Troubleshooting Guide: Fixes for 'Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine'

If you're a developer, you're probably familiar with Docker. It's a popular platform that allows you to develop, deploy, and run applications in containers. However, sometimes things can go wrong, and you might encounter an error message that says, "Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine." In this troubleshooting guide, we'll go over some common fixes for this issue.

Table of Contents

• Common Causes of 'Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine'
• Fixes for 'Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine'
• Restart the Docker Service
• Check for Conflicting Services
• Check for Corrupted Files
• Check for Disk Space
• Reinstall Docker
• FAQs

Common Causes of 'Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine'

Before we dive into the fixes, let's first understand some common causes of the error message.

• Conflicting services: Docker might not start if there are other services running on the same port or using the same resources.
• Corrupted files: If some files required by Docker are missing or corrupted, it might not start.
• Disk space: If there isn't enough disk space to run Docker, it might not start.
• Service stopped: If the Docker service is stopped or disabled, it won't start.

Fixes for 'Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine'

Restart the Docker Service

The first thing you should try is to restart the Docker service. Here's how you can do it:

1. Open the terminal or command prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: sudo systemctl restart docker.service
3. Wait for a few seconds and then check if Docker has started.

Check for Conflicting Services

As mentioned earlier, Docker might not start if there are other services running on the same port or using the same resources. Here's how you can check for conflicting services:

1. Open the terminal or command prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: sudo netstat -tulpn | grep LISTEN
3. Look for any service that is using the same port or resources as Docker.
4. Stop or disable that service and then try starting Docker again.

Check for Corrupted Files

If some files required by Docker are missing or corrupted, it might not start. Here's how you can check for corrupted files:

1. Open the terminal or command prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: sudo journalctl -u docker.service
3. Look for any error messages related to files or dependencies.
4. If you find any such error messages, try reinstalling Docker or reinstalling the missing dependencies.

Check for Disk Space

If there isn't enough disk space to run Docker, it might not start. Here's how you can check for disk space:

1. Open the terminal or command prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter: df -h
3. Look for the disk space usage of the directory where Docker is installed.
4. If there isn't enough disk space, try deleting some unnecessary files or increasing the disk space.

Reinstall Docker

If none of the above fixes work, you might need to reinstall Docker. Here's how you can reinstall Docker:

1. Uninstall Docker using the command sudo apt-get remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc
2. Delete any remaining Docker files or directories using the command sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker
3. Install Docker again using the official installation instructions.

FAQs

Q1: Why is Docker not starting on my machine?

A: Docker might not start due to conflicting services, corrupted files, insufficient disk space, or a stopped/disabled service.

Q2: How can I check for conflicting services?

A: You can use the command sudo netstat -tulpn | grep LISTEN to check for conflicting services.

Q3: How can I check for corrupted files?

A: You can use the command sudo journalctl -u docker.service to check for error messages related to files or dependencies.

Q4: How can I check for disk space?

A: You can use the command df -h to check for disk space usage of the directory where Docker is installed.

Q5: What should I do if none of the fixes work?

A: You might need to reinstall Docker using the official installation instructions.

Conclusion

In this troubleshooting guide, we went over some common fixes for the error message "Failed to Start Docker Application Container Engine." Hopefully, one of these fixes worked for you. If you're still having issues, feel free to consult the official Docker documentation or seek help from the Docker community.