# docker pause: Freeze a Container Processes

> How docker pause works: suspending all processes in a container via cgroup freezer, and when to use it versus stop.

Source: https://latchkey.dev/learn/command-reference/docker-pause-command  
Updated: 2026-06-25

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.

## FAQ

### docker pause: Freeze a Container Processes?

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 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.

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