Learning Docker - Second Edition

Directory leaks

Earlier in the Data volume section, you learned that the Docker Engine automatically creates directories based on the VOLUME instruction in the Dockerfile as well as the -v option of the docker run subcommand. We also understood that the Docker Engine does not automatically delete these autogenerated directories in order to preserve the state of the application(s) run inside the container. We can force Docker to remove these directories using the -v option of the docker rm subcommand. This process of manual deletion poses two major challenges enumerated as follows:

• Undeleted directories: There can be scenarios where you may intentionally or unintentionally choose not to remove the generated directory while removing the container. ...