How to Transfer a Docker Container to Another Device

How to Transfer a Docker Container to Another Device

If you’ve ever needed to transfer a Docker container from one machine to another, you know it can be a bit daunting. In this blog, I’ll guide you step-by-step through the process of transferring a Docker container from your local device to a remote server. This involves saving the container as an image, transferring it, and running it on the target machine.

Step 1: Commit the Running Container to an Image

The first step is to save your running container as a Docker image. This allows you to capture the current state of the container, so you can recreate it elsewhere.

Run the following command to commit the container to an image:

docker commit abc123xyz456 myapp-image:latest

Here, d189f7e32d7f is the container ID of the running container. You can find this ID by running docker ps to list all containers. We named the new image triconverge-oram with the latest tag.

Step 2: Save the Docker Image to a Tar File

Now that we have an image, the next step is to save it to a file so we can transfer it to the target device.

Use the following command to save the Docker image as a .tar file:

docker save -o myapp-image.tar myapp-image:latest

This creates a file called triconverge-oram.tar that contains your Docker image.

Step 3: Transfer the Tar File to the Remote Device

You have several options to transfer the .tar file to your target device. Here are some common methods:

3.1 Using scp (Secure Copy)

If you have SSH access to your remote device, scp is an easy way to copy the file. Use the following command:

scp myapp-image.tar user@remote_device:/path/to/destination

Replace user with the username for your remote server, and /path/to/destination with the directory where you want to place the tar file.

3.2 Using File Sharing Services

Alternatively, you could upload the file to a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox, and then download it to the target machine.

3.3 Using a USB or External Drive

If the file is very large, you could transfer it manually using a USB drive.

Step 4: Load the Image on the Remote Device

Once you have transferred the tar file to the remote device, the next step is to load the image into Docker on the target machine.

Use the following command:

docker load -i /path/to/destination/myapp-image.tar

This will load the Docker image from the tar file, making it available to run on the remote device.

Step 5: Run the Container on the Remote Device

Finally, you can run the container on the remote device using the same configuration as before:

docker run -d --name myAppContainer myapp-image:latest tail -f /dev/null

This command runs the container in the background (-d flag), gives it the same name (triConvergeORAM), and uses the tail -f /dev/null command to keep it running continuously.

Summary

To recap, here are the steps to transfer a Docker container to another device:

1. Commit the running container to an image: docker commit.
2. Save the image to a tar file: docker save.
3. Transfer the tar file to the remote device (e.g., using scp or other methods).
4. Load the image on the remote device: docker load.
5. Run the container on the target device: docker run.

Following these steps will ensure that your container, along with its state and all configurations, is successfully transferred and runs smoothly on the new device.

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Have you ever transferred a Docker container to a new device? Let me know in the comments if you have any tips or tricks that made the process easier for you!