CitadelContainers
Inspect containers, read logs, open a terminal, and understand runtime actions.
Open a Platform, then Containers to see its Docker workloads, including containers created outside Citadel. You need access to the Platform or owning workload; individual tools also require the relevant permissions.
To create an application, use a Deployment for one container or a Stack for Compose. To manage an existing application's configuration, use adoption.
Inspect a container
Open the container's detail page and choose the information you need:
| Tab | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Logs | Read application output and follow new messages |
| Inspect | Examine Docker's container configuration |
| Terminal | Run commands inside a running container |
| Stats | Check CPU, memory, and network usage |
For memory accounting and host capacity, see Platform monitoring.
Read logs
- Open the container and select Logs.
- Reproduce the problem and watch for new messages or an error from the log stream.
- Enable Timestamps when comparing output with a failed operation in Activities.
The viewer follows output available through Docker's logging API. If it stays empty, check whether the application writes to standard output or standard error and whether its Docker logging driver supports reading logs. Files written only inside the container do not automatically appear here.
For several services together, use the Stack's logs. If multiple live views stop updating, check the browser connection.
Open a terminal
- Select Terminal on a running container.
- Choose bash or sh, then select Connect.
- Run your diagnostic commands. Select Disconnect when finished.
The selected shell must exist in the image. If bash fails, disconnect and try
sh. Minimal images may contain neither shell. A terminal opens inside the
container, so its files and commands are those supplied by that image.
Terminal changes to a container's writable layer can be lost when it is recreated. Put lasting configuration changes in the Deployment, Compose file, image, or mounted storage.
Start, stop, and restart
Use the container's action menu or select rows for a group action. Available actions depend on current state, ownership, permissions, and connectivity.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Start | Start a stopped container |
| Stop | Stop its running processes |
| Restart | Restart the existing container; does not apply a new image or saved workload configuration |
| Pause / Resume | Suspend or resume its processes |
| Delete | Remove the container, including data stored only in its writable layer |
For configuration or image changes, use Deploy or Redeploy on the owning Deployment or Stack. Citadel system containers are protected from ordinary container lifecycle actions. Swarm Task containers are controlled through their owning Service or Stack.
For Swarm logs, terminals, and statistics on other Nodes, check Cluster node coverage. If an action is disabled, see troubleshooting.