Answers: <p>If you don't name a container when you run it Docker will make up a random name for you.  This is handy for differentiating different invocations of a container without resorting to hex values.  You can see by <a href="https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/pkg/namesgenerator/names-generator.go" rel="nofollow noreferrer">checking the source</a> all of the possible names that could be generated.</p>
  
Answers: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers: 2022-01-26T15:05:05.827Z
Answers: Thanks chicks. I notice when I do a 'docker run busybox echo "hello from busybox"' several times and then do a "docker ps -a" I see I get several different names in the NAMES column. If one of the names is "focused_clarke", should I then be able to do 'docker run focused_clarke echo "hello from focused_clarke" instead? When I do I get repository does not exist.
Answers: user2220115
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Answers: 2022-01-26T16:12:18.753Z
Answers: The names don't make sense in the run context, but should work for when you're looking at logs or trying to stop one of several otherwise identical containers.
Answers: chicks
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Answers: 2022-01-25T20:40:48.600Z
Answers: 2022-01-25T20:40:48.600Z
Answers: chicks
Answers: <p>Run is used for running a new container.</p>
  <p>Exec is used for doing something inside of an existing container.</p>
  <pre><code>docker exec -it &lt;container_id_or_name&gt; echo &quot;I'm inside the container!&quot;
  </code></pre>
  <p>So, when you use <code>exec</code>, you can use the container name from your running container, as shown in our output.</p>
  
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Answers: 2022-01-21T17:10:22.977Z
Answers: Looks like neither command is working for me. "run -it sweet_curran bash" gives me "Unable to find image 'sweet_curran:latest' locally" and "docker exec -it sweet_curran bash" gives me "Container d69c6f... is not running".
Answers: user2220115
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Answers: 2022-01-21T18:35:30.020Z
Answers: Yeah... read your output in your question.   "Exited (0) 10 minutes ago" - your container stopped / isn't actually running - but the exec command did its job and found the container you meant from the name.  If you want it to stay up, you need to run a process that won't stop (e.g. a web service), or you need to tell it to sleep or something.  Also, generally run things as a daemon with "-d" so that they don't rely on your command line/are non-blocking.  Otherwise when you break out of the CLI they will die.
Answers: John Humphreys
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Answers: 2022-01-21T18:38:49.400Z
Answers: Read this -> https://docker-curriculum.com/.  May catch you up on some fundamentals.
Answers: John Humphreys
Answers: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers: 2022-01-21T21:49:04.247Z
Answers: Whether it is with docker exec or docker run, if it is stopped how can I run it again using the name in the "Names" field "sweet_curran"? Thanks.
Answers: user2220115
Answers: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers: 2022-01-21T22:00:40.037Z
Answers: I think you need to read docker fundamentals.  A container lives for the scope of the process that it executes.   Since your process is just bash, it stopped.  If it was a database like mysql, it would be around forever to jump into.
Answers: John Humphreys
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Answers: 2022-01-21T16:48:02.387Z
Answers: 2022-01-21T16:48:02.387Z
Answers: John Humphreys
Body: <p>When I run the &quot;docker ps -a&quot; command following command I fields:</p>
  <pre><code>CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                 COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS                      PORTS               NAMES
  d69c6f81b591        paigeeworld/centos7   &quot;/bin/bash&quot;         10 minutes ago      Exited (0) 10 minutes ago                       sweet_curran
  </code></pre>
  <p>If I try to do a &quot;docker run -it sweet_curran bash&quot; I get an &quot;unable to find image&quot; error. What the &quot;Names&quot; field used for if I cannot use it to run the image?</p>
  
Tags: <docker>
Title: Names field in docker ps -a command
UserDisplayName: user2220115
ThreadText: # Names field in docker ps -a command
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-01-21)
  
  When I run the "docker ps -a" command following command I fields:
  
  ```
  CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                 COMMAND             CREATED             STATUS                      PORTS               NAMES
  d69c6f81b591        paigeeworld/centos7   "/bin/bash"         10 minutes ago      Exited (0) 10 minutes ago                       sweet_curran
  
  ```
  
  If I try to do a "docker run -it sweet\_curran bash" I get an "unable to find image" error. What the "Names" field used for if I cannot use it to run the image?
  
  **Tags:** docker
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2022-01-25. Score: 1
  
  If you don't name a container when you run it Docker will make up a random name for you. This is handy for differentiating different invocations of a container without resorting to hex values. You can see by [checking the source](https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/pkg/namesgenerator/names-generator.go) all of the possible names that could be generated.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks username_1. I notice when I do a 'docker run busybox echo "hello from busybox"' several times and then do a "docker ps -a" I see I get several different names in the NAMES column. If one of the names is "focused_clarke", should I then be able to do 'docker run focused_clarke echo "hello from focused_clarke" instead? When I do I get repository does not exist.  
  > **username_1**: The names don't make sense in the run context, but should work for when you're looking at logs or trying to stop one of several otherwise identical containers.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2022-01-21. Score: 0
  
  Run is used for running a new container.
  
  Exec is used for doing something inside of an existing container.
  
  ```
  docker exec -it <container_id_or_name> echo "I'm inside the container!"
  
  ```
  
  So, when you use `exec`, you can use the container name from your running container, as shown in our output.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Looks like neither command is working for me. "run -it sweet_curran bash" gives me "Unable to find image 'sweet_curran:latest' locally" and "docker exec -it sweet_curran bash" gives me "Container d69c6f... is not running".  
  > **username_2**: Yeah... read your output in your question.   "Exited (0) 10 minutes ago" - your container stopped / isn't actually running - but the exec command did its job and found the container you meant from the name.  If you want it to stay up, you need to run a process that won't stop (e.g. a web service), or you need to tell it to sleep or something.  Also, generally run things as a daemon with "-d" so that they don't rely on your command line/are non-blocking.  Otherwise when you break out of the CLI they will die.  
  > **username_2**: Read this -> https://docker-curriculum.com/.  May catch you up on some fundamentals.  
  > **username_0**: Whether it is with docker exec or docker run, if it is stopped how can I run it again using the name in the "Names" field "sweet_curran"? Thanks.  
  > **username_2**: I think you need to read docker fundamentals.  A container lives for the scope of the process that it executes.   Since your process is just bash, it stopped.  If it was a database like mysql, it would be around forever to jump into.  
  
  ---
  
  