"Connection refused to unix socket in Docker container from host"

The "connection refused to unix socket in Docker container from host" error arises when there is an issue connecting the Unix socket in the Docker container from the host.

In this Answer, we will discuss the below-mentioned approaches to eliminate the error.

Different methods to eliminate error
Different methods to eliminate error

Unix socket

You need to verify the Unix socket path of the container. Inspect the container with the following command to get the Unix socket path.

docker container inspect <name_of_the_container>

In the Mounts section, there is a source path which represents the path of the Unix socket inside the container.

Review container log

To check the reason for the error, you need to check the container logs. The command to check the logs of the container is as follows:

docker logs <name_of_the_container>

Docker container

Ensure that the Docker is running on the system and it has the necessary configuration to manifest the Unix socket. Use the following command to check that the docker runs on your system:

docker container ls

Authorization

Look at the permissions and ownership of the names pipe inside Docker container or the Unix socket file. This method ensures that the host machine is granted permission to connect and access the Unix socket.

You may also need to modify the user/group settings of the container. For this purpose, you need access to the container's shell, which is possible by running the following command in the terminal.

docker exec -it <name_of_the_container> sh

After this, you can check the socket's ownership with the following command's help:

ls -l <path_of_the_unix_socket>

You can also adjust and change the permissions of the Unix socket with the help of the cmod command.

Restart Docker

To get rid of this error, you can try restarting the docker. It is helpful sometimes because restarting the docker on the host machine ensures that necessary changes take effect.

Firewall settings

Sometimes if a firewall is enabled, it can refuse the connection to the Unix socket. You should first disable the firewall and then try again.

Docker daemon

Ensure the Unix socket path is in the Docker daemon's configuration file.

cat /etc/docker/daemon.json

Also, ensure that the Unix socket path is the same as specified in the configuration file. If necessary changes are made, don't forget to restart the docker.

Conclusion

In this Answer, we discussed several methods to rectify the "connection refused to unix socket in a docker container from host error". We have also illustrated some solution approaches by giving the relevant commands. With the help of this Answer, you must have found the solution to the error.

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