If your Restreamer Docker container keeps restarting, capture its exit state, recent Docker events, and Restreamer logs before changing the deployment. Those records help distinguish a Docker/runtime event from an application or FFmpeg error, a storage/configuration mismatch, or a change in the image or workload. The title alone does not establish the cause; use the checks below to identify evidence before applying a fix.
1. Capture what happens before the next restart
A restart policy such as --restart=always tells Docker to restart Restreamer after a crash or device reboot; it does not explain or repair the failure. Save a timestamped record before pulling a new image, recreating the container, changing settings, or downgrading. Restreamer’s Linux installation guide documents the restart option and container setup.
Use the current Docker CLI documentation for exact command syntax and option behavior; the commands below are a practical collection plan, not a substitute for checking the CLI version on your host.
- Record container output and state. Identify the container, then collect its recent stdout/stderr output and inspect its current state, exit information, and restart count. Include timestamps where your Docker CLI supports them.
- Record recent Docker events. Capture events around the restart timestamps. Compare them with the container output to see whether Docker reported a stop, restart, or other runtime event.
- Preserve deployment details. Save the exact image name and tag, container creation command or Compose configuration, environment values, mounts, and any hardware-specific options. Redact passwords, tokens, and stream keys before sharing.
- Note what changed. Record whether the image tag, Restreamer version, host, architecture, configuration, input source, or hardware setup changed shortly before the loop began.
2. Read Docker’s state and events
Start with the time sequence: when the container stops, what exit information Docker reports, how often it has restarted, and what events coincide with those times. Then compare that evidence with the final lines of container output.
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- Container/runtime evidence: state, exit information, restart history, Docker events, and host messages around the same timestamp.
- Restreamer evidence: system logs and process details, including FFmpeg output.
- Configuration and storage evidence: environment values and actual mounts for the paths Restreamer uses.
- Image and workload evidence: exact image/tag, recent version changes, and whether a virtual source behaves differently from the usual input.
A restart count confirms repeated restarts, not their cause. Likewise, an exit code or event is a clue to correlate with application logs and host evidence, not a reason by itself to assume a particular fix.
3. Check Restreamer’s own logs and process details
Restreamer’s official Basic Troubleshooting sequence recommends testing with a virtual source, then checking process details and logs. A virtual-source test helps determine whether the failure also occurs without the normal input/workload; it does not, by itself, identify a root cause.
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- Test with a virtual source. Follow the instructions for your deployed Restreamer version. If the container remains stable with that source but restarts with the usual input, compare the process details and logs for the two runs.
- Inspect system and FFmpeg logs. Find the entries immediately before the process or container stops. Match their timestamps against Docker events and the restart cycle.
- Check logging settings. Restreamer’s Logging page describes log levels and controls for retained system and FFmpeg log lines. Its Environment Variables reference lists
CORE_LOG_LEVELwith a default ofinfo,CORE_LOG_MAXLINESwith a default of1000,CORE_FFMPEG_LOG_MAXLINESwith a default of50, andCORE_FFMPEG_LOG_MAXHISTORYwith a default of3. The same reference listssilent,error,warn,info, anddebugas levels. These values are documented by datarhei; the page’s publication year is not stated. Confirm them against your deployed version before relying on them. - Check where each value comes from. The environment-variable reference says command-line environment values override values from the
.envfile. Compare the effective container environment with the file rather than assuming a value in one place is active.
Use the logging controls to retain enough context to catch the failure. More verbose logging may make diagnosis easier, but preserve the original settings and avoid treating a logging change as a fix for the restart itself.
4. Verify persistent mounts and configuration
The Restreamer Linux installation guide maps host directories to /core/config and /core/data so configuration state and internal filesystem data persist. Compare the live container’s mounts with the command or Compose configuration that created it.
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- Confirm that both container paths are mapped to the intended host directories.
- Check that the host paths exist and that the container is using the directories you expect, rather than a different or newly created location.
- Before replacing, moving, or removing data, make a backup of the relevant configuration and data directories.
A mismatch is a configuration/storage issue to investigate, not proof that missing persistence caused a particular restart. Use the logs and observed mount configuration to establish whether it is relevant.
5. Check the image, version, and host setup
Record the exact image and tag currently running and compare them with the deployment configuration and the last known working version. Restreamer recommends its official Docker images to reduce variability in operating systems and dependencies; see Official Recommendations. A custom image is not automatically the cause, but it introduces a difference worth recording.
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Compare any recent change with the restart timestamps. If the host architecture, resource state, permissions, or hardware-encoding setup might be relevant, look for matching evidence in host/runtime messages and Restreamer process logs. The available documentation does not establish these as universal causes; do not change host or hardware settings without evidence pointing to them.
When a version change is involved
Restreamer’s Migration page says v2.4 and later switched to FFmpeg 5.1.2 and documents a limited downgrade procedure for problems involving that version change. This does not establish that the change caused your restart loop. Back up configuration, check the version history relevant to your deployment, and read the migration guidance before attempting a downgrade. The page says processes created with the newer version cannot be restored by that procedure.
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6. Match evidence to the next action
| Evidence you have | Next useful check |
|---|---|
| Docker state, exit information, or events align with each stop | Compare the timestamps with container output and host/runtime messages before altering the restart policy. |
| Restreamer system or FFmpeg log reports an error before the stop | Use process details and the virtual-source test to determine whether the issue follows the input/workload or also occurs with the test source. |
| The live mounts differ from the expected deployment | Compare the active mounts with the creation command or Compose configuration; back up data before correcting paths. |
| The image or version changed near the start of the loop | Record the exact tags and consult official image recommendations and version-specific migration guidance before changing versions. |
| The failure happens only with a particular host or hardware setup | Correlate host messages and process details with the failure; do not assume architecture, resource exhaustion, permissions, or hardware compatibility without supporting logs. |
7. Prepare a useful escalation report
If the virtual-source test and log review do not resolve the issue, Restreamer’s official troubleshooting page recommends opening a GitHub issue with a detailed description and process report. Include the time of each restart, container state and restart history, relevant Docker events, Restreamer system and FFmpeg logs, exact image/tag, host and hardware details, and the relevant mount and environment configuration. Remove secrets and private stream information first.
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