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A Dokku MySQL container stuck in a restart loop is usually a MySQL startup failure, not a Dokku fault. Docker is repeatedly relaunching a process that exits. Capture the first fatal log line, protect the persistent volume, fix the specific cause, and only then recreate or restart the service.
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What a Dokku MySQL restart loop means
Dokku runs MySQL as a service container. When the MySQL process exits with a non-zero status, Docker can apply its restart policy and try the container again. Dokku’s current process-management documentation says the default policy retries containers that exit unsuccessfully up to 10 times using Docker’s on-failure policy: Dokku process-management documentation. The retries explain the repeated start-stop messages; they do not identify or repair the underlying failure.
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The most important diagnostic detail is the first fatal error from the first failed startup. Later attempts often repeat the same message, add shutdown noise, or hide the original line among health-check and networking output. Do not begin by repeatedly running dokku mysql:restart. Preserve the evidence and data first.
Before changing anything: preserve logs and data
1. Confirm the service name
List the MySQL services managed by the plugin:
dokku mysql:list
Use the exact service name returned by that command in the rest of the runbook. A Dokku service name is not necessarily the same as the application that consumes it.
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2. Capture Dokku and Docker state
Record the service summary and plugin logs while the failure is still visible:
dokku mysql:info <service>dokku mysql:logs <service>docker ps -adocker inspect <container>for the relevant MySQL container shown bydocker ps -a
The official plugin documents these service commands, including mysql:info and mysql:logs, in its command reference: dokku-mysql documentation. Save the output to a file or another durable location before stopping or recreating anything.
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If the container is restarting so quickly that the error is difficult to read, stop the service after capturing the available logs:
dokku mysql:stop <service>
Stopping prevents another attempt from overwriting the useful context. It does not delete the service volume. Do not remove the container, detach the volume, initialize a new data directory, or change image versions merely to make the restart messages disappear.
4. Establish a recoverable backup
If MySQL can accept connections even briefly, use the plugin export operation:
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dokku mysql:export <service>
The plugin provides mysql:export along with the service lifecycle commands. Treat the resulting export as a backup only after confirming that it completed and can be read. When the server cannot stay up long enough to export, verify the persistent volume and take a host-level backup using your normal storage-backup procedure before destructive operations. A volume or data-directory deletion is a data-loss action, not a repair step.
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Classify the first fatal log line
Read the earliest MySQL, entrypoint, Docker, or filesystem error that explains why the process exited. The categories below cover the common failure classes exposed by Dokku’s service and container controls. Choose one category before changing settings; changing several layers at once makes recovery and rollback harder.
| Log or state pattern | Likely layer | Evidence to check | Smallest matching action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown variable, invalid option, or configuration parse error | MySQL configuration or custom environment | Recent environment/configuration changes; service configuration shown by mysql:info |
Revert or correct the named setting, then apply it using the lifecycle needed for that setting |
| Permission denied, cannot create file, or cannot write to data directory | Filesystem ownership or permissions | Persistent-volume mount and host ownership/mode; available storage | Correct ownership or permissions without deleting the data directory |
| No space left on device or write failure | Host storage | Disk capacity, inode capacity, and Docker storage location | Free or expand storage, then retry; do not remove database files to gain space |
| Out of memory, killed process, or repeated abrupt termination | Host memory or container limits | Container state and host memory pressure; configured Docker options | Relieve memory pressure or correct the resource setting before restarting |
| InnoDB recovery, corrupted page, or data-file error | Database files | Complete InnoDB error sequence and the verified backup | Preserve the volume and seek a recovery path appropriate to the exact error; never initialize over it |
| Network, hostname, or socket unavailable during initialization | Docker network or linked-service configuration | Network settings, linked applications, and container inspection | Restore the required network/configuration and recreate only if the setting is creation-time |
| Invalid Docker option or container-creation failure | Dokku docker-options configuration | Configured options and their phase; Dokku’s Docker-options guidance | Remove or correct the invalid option, then use a stop/start or upgrade path that recreates the container |
Dokku exposes controls for custom environment, images, networks, shared memory, and Docker options. Docker options are applied during container phases, so an invalid option can prevent a new container from starting rather than merely changing a running process. Review the documented behavior before editing these values: Dokku Docker-options documentation.
Apply the least disruptive fix
Configuration or environment error
Compare the current service configuration with the last known working state. If the log names an unknown variable, malformed value, or missing required option, correct only that value. Avoid adding speculative MySQL flags. A configuration fix may require container recreation if the value is read only during creation; a plain restart does not necessarily recreate a container with new creation-time settings.
Image or image-version problem
If the loop began immediately after an image change or upgrade, identify the image and version in the captured inspection and service information. Roll back to the previously working image only after confirming that the data volume remains attached and that the rollback is compatible with the database files. Do not alternate image versions repeatedly: each change can alter startup behavior and complicate recovery.
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Filesystem ownership, permissions, or storage
For permission errors, inspect the mounted data path and correct ownership or mode at the host level without moving or deleting database files. For disk errors, free or expand storage and check inode exhaustion as well as byte capacity. Restart only after the filesystem operation succeeds; an unchanged full disk will produce the same loop.
Memory pressure and Docker options
An operating-system kill or explicit out-of-memory message points to host or container resource pressure. Check competing workloads and the service’s resource-related options. If a Docker option is invalid, remove or correct the option first. The relevant setting may be consumed only while creating the container, which means a stop/start or documented upgrade path is required after the configuration change.
Network and linked-application problems
Check whether the service network exists and whether a recent link or unlink changed the application’s generated database URL. The MySQL plugin supports linking services to applications; linking or unlinking can restart an application. Restore the expected network or link configuration, then verify both the database service and the application’s connection settings.
InnoDB or data-file corruption
Database-file errors require the greatest restraint. Keep the original volume, preserve all logs, and confirm the export or host-level backup before attempting recovery. Do not delete the data directory, run an initialization command against it, or create a replacement service with the same name and assume the old data will be found automatically. If the error indicates corruption, use a recovery procedure appropriate to the exact MySQL version and error sequence; the Dokku plugin supplies lifecycle and connection commands but does not make corrupted files safe to overwrite.
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Choose the correct Dokku lifecycle command
The command depends on whether you changed a running process or a value used to create the container.
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| Command | Use it for | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
dokku mysql:stop <service> |
Stopping a cycling service so logs and state can be examined | Stopping does not fix the underlying error |
dokku mysql:start <service> |
Starting a stopped service after the cause is corrected | It will fail again if the same startup condition remains |
dokku mysql:restart <service> |
A graceful restart of the service container | It may not recreate the container with creation-time settings |
dokku mysql:upgrade <service> |
The plugin’s documented upgrade path when changing the service image/version | Confirm compatibility, backup, and volume persistence first |
dokku mysql:enter <service> |
Entering the service container for inspection or administrative work | It requires a running container |
dokku mysql:connect <service> |
Testing a client connection and running a query | It requires MySQL to be accepting connections |
These commands and their service lifecycle behavior are documented by the official plugin at https://github.com/dokku/dokku-mysql. Use mysql:restart only after an in-place fix that the existing container can consume. If the fix changes image selection, Docker options, mounts, networks, or another creation-time property, stop the service and use the documented start or upgrade flow after verifying the volume and backup.
Application restart-policy changes are separate
Do not confuse a MySQL service restart with a Dokku application process-policy change. Dokku’s process-management documentation requires a subsequent ps:rebuild after changing an application restart policy: process-management documentation. That rebuild instruction applies to application processes, not as a substitute for diagnosing a failing MySQL service container.
Verify that the service is really recovered
- Start or recreate the service using the command appropriate to the fix.
- Run
dokku mysql:info <service>and confirm the service remains up instead of cycling. - Review fresh output with
dokku mysql:logs <service>; check that the original fatal line is gone and no new startup error appears. - Test an authenticated connection with
dokku mysql:connect <service>. Run a harmless read-only query or inspect the expected schema before allowing write traffic. - If interactive inspection is needed, use
dokku mysql:enter <service>only after the container is stable. - Check each linked application’s generated database URL and application logs. A database that is healthy but still unreachable by an app usually indicates a link, network, credential, or environment problem rather than another MySQL restart loop.
- Keep the export and captured logs until normal application reads and writes have been validated.
Dokku’s troubleshooting guidance also recommends examining container state and logs when a process fails: Dokku troubleshooting documentation.
When two repairs appear possible
Use a deliberate comparison rather than choosing the fastest-looking command. The safer option is normally the one that preserves a verified export, changes the fewest layers, and has a clear rollback.
- Data safety: Is the operation an in-place correction, or does it touch database files?
- Persistence: Does the service retain the existing persistent volume, and have you confirmed the mount?
- Scope: Will it affect only the MySQL service, or also restart linked applications?
- Reversibility: Can you restore the previous image, configuration, or Docker option without losing the volume?
- Downtime: How long will the service and its dependent applications be unavailable?
Prefer an in-place configuration, permission, storage, or network correction when the evidence supports it. Prefer recreation or the plugin’s upgrade path only when the failing setting is consumed during container creation or the image itself is the demonstrated cause.
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Common mistakes that prolong the loop
Repeatedly restarting without reading logs
A restart command only repeats the same failing startup when the cause is unchanged. Capture the first fatal line, classify it, and make one targeted change.
Deleting the container or volume as a first response
Container deletion can be reversible when the volume is intact; volume deletion or data-directory reinitialization is not a routine reset. Confirm the mount and backup before any destructive command.
Changing several variables at once
Simultaneously changing the image, network, memory options, and MySQL configuration removes the evidence trail. Change one layer, record the result, and keep the previous value available for rollback.
Assuming a healthy container means a healthy application
MySQL can remain up while an application has a stale generated URL, broken link, or wrong credentials. Verify the service with mysql:info and mysql:connect, then test each dependent application separately.
Using an application rebuild to repair MySQL
ps:rebuild addresses Dokku application process configuration after a process-policy change. It does not repair a MySQL data file, invalid MySQL option, full disk, or broken service volume.
Quick Recap
A compact recovery checklist
- Identify the exact service with
dokku mysql:list. - Capture
mysql:info,mysql:logs,docker ps -a, and relevantdocker inspectoutput. - Record the first fatal startup line before making changes.
- Stop the cycling service only after evidence is saved.
- Export the database when possible and verify a host-level volume backup.
- Classify the failure as configuration, image, permissions, storage, memory, data-file, network, or Docker-option related.
- Apply the smallest matching correction.
- Use restart for an in-place fix; use stop/start or the documented upgrade path for creation-time changes.
- Confirm stable status, clean fresh logs, a successful connection, and working linked applications.
- Retain backups and logs until normal reads and writes have been checked.
Sources and command references
- Official dokku-mysql plugin and command documentation
- Dokku process-management documentation
- Dokku troubleshooting documentation
- Dokku Docker-options documentation
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