install `nmap`:

```console

$ docker debug nginx

...

docker > install nmap

Tip: You can install any package available at: https://search.nixos.org/packages.

installing 'nmap-7.93'

these 2 paths will be fetched (5.58 MiB download, 26.27 MiB unpacked):

/nix/store/brqjf4i23fagizaq2gn4d6z0f406d0kg-lua-5.3.6

/nix/store/xqd17rhgmn6pg85a3g18yqxpcya6d06r-nmap-7.93

copying path '/nix/store/brqjf4i23fagizaq2gn4d6z0f406d0kg-lua-5.3.6' from 'https://cache.nixos.org'...

copying path '/nix/store/xqd17rhgmn6pg85a3g18yqxpcya6d06r-nmap-7.93' from 'https://cache.nixos.org'...

building '/nix/store/k8xw5wwarh8dc1dvh5zx8rlwamxfsk3d-user-environment.drv'...

docker > nmap --version

Nmap version 7.93 ( https://nmap.org )

Platform: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Compiled with: liblua-5.3.6 openssl-3.0.11 libssh2-1.11.0 nmap-libz-1.2.12 libpcre-8.45 libpcap-1.10.4 nmap-libdnet-1.12 ipv6

Compiled without:

Available nsock engines: epoll poll select

```

You can confirm `nmap` is now part of your toolbox by getting a debug shell into a different image:

```console

$ docker debug hello-world

...

docker > nmap --version

Nmap version 7.93 ( https://nmap.org )

Platform: x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Compiled with: liblua-5.3.6 openssl-3.0.11 libssh2-1.11.0 nmap-libz-1.2.12 libpcre-8.45 libpcap-1.10.4 nmap-libdnet-1.12 ipv6

Compiled without:

Available nsock engines: epoll poll select

docker > exit

```

`nmap` is still there.

### Understanding the default startup command of a container (entry points)

Docker Debug comes with a builtin tool, `entrypoint`.

Enter the `hello-world` image and confirm the entrypoint is `/hello`:

```console

$ docker debug hello-world

...

docker > entrypoint --print

/hello

```

The `entrypoint` command evaluates the `ENTRYPOINT` and `CMD` statement of the underlying image

and lets you print, lint, or run the resulting entrypoint.

However, it can be difficult to understand all the corner cases from [Understand how CMD and ENTRYPOINT interact](/reference/dockerfile/#understand-how-cmd-and-entrypoint-interact).

In these situations, `entrypoint` can help.

Use `entrypoint` to investigate what actually happens when you run a container from the Nginx image:

```console

$ docker debug nginx

...

docker > entrypoint

Understand how ENTRYPOINT/CMD work and if they are set correctly.

From CMD in Dockerfile:

['nginx', '-g', 'daemon off;']

From ENTRYPOINT in Dockerfile:

['/docker-entrypoint.sh']

By default, any container from this image will be started with following command:

/docker-entrypoint.sh nginx -g daemon off;

path: /docker-entrypoint.sh

args: nginx -g daemon off;

cwd:

PATH: /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin

Lint results:

PASS: '/docker-entrypoint.sh' found

PASS: no mixing of shell and exec form

PASS: no double use of shell form

Docs:

- https://docs.docker.com/reference/dockerfile/#cmd

- https://docs.docker.com/reference/dockerfile/#entrypoint

- https://docs.docker.com/reference/dockerfile/#understand-how-cmd-and-entrypoint-interact

```

The output tells you that on startup of the nginx image, a script `/docker-entrypoint.sh` is executed with the arguments `nginx -g daemon off;`.

You can test the entrypoint by using the `--run` option:

```console

$ docker debug nginx

...

docker > entrypoint --run

/docker-entrypoint.sh: /docker-entrypoint.d/ is not empty, will attempt to perform configuration

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Looking for shell scripts in /docker-entrypoint.d/

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Launching /docker-entrypoint.d/10-listen-on-ipv6-by-default.sh

10-listen-on-ipv6-by-default.sh: info: Getting the checksum of /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf

10-listen-on-ipv6-by-default.sh: info: Enabled listen on IPv6 in /etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Sourcing /docker-entrypoint.d/15-local-resolvers.envsh

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Launching /docker-entrypoint.d/20-envsubst-on-templates.sh

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Launching /docker-entrypoint.d/30-tune-worker-processes.sh

/docker-entrypoint.sh: Configuration complete; ready for start up

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: using the "epoll" event method

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: nginx/1.25.3

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: built by gcc 12.2.0 (Debian 12.2.0-14)

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: OS: Linux 5.15.133.1-microsoft-standard-WSL2

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: getrlimit(RLIMIT_NOFILE): 1048576:1048576

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: start worker processes

2024/01/19 17:34:39 [notice] 50#50: start worker process 77

...

```

This starts nginx in your debug shell without having to actually run a container.

You can shutdown nginx by pressing `Ctrl`+`C`.

### Running commands directly (e.g., for scripting)

Use the `--command` option to evaluate a command directly instead of starting an interactive session.

For example, this is similar to `bash -c "arg1 arg2 ..."`.

The following example runs the `cat` command in the nginx image without starting an interactive session.

```console

$ docker debug --command "cat /usr/share/nginx/html/index.html" nginx

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<title>Welcome to nginx!</title>

<style>

html { color-scheme: light dark; }

body { width: 35em; margin: 0 auto;

font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; }

</style>

</head>

<body>

<h1>Welcome to nginx!</h1>

<p>If you see this page, the nginx web server is successfully installed and

working. Further configuration is required.</p>

<p>For online documentation and support please refer to

<a href="http://nginx.org/">nginx.org</a>.<br/>

Commercial support is available at

<a href="http://nginx.com/">nginx.com</a>.</p>

<p><em>Thank you for using nginx.</em></p>

</body>

</html>

```

### Remote debugging using the --host option

The following examples shows how to use the `--host` option. The first example uses SSH to connect to a remote Docker instance at `example.org` as the `root` user, and get a shell into the `my-container` container.

```console

$ docker debug --host ssh://root@example.org my-container

```

The following example connects to a different local Docker Engine, and gets a

shell into the `my-container` container.

```console

$ docker debug --host=unix:///some/path/docker.sock my-container

```