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On a systemd-managed Linux installation, restart the regular Docker Engine service with sudo systemctl restart docker. For rootless Docker managed as a systemd user service, use systemctl --user restart docker. A daemon restart can stop running containers, so check whether interruption is acceptable before running either command.

Choose the command for your Docker installation

First identify whether Docker runs as the regular system service or in rootless mode, and whether systemd manages it. The commands below apply to those systemd setups; distributions or custom installations using another service manager may require different commands.

Installation Restart command Service context
Regular Docker Engine sudo systemctl restart docker System service
Rootless Docker systemctl --user restart docker Systemd user service

Docker’s rootless setup uses a user service at ~/.config/systemd/user/docker.service and is managed with systemctl --user. Its default daemon configuration location also differs from the regular installation. See Docker’s rootless mode documentation.

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Understand the effect on running containers

By default, terminating the Docker daemon shuts down running containers. If you cannot tolerate that interruption, do not assume a routine restart is safe merely because containers have restart policies.

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Live restore is not a guarantee of no downtime

Docker’s live-restore feature can keep standalone containers running while the daemon is unavailable, which can reduce disruption during a daemon outage or upgrade. It does not apply to Swarm services. Changed daemon-level options can prevent containers from being restored, and Docker limits upgrade support to patch releases. If the daemon stays unavailable long enough, container log buffers can fill. Consult Docker’s live restore guidance before relying on it.

Restart policies serve a different purpose

Container restart policies govern what happens when a container exits or Docker restarts; they are not a substitute for live restore. Docker explains the distinction in its container restart policy documentation.

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Decide whether reload can replace a restart

A full service restart is the documented choice when a configuration change requires restarting the daemon. For supported Linux daemon configuration reloads, Docker documents sudo systemctl reload docker under systemd; without systemd, it documents sending SIGHUP to dockerd. A reload is not a universal way to apply every daemon option. Docker’s live restore instructions describe the reload path for that configuration, and its logging documentation also describes SIGHUP as a configuration reload method.

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Check configuration before restarting

Docker’s default daemon configuration file is /etc/docker/daemon.json for a regular Linux installation. Rootless mode defaults to ~/.config/docker/daemon.json; when XDG_CONFIG_HOME is set, the rootless path follows that variable. Docker recommends JSON configuration and warns that defining an option both in daemon.json and as a daemon flag prevents Docker from starting. See Docker daemon configuration documentation.

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Verify the service and troubleshoot a failed start

  1. Run the appropriate restart command for your installation.
  2. Check the service state using your system’s service tools. Docker recommends using operating-system utilities to check whether the service is active; see its daemon log documentation.
  3. If the regular system service does not start, inspect recent journal entries with sudo journalctl -u docker.service --since "5 minutes ago" --no-pager. Docker also documents journalctl -xu docker.service for Linux.
  4. Review the reported error and check for configuration conflicts, including an option set both in daemon.json and as a daemon flag, before trying the restart again.

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