docker pause: Freeze a Container Processes

Freeze every process in a container without stopping it.

docker pause suspends all processes in a container using the cgroup freezer. This page covers the behavior and when it helps versus docker stop.

What it does

docker pause sends SIGSTOP-equivalent freezing via the cgroup freezer so processes are suspended in place, keeping memory and connections intact. docker unpause resumes them. Nothing inside the container observes the pause.

Common usage

Terminal

docker pause web
docker unpause web
docker pause $(docker ps -q)

Common errors in CI

"Container ... is not running" - you cannot pause a stopped container. Pausing is rarely needed in CI; it is useful to momentarily freeze a service while you snapshot or take a consistent backup. A paused container still holds its memory and ports, so it does not free resources the way docker stop does.

Related guides

docker unpause: Resume a Paused ContainerHow docker unpause works: resuming the processes of a container frozen by docker pause, the not-paused error,… docker stop: Gracefully Stop ContainersHow docker stop works: sending SIGTERM then SIGKILL, the grace period, stopping multiple containers, and clea… docker stats: Live Container Resource UsageHow docker stats works: streaming CPU, memory, network, and I/O per container, the --no-stream flag, and spot… docker ps: List Containers, Filters & FormattingHow docker ps works: listing running and stopped containers, filters, format strings, and reading exit status…