Coolify can reclaim Docker disk space on a schedule or when a server crosses a disk-usage threshold. Open Servers → [server] → Docker Cleanup, start with a daily cron value of 0 0 * * * and an 80% threshold, and leave deletion of unused volumes, unused networks, and retained application images disabled until you have identified and backed up the data they contain. Run one cleanup manually, inspect Recent executions, and verify every application and database before making the policy more aggressive.
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Why Docker disk usage grows on a Coolify server
Docker storage is more than the images currently serving traffic. A busy Coolify host can accumulate old application images kept for rollback, build cache, stopped-container layers, logs, and objects left behind after deployments. Volumes and networks are separate object classes and may contain persistent data or connectivity that an application still needs.
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Configure scheduled Docker cleanup in Coolify
Use the following conservative setup on each workload server. The settings are per server, not a single global policy for every machine in a Coolify installation.
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- In Coolify, open Servers.
- Select the server whose Docker storage is growing.
- Open Docker Cleanup.
- Set Cleanup frequency to
0 0 * * *. This is a daily midnight check in the server’s configured scheduling context. - Choose Run on every schedule if you want a predictable daily run, even when the disk is below the threshold. Choose Only above disk threshold if cleanup should run only after the configured usage limit is reached.
- Leave Disk threshold at
80as the initial limit. Treat it as a starting point, then tune it from observed growth and the time needed to obtain more capacity. - Under Advanced cleanup, do not enable deletion of unused volumes, unused networks, or removal of retained application images while you are still auditing the server.
- Select Save.
- Select Run cleanup, review the confirmation dialog, and choose Run Docker Cleanup.
- Open Recent executions. Confirm a successful result, read the output, check whether disk usage fell, and verify that applications, background workers, and databases remain healthy.
The manual run is important: it gives you an observed result before an unattended policy repeats. If no reclaimable data exists, a successful run may show little or no reduction; that is different from a failed cleanup.
Choose the trigger that fits your server
| Trigger | How it behaves | Best fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run on every schedule | Attempts cleanup at each cron occurrence. | Hosts with regular deployments and a known maintenance window. | It can scan and consume CPU even when storage is comfortable. |
| Only above disk threshold | Runs when usage reaches the configured percentage. | Hosts where avoiding unnecessary scans matters more than a fixed daily run. | Storage can grow between checks, so leave enough headroom for builds and rollouts. |
Coolify’s scheduler dispatches scheduled checks every minute, then evaluates each server’s configured frequency. Only one cleanup runs on a server at a time. After a resource is stopped or deleted, Coolify triggers cleanup only when disk usage is at or above the threshold and no cleanup has completed on that server during the preceding hour. This gating prevents repeated cleanup jobs from piling up while still allowing a full disk to recover after resource operations. The trigger and resource-operation rules are documented in the automated cleanup reference.
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Basic cleanup targets common unused Docker data. The advanced switches determine whether Coolify is allowed to cross boundaries that can affect data recovery or rollback.
| Option | What deletion means | Operational risk | Safe starting position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unused volumes | Deletes every Docker volume not currently attached to a container. | A stopped or removed container can leave a volume containing application or database data. “Unused” describes attachment, not whether the contents matter. | Keep disabled. Inventory every volume and create a verified backup before enabling. |
| Unused networks | Deletes Docker networks not currently used by a container. | A network that is temporarily unused can be needed by a later deployment or a manually managed service. | Keep disabled until you understand custom networks and redeploy behavior. |
| Old application images | Removes older application images instead of retaining the configured rollback set. | You may lose a known-good image needed for a fast rollback after a bad release. | Keep image retention enabled until your rollback policy is documented and tested. |
Coolify specifically cautions that unused volumes can still contain important data. Do not infer that a volume is disposable from its name, age, or the absence of a currently running container.
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Inspect reclaimable storage before changing advanced settings
Use Coolify’s Images page
Open Servers → [server] → Images. The page shows each repository and tag, image ID, creation time, size, container references, total usage, and reclaimable usage. Only images marked Unused can be deleted from that page. Compare the reclaimable amount with the rollback images your deployment process requires; a large number is not automatically a reason to delete all historical images.
Record which image tags correspond to currently deployed releases and which older releases are your recovery targets. If an image is referenced by a container, do not treat it as ordinary garbage even when its tag looks old.
Inspect the Docker object classes on the host
For a server-level view, connect to the specific host and run read-only inspection commands:
docker ps— lists running containers and their image references.docker image ls— lists local images, tags, IDs, and sizes.docker volume ls— lists named volumes that may hold persistent data.docker network ls— lists Docker networks, including custom networks.docker system df— summarizes space used by images, containers, local volumes, and build cache, including reclaimable amounts where Docker can calculate them.
Save the output with the server name and date if you need an audit trail. Do not run a prune command merely to obtain this inventory.
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Back up persistent data before pruning volumes
Coolify volume backups can remain on the deployment server and can optionally be copied to S3-compatible storage. The Coolify volume-mount and backup documentation describes the available backup configuration.
A volume archive is not automatically a consistent database backup. A database may be writing pages while files are being copied, producing an archive that cannot be reliably restored. Use the database engine’s application-aware dump or backup procedure, verify that the backup completes, and test a restore before permitting automatic volume deletion. Keep the backup outside the failure domain of the Docker host when the data is important.
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- List every volume and map it to the application or database that owns it.
- Confirm the backup contains the expected files or dump output and has a retention period.
- Document how to restore the service, including credentials, ownership, and permissions.
- Only then consider enabling Delete unused volumes, preferably after a controlled test on a non-production server.
Understand Coolify’s image-retention and rollback trade-off
Retained application images are a recovery mechanism. Keeping several known-good versions consumes disk, but it lets you redeploy quickly when the newest release has a defect. Disabling application-image retention trades that rollback capacity for more immediate space.
Set a rollback policy before changing the switch: for example, define how many previous releases must remain, where their source or artifacts can be rebuilt, and how long a release is considered recoverable. If rebuilding an image requires an unavailable dependency or a long outage window, retaining more images is usually worth the storage cost. If images are reproducible and an external registry is part of your tested recovery process, you may be able to retain fewer locally—but verify that process rather than assuming it works.
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Automate the policy through the CLI or API
CLI
The Coolify CLI command is:
coolify server docker-cleanup update <server_uuid>
Its options expose the same policy controls as the dashboard: cleanup frequency, disk threshold, forcing cleanup, deleting unused networks, deleting unused volumes, and disabling application-image retention. Run the command’s built-in help for the installed CLI version so that you use the exact option names and value formats supported by your release. Apply changes to the intended server UUID, then verify the resulting values in Coolify rather than assuming a command succeeded.
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API
For configuration management, the server API exposes the corresponding settings, including:
docker_cleanup_frequencydocker_cleanup_thresholdforce_docker_cleanupdelete_unused_volumesdelete_unused_networksdisable_application_image_retention
Read the current values before sending an update, store the change in your infrastructure-change record, and re-read them afterward. The endpoint reference is Coolify’s server Docker cleanup API documentation. Protect API credentials and avoid placing them in shell history or public automation logs.
When direct Docker pruning is justified
Docker’s official guidance describes pruning as an explicit, conservative operation. By default, docker image prune removes dangling images; broader prune commands remove additional classes of unused objects. Named volumes are left alone unless volume pruning is explicitly requested. Read the complete rules at Docker’s prune documentation.
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- Confirm the SSH session is on the intended production server.
- Capture
docker system dfand the relevant object lists first. - Exclude any volume, network, or image required for rollback or persistence.
- Run one narrowly scoped operation, then check containers, application health checks, and database connectivity.
- Record the command, operator, timestamp, and resulting disk usage.
Troubleshoot a cleanup that does not free space
The execution is successful but usage barely changes
A successful run may have nothing reclaimable. Check the Images page and docker system df to see whether the largest consumers are active images, persistent volumes, or build cache that the selected policy does not remove. Deleting a running image is not an available remedy; Docker must keep data required by current containers.
The scheduled run never appears
Verify that the frequency is valid, the setting was saved on the correct server, and the server is connected and able to receive scheduler jobs. If the policy is threshold-only, confirm that disk usage actually meets the threshold. Also account for the one-hour gate after a completed cleanup and the rule that only one cleanup can run at a time.
The server reaches high usage before cleanup can finish
Lowering the threshold can create more headroom, but it cannot recover data that the policy is forbidden to remove. Reduce build concurrency or move large build artifacts while you investigate, then inspect which object class is growing. Schedule cleanup during a quiet period because scanning and deletion can be CPU-intensive.
An application fails after an aggressive cleanup
Stop further automated deletion, inspect the execution output, and identify whether a volume, network, or rollback image was removed. Restore the affected persistent data from a verified backup, recreate the required network through the application configuration, or redeploy a retained/rebuildable release. Treat the incident as a reason to revise the allowlist and rollback policy, not as evidence that all pruning is unsafe.
A practical rollout plan
- Baseline: capture disk usage,
docker system df, image inventory, volume inventory, and the current rollback releases. - Back up: complete and verify application-aware database backups and Coolify volume backups for persistent services.
- Start conservatively: set
0 0 * * *, an 80% threshold, and leave all three high-risk advanced deletions disabled. - Run once manually: review the confirmation and Recent executions output.
- Observe: monitor disk usage, deployment time, CPU load, and application health for several cycles.
- Expand selectively: if volumes or networks are proven disposable and backed up, enable only the relevant option. Keep image retention unless your rollback test supports reducing it.
- Document: record the policy, server scope, backup location, retained releases, and the person responsible for reviewing failures.
Cleanup approaches compared
| Approach | Trigger | Scope | Data risk | Rollback impact | Auditability | Operational load |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coolify scheduled cleanup | Cron schedule | Configured unused Docker data; advanced switches add networks, volumes, or old application images. | Controlled by per-server settings, but volume deletion remains destructive. | Controlled by application-image retention. | Dashboard settings and Recent executions. | Can consume CPU during scans and removals. |
| Coolify threshold cleanup | Disk usage at or above threshold, subject to Coolify’s gating rules. | Same configured object classes. | Same object-specific risks. | Same retention trade-off. | Dashboard history and settings. | Runs in response to pressure rather than every schedule. |
| Direct Docker prune | Operator or external scheduler | Depends on the exact prune command; broader commands remove more object types. | Higher chance of deleting an object you did not scope correctly, especially with volume pruning. | Can remove locally retained images outside the intended Coolify policy. | Only what you record yourself. | Depends on command and amount of data. |
Recommended default policy
For most Coolify workload servers, begin with daily scheduled checks at 0 0 * * *, an 80% threshold, and no automatic deletion of unused volumes, unused networks, or retained application images. Review reclaimable images and Recent executions, keep verified backups for persistent services, and change one advanced option at a time. This approach gives Docker storage a regular maintenance path without treating an unattached volume or an old image as automatically disposable.
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