container lifecycle

Efficient Ops

Jan 21, 2020 · Cloud Native

Why Do Docker Containers Exit Instantly? Understanding PID 1 and Daemon Modes

Many Docker beginners encounter containers that stop immediately after launch, often due to the CMD process exiting as PID 1; this article explains Linux PID 1 behavior, process tables, zombie and orphan processes, and how Docker’s namespace and runtime components like containerd‑shim and runc affect container lifecycles.