CLI Commands for Pausing Docker Containers

docker cli pause unpause container
19 July 2025


We all know that Docker is one of the popular tools for building, deploying, and managing containers. One of the interesting features of this tool is the ability to pause containers. This feature allows us to temporarily halt tasks that are currently running inside the container, giving us the chance to free up data without losing it. Assume you are running a program and need to pause it for some reason, but don't want to lose all pertinent information about the program's status. This is where the pause command comes into play.


By using the docker pause command, you can pause a container. This command sends the SIGSTOP signal to all processes currently running in that container, which causes them to become paused. On the other hand, to resume the execution of a program in the container, you can use the docker unpause command, which sends the SIGCONT signal to the processes and brings them back to the running state.


It is important to also look at how to use these commands and how they work together. To start, you need to ensure that Docker is installed and operational on your system, as well as the container you intend to pause is currently running. After this stage, you can use the docker ps command to view the list of containers running in the system.


Code Sample:


# View the running containers
docker ps

# Pause a container with a specific identifier
docker pause [container-id]

# Resume execution of a paused container
docker unpause [container-id]

Code Explanations:


docker ps
This command displays the list of containers currently running and allows you to find the appropriate container-id.


docker pause [container-id]
With this command, the container with the specified container-id is paused, and all its processes are temporarily halted.


docker unpause [container-id]
This command can resume a container that has been previously paused, bringing its processes back to their running state.

FAQ

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What does pausing a Docker container mean?

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How can I restart a paused container?

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Does pausing a container result in lost data?

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How can I check the status of running containers?