# Containers

Put simply, a container is a runnable instance of an image. Containers do not hold any persistent data and therefore can be destroyed and recreated as needed.

<figure><img src="/files/scVY317lHhVSsvkhRTdw" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

When the [new image indicator](/user/docker/host/setup.md#other) feature is enabled, the **Images up to date** column indicates whether the local images in the container are up to date, with a green tick indicating they are up to date and an orange cross indicating that there is a newer version of an image available at the remote registry. A grey hyphen indicates Portainer was unable to determine whether there is an update available for the images.

You can click the reload button next to the search box to recheck the images for all your containers for updates, or to recheck a single container's image you can click the image indicator icon for that container.

For more on how this works, have a look at [this FAQ article](/faqs/troubleshooting/stacks-deployments-and-updates/how-does-the-image-update-notification-icon-work.md).

To add a new container, click **Add container**.

{% content-ref url="/pages/-Mgd5fn1TYwZqv\_45n72" %}
[Add a new container](/user/docker/containers/add.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

Once a container has been created you can inspect it, edit or duplicate it, toggle a container webhook, attach volumes, view logs and statistics, edit ownership, and access its console.

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MjCtWZqukY0580Ph97T" %}
[View a container's details](/user/docker/containers/view.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK4ZvGolsCYYV0iC-3" %}
[Inspect a container](/user/docker/containers/inspect.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK6DV1e5WFM7CjV3ao" %}
[Edit or duplicate a container](/user/docker/containers/edit.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/ZdJyY9JWhcvUDKpW9qBs" %}
[Advanced container settings](/user/docker/containers/advanced.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/6Iqti4RKBm9t4F2MgvUt" %}
[Webhooks](/user/docker/containers/webhooks.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MhuhzeFObWQhLRp1wfS" %}
[Attach a volume to a container](/user/docker/containers/attach-volume.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK4v2HLeMC7FxSRYw3" %}
[View container logs](/user/docker/containers/logs.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK5nRK4EWyjueGWmAF" %}
[Change container ownership](/user/docker/containers/ownership.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK5DPaUEhTg7IRmrg-" %}
[View container statistics](/user/docker/containers/stats.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

{% content-ref url="/pages/-MiK5XEMutAbO0AcniZQ" %}
[Access a container's console](/user/docker/containers/console.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

If you no longer need a container, you can remove it.

{% content-ref url="/pages/-Mgd6QjDaOwB7ZfSD6bv" %}
[Remove a container](/user/docker/containers/remove.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}


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# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.portainer.io/user/docker/containers.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.