Docker Command Reference
A quick-reference page for Docker Compose commands used with Ignition projects. All commands run from the project directory - the folder that contains your docker-compose.yml file.
Gateway Lifecycle
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
docker compose up -d | Start all services in the background |
docker compose down | Stop and remove containers; volume and data preserved |
docker compose down -v | Stop containers and delete all volumes (full reset - destroys gateway data) |
docker compose restart gateway | Restart the gateway service only; volume preserved |
docker compose restart | Restart all services |
docker compose stop | Stop containers without removing them |
docker compose start | Start previously stopped containers |
docker compose down && docker compose up -d | Full stack restart; volume preserved |
Logs and Inspection
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
docker compose logs -f gateway | Stream gateway logs live (Ctrl+C to stop) |
docker compose logs gateway | Print all gateway logs to stdout |
docker compose logs gateway | grep -i error | Filter gateway logs for errors |
docker compose logs --tail=100 gateway | Print last 100 lines of gateway logs |
docker compose ps | Show all services, their status, and exposed ports |
docker compose exec gateway bash | Open a shell inside the running gateway container |
docker compose exec db psql -U ignition ignition | Open a psql session in the Ignition database |
docker inspect ignition-data | Inspect the ignition-data volume (path, driver, labels) |
Image Management
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
docker compose pull | Pull the latest version of all images (does not restart services) |
docker compose pull gateway | Pull only the Ignition gateway image |
docker images | grep ignition | List locally cached Ignition images and their tags |
docker rmi inductiveautomation/ignition:8.3.6 | Remove a specific image version from local cache |
docker compose build | Build any services with a local build: context (not applicable to the stock template) |
Troubleshooting Quick-Reference
| Symptom | Command to run |
|---|---|
| Gateway not starting | docker compose logs gateway |
| Port conflict on startup | docker compose ps to see what is running and which ports are bound |
| Traefik route not working | docker compose ps - verify the proxy network is up and gateway is healthy |
| Gateway stuck in trial mode after reset | Volume was deleted with -v; reactivate the license from Config > Licensing |
| Database connection errors in gateway logs | docker compose logs db - check if PostgreSQL passed its healthcheck |
| Bootstrap runs on every start | Sentinel file missing from volume; check bootstrap service logs |
| Designer cannot connect | Confirm gateway is fully started - look for Gateway successfully started in logs |