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Why a container can run software that its image does not contain
Docker images are built from layers; a running container can also make filesystem changes of its own. Copying new files into a live container changes that container, not the image from which it was created. Docker explains the distinction in its guide to image layers.
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That difference matters when a container is replaced. A simple restart runs the same container, so changes made to its filesystem may remain. Recreating it from an image that was not updated starts from that image’s contents instead; files copied only into the old container may be gone.
Recreate and rebuild are different operations
Compose up creates and starts services, and can stop and recreate existing containers when their configuration or image changes. Its --force-recreate option forces recreation even if the image and configuration are unchanged. It does not build a new image. See Docker’s Compose up reference and Compose create reference.
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Docker’s production guidance makes the sequence explicit: “When you make changes to your app code, remember to rebuild your image and recreate your app’s containers.” For its web example, the documented commands are:
docker compose build web
docker compose up --no-deps -d webThe first command builds the service image; the second recreates and starts the service without starting its dependencies. Follow the same principle for the service you changed, adapting the service name and deployment procedure to your Compose project. Docker’s full guidance is in Use Compose in production.
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Choose file sync or an image rebuild for the right job
Compose Watch supports different development actions, and they are not interchangeable:
sync: copies changed files into a running container. Useful for a development workflow that needs quick updates, but it does not by itself put those files into a newly built image.rebuild: builds a new image and replaces the service container. Use this when the change needs to be part of the image that will be deployed.
Docker documents these behaviors in Use Compose Watch and the Compose Develop Specification. Decide whether a change is temporary development feedback or part of the release artifact before choosing the action.
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Verify what is actually running, not just whether it responds
A successful health check or HTTP response establishes that something is answering; it does not establish that the intended build or all expected processes are present. Two practical checks described in the incident account are to compare the served bundle’s hash with the expected build and to compare the programs running in the container with the configured set. These are operational checks, not guaranteed Docker-native validations; automate them where they fit your deployment.
- Record or otherwise identify the expected build artifact, then compare it with the bundle actually served by the deployed service.
- List the processes or supervisor programs expected from the service configuration and check the running container against that list.
- After a release, check both service availability and artifact/process identity; one does not prove the other.
What the reported incident illustrates
Nebosa Company’s account, published on DEV Community on September 22, 2026, says that files copied into a live container remained after docker restart but reverted after docker compose up -d recreated the container from its unchanged image. The account says a changed served-bundle hash exposed the reversion. It also reports an image with 19 supervisord programs where 20 were expected, with cert-watch missing. These are incident details reported by the article, not independently audited findings or a measure of Docker’s general failure rate. The account’s concise operational lesson is: “If you recreate the container, redeploy.” Read the account.
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