Managing Docker and RStudio Server

rstudio
docker
How to start, stop, and restart a Docker container and RStudio Server.
Published

Spring 2024

This guide assumes you’ve set up a Docker container with RStudio Server according to the instructions in the Getting started guide.

Stop Docker container and RStudio Server

If you are continuing from the Getting started guide, your Docker container is running and RStudio Server is running inside the container, as shown below.

RStudio Server running Docker container running

The browser window where RStudio Server appears can be closed and reopened at any time. You will not lose any work or data as the Docker container will continue to run in the background.

You could always just leave the Docker container running, the Docker Desktop application will reduce the amount of resources it uses when you are not actively using it. However, You may want to stop the Docker container. You have two options: (1) stop the container and leave Docker Desktop running, or (2) quit Docker Desktop entirely.

To stop the container and leave Docker Desktop running, navigate to the “Containers” tab in Docker Desktop and find the container you want to stop. Click the “Stop” button ‘’ next to the container. Caution: Do not click the “Delete” button ‘’ as this will delete the container and all of its data.

Stop the Docker container

The container will stop and the “Status” column will change to “Exited”. Docker Desktop is running, but the container is not and the connection to the RStudio Server shut down.

RStudio Server shut down

To quit Docker Desktop entirely, click the Docker Desktop icon in the menu bar and select “Quit Docker Desktop”. This will stop all running containers and shut down Docker Desktop.

Restart Docker container and RStudio Server

To start Docker Desktop, click the Docker Desktop icon in the menu bar and select “Open Docker Desktop”. This will start Docker Desktop. You will need to wait a few seconds for Docker Desktop to start.

You can then restart the container by navigating to the “Containers” tab in Docker Desktop and clicking the “Start” button ‘’ for your container. Note you will not need to add the configuration options again, as they are saved in the container.

Restart your Docker container

You can now open RStudio Server in your browser again and continue working.