How to SSH into a Running Docker Container and Run Commands

Introduction

Docker is a utility that lets you create a container for running applications. A Docker container is a fully-contained virtual machine.

This guide will show you three methods to SSH into a Docker container and run commands.

Prerequisites

• A Linux system running Docker
• Preconfigured containers loaded and running
• Access to a terminal window/command prompt (Ctrl+Alt+T or Ctrl+Alt+F2)
• A user account with sudo privileges

Method 1: Use docker exec to Run Commands in a Docker Container

The docker exec command runs a specified command within an already running container. You can use it to SSH into a Docker container by creating a bash shell (a shell where you can type commands).

The basic syntax for using docker exec to run a command in containers is:

docker exec [options] [container] [command]

Start by pulling a Docker image if you haven’t already. For example, you can load Nginx:

sudo docker pull nginx

Then, run the image:

sudo docker run ––name nginx–test –d nginx

List all running containers to verify:

sudo docker ps

You should now see your nginx-test image loaded.

To get access and run commands in that Docker container, type the following:

sudo docker exec –it nginx-test /bin/bash

Now, you are logged in to the nginx-test container. Therefore, any commands you enter will perform in that container. The –i option specifies interactive, and the –t enables a terminal typing interface.

Method 2: Use the docker attach Command to Connect to a Running Container

The docker attach command links a local input, output, and error stream to a container. By default, it launches in a bash shell. To connect to a running container, enter the following:

sudo docker attach container_Name

In the example below, the system will connect to the nginx-test container:

sudo docker attach nginx-test

Once the command is executed, you will be working in the container. Any commands you run will affect the virtual Docker environment.

Method 3: Use SSH to Connect to a Docker Container

You can connect to a Docker container using SSH (Secure Shell). Normally, SSH is used to connect remotely over a network to a server. The technology works the same when connecting to a virtual Docker container on your system.

Step 1: Enable SSH on System

Start by installing and enabling the SSH service:

Enable SSH on Ubuntu 18.04:

sudo apt-get install ssh

sudo systemctl ssh start

sudo systemctl ssh enable

service ssh status

Enable SSH on CentOS 7:

yum –y install openssh-server openssh-clients

service sshd start

service sshd enable

service sshd status

Step 2: Get IP Address of Container

Get the container’s IP address by using the docker inspect command and filtering out the results.

For modern Docker engines, use the command:

sudo docker inspect -f "{{ .NetworkSettings.IPAddress }}" container_name

For older Docker engines, run:

docker inspect -f '{{range.NetworkSettings.Networks}}{{.IPAddress}}{{end}}' container_name

The system will display the IP address as seen in the image above.

Step 3: SSH Into Docker Container

Ping the IP address to make sure it’s available:

ping –c 3 172.17.0.2

Use the SSH tool to connect to the image:

ssh root@172.17.0.2

The system should prompt for a password of the root user for that container. If it says Connection refused, likely the container is not provisioned for SSH. If the prompt changes, you are now connected via SSH, and can run commands in the container.

Conclusion

Docker containers are lightweight and transitional, so a traditional SSH connection isn’t recommended. The recommended method to run commands in a Docker container is either docker exec or docker attach.

If you are provisioning multiple remote virtual machines, you could use the docker-machine ssh command to connect to a virtual machine through Docker. For most users, the first two command methods are recommended.