Troubleshooting Like a DevOps Engineer¶
Start with evidence, not a restart loop.
| Symptom | First checks |
|---|---|
| does not start | docker ps -a, logs, inspect, exit code |
| exits immediately | PID 1, command, CMD/ENTRYPOINT, foreground process |
| unreachable | published port, listener, curl, network inspection |
| DNS fails | network membership, service name, resolver |
| data missing | volume/bind mount, ownership, backup/restore path |
| OOM or slow | limits, docker stats, host pressure, kernel evidence |
Collect the image reference/digest, container configuration, timestamps, logs, exit code, network settings, mount configuration, and host context before modifying the workload. Reproduce in a safe environment and make the smallest falsifiable change.