CitadelVolumes
Create Docker volumes, browse and download their contents, and protect application data.
Open a Platform, then Volumes to see Docker-managed storage. Named volumes persist independently of a container. Bind mounts instead use paths on the host; they are not available in the volume browser.
Create and attach a volume
- On an online Platform, select Add Volume.
- Enter a name such as
app-data. Keep the local driver unless your storage setup requires another installed Docker volume driver. - Select Save and check that the volume appears in the list.
- Add a mount to your Deployment, such as
app-data:/data, then save and deploy or redeploy it. Use the data path required by your application.
A Stack can declare and create its own named volumes in Compose. To attach an existing one, use an external volume with the matching name. Creating a volume does not attach it to containers automatically.
On Swarm, a volume created here belongs to the connected manager. Local volumes with the same name on different Nodes can contain different data. Check the Node before browsing, backing up, or restoring one.
Browse and download files
You need volume-content access and a reachable Docker host. For another Swarm Node, Cluster node coverage must provide a usable connection to that Node.
- Select the volume and choose Browse.
- Open directories and use the breadcrumbs to navigate.
- Use a file's download button to save its contents, or a directory's download
button to save a
.tararchive.
Browsing is read-only: it does not upload, edit, rename, or delete files. You can download a selected file or subdirectory, but not the volume root. Symbolic links cannot be followed or downloaded as files.
The browser reads current contents. Files may change while an application writes to the volume; a download is not an application-consistent backup. For recoverable snapshots and retention, configure a backup policy.
Inspect and remove a volume
Use Inspect to review metadata and attached containers. Before Delete, confirm that the data is no longer needed or that you have a usable backup. Deleting a volume removes its stored data.
Deletion is unavailable while the volume is in use or when viewing Node-specific inventory. A stopped container can still reference a volume; inspect its attachments before treating it as unused.
If browsing fails
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| Browse is disabled or access is denied | Your volume-content permissions, Platform status, and the selected Swarm Node's coverage |
| The browser cannot start | The target Docker host must be able to run Citadel's volume helper and obtain its image; inspect the returned error |
| A file has disappeared | Refresh the directory; the application may have moved or deleted it |
| A path cannot be downloaded | Select a regular file or subdirectory, rather than the volume root or a symbolic link |
For remote workload backups, use an S3-compatible repository as described in backup repositories.