Docker How To Attach To Running Container

It is easy to attach to a running Docker container.

You can attach to a running container like this. It will need to be running a shell.

docker attach smelly-hippo   

You can use these key sequences with this type of connection:

CTRL-c	kill the container
CTRL-p CTRL-q	detach from container and keep it running

Using the attach command will only connect to one instance of the shell even if you connect multiple times at once. It also requires the container to be running with a shell.

Alternatively, you can also use docker exec to run a shell on a container:

docker exec -it smelly-hippo bash  

This has the advantage of allowing you to run multiple instances of the shell.