---
redirect_from:
- /engine/articles/systemd/
- /engine/admin/resource_constraints/
title: "Runtime options with Memory, CPUs, and GPUs"
description: "Specify the runtime options for a container"
keywords: "docker, daemon, configuration, runtime"
---

By default, a container has no resource constraints and can use as much of a
given resource as the host's kernel scheduler allows. Docker provides ways
to control how much memory, or CPU a container can use, setting runtime
configuration flags of the `docker run` command. This section provides details
on when you should set such limits and the possible implications of setting them.

Many of these features require your kernel to support Linux capabilities. To
check for support, you can use the
[`docker info`](../../engine/reference/commandline/info.md) command. If a capability
is disabled in your kernel, you may see a warning at the end of the output like
the following:

```console
WARNING: No swap limit support
```

Consult your operating system's documentation for enabling them.
[Learn more](../../engine/install/linux-postinstall.md#your-kernel-does-not-support-cgroup-swap-limit-capabilities).

## Memory

### Understand the risks of running out of memory

It is important not to allow a running container to consume too much of the
host machine's memory. On Linux hosts, if the kernel detects that there is not
enough memory to perform important system functions, it throws an `OOME`, or
`Out Of Memory Exception`, and starts killing processes to free up
memory. Any process is subject to killing, including Docker and other important
applications. This can effectively bring the entire system down if the wrong
process is killed.

Docker attempts to mitigate these risks by adjusting the OOM priority on the
Docker daemon so that it is less likely to be killed than other processes
on the system. The OOM priority on containers is not adjusted. This makes it more
likely for an individual container to be killed than for the Docker daemon
or other system processes to be killed. You should not try to circumvent
these safeguards by manually setting `--oom-score-adj` to an extreme negative
number on the daemon or a container, or by setting `--oom-kill-disable` on a
container.

For more information about the Linux kernel's OOM management, see
[Out of Memory Management](https://www.kernel.org/doc/gorman/html/understand/understand016.html){: target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="_" }.

You can mitigate the risk of system instability due to OOME by:

- Perform tests to understand the memory requirements of your application before
  placing it into production.
- Ensure that your application runs only on hosts with adequate resources.
- Limit the amount of memory your container can use, as described below.
- Be mindful when configuring swap on your Docker hosts. Swap is slower and
  less performant than memory but can provide a buffer against running out of
  system memory.
- Consider converting your container to a [service](../../engine/swarm/services.md),
  and using service-level constraints and node labels to ensure that the
  application runs only on hosts with enough memory

### Limit a container's access to memory

Docker can enforce hard memory limits, which allow the container to use no more
than a given amount of user or system memory, or soft limits, which allow the
container to use as much memory as it needs unless certain conditions are met,
such as when the kernel detects low memory or contention on the host machine.
Some of these options have different effects when used alone or when more than
one option is set.

Most of these options take a positive integer, followed by a suffix of `b`, `k`,
`m`, `g`, to indicate bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes.

| Option                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
|:-----------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `-m` or `--memory=`    | The maximum amount of memory the container can use. If you set this option, the minimum allowed value is `4m` (4 megabyte).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| `--memory-swap`*       | The amount of memory this container is allowed to swap to disk. See [`--memory-swap` details](#--memory-swap-details).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| `--memory-swappiness`  | By default, the host kernel can swap out a percentage of anonymous pages used by a container. You can set `--memory-swappiness` to a value between 0 and 100, to tune this percentage. See [`--memory-swappiness` details](#--memory-swappiness-details).                                                                                                                 |
| `--memory-reservation` | Allows you to specify a soft limit smaller than `--memory` which is activated when Docker detects contention or low memory on the host machine. If you use `--memory-reservation`, it must be set lower than `--memory` for it to take precedence. Because it is a soft limit, it does not guarantee that the container doesn't exceed the limit.                                      |
| `--kernel-memory`      | The maximum amount of kernel memory the container can use. The minimum allowed value is `4m`. Because kernel memory cannot be swapped out, a container which is starved of kernel memory may block host machine resources, which can have side effects on the host machine and on other containers. See [`--kernel-memory` details](#--kernel-memory-details).            |
| `--oom-kill-disable`   | By default, if an out-of-memory (OOM) error occurs, the kernel kills processes in a container. To change this behavior, use the `--oom-kill-disable` option. Only disable the OOM killer on containers where you have also set the `-m/--memory` option. If the `-m` flag is not set, the host can run out of memory and the kernel may need to kill the host system's processes to free memory. |

For more information about cgroups and memory in general, see the documentation
for [Memory Resource Controller](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/cgroup-v1/memory.txt).

### `--memory-swap` details

`--memory-swap` is a modifier flag that only has meaning if `--memory` is also
set. Using swap allows the container to write excess memory requirements to disk
when the container has exhausted all the RAM that is available to it. There is a
performance penalty for applications that swap memory to disk often.

Its setting can have complicated effects:

- If `--memory-swap` is set to a positive integer, then both `--memory` and
  `--memory-swap` must be set. `--memory-swap` represents the total amount of
  memory and swap that can be used, and `--memory` controls the amount used by
  non-swap memory. So if `--memory="300m"` and `--memory-swap="1g"`, the
  container can use 300m of memory and 700m (`1g - 300m`) swap.

- If `--memory-swap` is set to `0`, the setting is ignored, and the value is
  treated as unset.

- If `--memory-swap` is set to the same value as `--memory`, and `--memory` is
  set to a positive integer, **the container does not have access to swap**.
  See
  [Prevent a container from using swap](#prevent-a-container-from-using-swap).

- If `--memory-swap` is unset, and `--memory` is set, the container can use
  as much swap as the `--memory` setting, if the host container has swap
  memory configured. For instance, if `--memory="300m"` and `--memory-swap` is
  not set, the container can use 600m in total of memory and swap.

- If `--memory-swap` is explicitly set to `-1`, the container is allowed to use
  unlimited swap, up to the amount available on the host system.

- Inside the container, tools like `free` report the host's available swap, not what's available inside the container. Don't rely on the output of `free` or similar tools to determine whether swap is present.

#### Prevent a container from using swap

If `--memory` and `--memory-swap` are set to the same value, this prevents
containers from using any swap. This is because `--memory-swap` is the amount of
combined memory and swap that can be used, while `--memory` is only the amount
of physical memory that can be used.

### `--memory-swappiness` details

- A value of 0 turns off anonymous page swapping.
- A value of 100 sets all anonymous pages as swappable.
- By default, if you do not set `--memory-swappiness`, the value is
  inherited from the host machine.

### `--kernel-memory` details

Kernel memory limits are expressed in terms of the overall memory allocated to
a container. Consider the following scenarios:

- **Unlimited memory, unlimited kernel memory**: This is the default
  behavior.
- **Unlimited memory, limited kernel memory**: This is appropriate when the
  amount of memory needed by all cgroups is greater than the amount of
  memory that actually exists on the host machine. You can configure the
  kernel memory to never go over what is available on the host machine,
  and containers which need more memory need to wait for it.
- **Limited memory, unlimited kernel memory**: The overall memory is
  limited, but the kernel memory is not.
- **Limited memory, limited kernel memory**: Limiting both user and kernel
  memory can be useful for debugging memory-related problems. If a container
  is using an unexpected amount of either type of memory, it runs out
  of memory without affecting other containers or the host machine. Within
  this setting, if the kernel memory limit is lower than the user memory
  limit, running out of kernel memory causes the container to experience
  an OOM error. If the kernel memory limit is higher than the user memory
  limit, the kernel limit does not cause the container to experience an OOM.

When you turn on any kernel memory limits, the host machine tracks "high water
mark" statistics on a per-process basis, so you can track which processes (in
this case, containers) are using excess memory. This can be seen per process
by viewing `/proc/<PID>/status` on the host machine.

## CPU

By default, each container's access to the host machine's CPU cycles is unlimited.
You can set various constraints to limit a given container's access to the host
machine's CPU cycles. Most users use and configure the
[default CFS scheduler](#configure-the-default-cfs-scheduler). You can also
configure the [realtime scheduler](#configure-the-realtime-scheduler).

### Configure the default CFS scheduler

The CFS is the Linux kernel CPU scheduler for normal Linux processes. Several
runtime flags allow you to configure the amount of access to CPU resources your
container has. When you use these settings, Docker modifies the settings for
the container's cgroup on the host machine.

| Option                 | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|:-----------------------|: |
| `--cpus=<value>`       | Specify how much of the available CPU resources a container can use. For instance, if the host machine has two CPUs and you set `--cpus="1.5"`, the container is guaranteed at most one and a half of the CPUs. This is the equivalent of setting `--cpu-period="100000"` and `--cpu-quota="150000"`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| `--cpu-period=<value>` | Specify the CPU CFS scheduler period, which is used alongside  `--cpu-quota`. Defaults to 100000 microseconds (100 milliseconds). Most users do not change this from the default. For most use-cases, `--cpus` is a more convenient alternative.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| `--cpu-quota=<value>`  | Impose a CPU CFS quota on the container. The number of microseconds per `--cpu-period` that the container is limited to before throttled. As such acting as the effective ceiling. For most use-cases, `--cpus` is a more convenient alternative.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| `--cpuset-cpus`        | Limit the specific CPUs or cores a container can use. A comma-separated list or hyphen-separated range of CPUs a container can use, if you have more than one CPU. The first CPU is numbered 0. A valid value might be `0-3` (to use the first, second, third, and fourth CPU) or `1,3` (to use the second and fourth CPU).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| `--cpu-shares`         | Set this flag to a value greater or less than the default of 1024 to increase or reduce the container's weight, and give it access to a greater or lesser proportion of the host machine's CPU cycles. This is only enforced when CPU cycles are constrained. When plenty of CPU cycles are available, all containers use as much CPU as they need. In that way, this is a soft limit. `--cpu-shares` does not prevent containers from being scheduled in swarm mode. It prioritizes container CPU resources for the available CPU cycles. It does not guarantee or reserve any specific CPU access. |

If you have 1 CPU, each of the following commands guarantees the container at
most 50% of the CPU every second.

```bash
docker run -it --cpus=".5" ubuntu /bin/bash
```
Which is the equivalent to manually specifying `--cpu-period` and `--cpu-quota`;

```bash
$ docker run -it --cpu-period=100000 --cpu-quota=50000 ubuntu /bin/bash
```

### Configure the realtime scheduler

You can configure your container to use the realtime scheduler, for tasks which
cannot use the CFS scheduler. You need to
[make sure the host machine's kernel is configured correctly](#configure-the-host-machines-kernel)
before you can [configure the Docker daemon](#configure-the-docker-daemon) or
[configure individual containers](#configure-individual-containers).

> **Warning**
>
> CPU scheduling and prioritization are advanced kernel-level features. Most
> users do not need to change these values from their defaults. Setting these
> values incorrectly can cause your host system to become unstable or unusable.
{:.warning}

#### Configure the host machine's kernel

Verify that `CONFIG_RT_GROUP_SCHED` is enabled in the Linux kernel by running
`zcat /proc/config.gz | grep CONFIG_RT_GROUP_SCHED` or by checking for the
existence of the file `/sys/fs/cgroup/cpu.rt_runtime_us`. For guidance on
configuring the kernel realtime scheduler, consult the documentation for your
operating system.

#### Configure the Docker daemon

To run containers using the realtime scheduler, run the Docker daemon with
the `--cpu-rt-runtime` flag set to the maximum number of microseconds reserved
for realtime tasks per runtime period. For instance, with the default period of
1000000 microseconds (1 second), setting `--cpu-rt-runtime=950000` ensures that
containers using the realtime scheduler can run for 950000 microseconds for every
1000000-microsecond period, leaving at least 50000 microseconds available for
non-realtime tasks. To make this configuration permanent on systems which use
`systemd`, see [Control and configure Docker with systemd](../daemon/systemd.md).

#### Configure individual containers

You can pass several flags to control a container's CPU priority when you
start the container using `docker run`. Consult your operating system's
documentation or the `ulimit` command for information on appropriate values.

| Option                     | Description                                                                                                                                                                               |
|:---------------------------|:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `--cap-add=sys_nice`       | Grants the container the `CAP_SYS_NICE` capability, which allows the container to raise process `nice` values, set real-time scheduling policies, set CPU affinity, and other operations. |
| `--cpu-rt-runtime=<value>` | The maximum number of microseconds the container can run at realtime priority within the Docker daemon's realtime scheduler period. You also need the `--cap-add=sys_nice` flag.          |
| `--ulimit rtprio=<value>`  | The maximum realtime priority allowed for the container. You also need the `--cap-add=sys_nice` flag.                                                                                     |

The following example command sets each of these three flags on a `debian:jessie`
container.

```bash
$ docker run -it \
    --cpu-rt-runtime=950000 \
    --ulimit rtprio=99 \
    --cap-add=sys_nice \
    debian:jessie
```

If the kernel or Docker daemon is not configured correctly, an error occurs.

## GPU

### Access an NVIDIA GPU

#### Prerequisites

Visit the official [NVIDIA drivers page](https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx)
to download and install the proper drivers. Reboot your system once you have
done so.

Verify that your GPU is running and accessible.

#### Install nvidia-container-runtime

Follow the instructions at (https://nvidia.github.io/nvidia-container-runtime/)
and then run this command:

```bash
$ apt-get install nvidia-container-runtime
```

Ensure the `nvidia-container-runtime-hook` is accessible from `$PATH`.

```bash
$ which nvidia-container-runtime-hook
```

Restart the Docker daemon.

#### Expose GPUs for use

Include the `--gpus` flag when you start a container to access GPU resources.
Specify how many GPUs to use. For example:

```bash
$ docker run -it --rm --gpus all ubuntu nvidia-smi
```

Exposes all available GPUs and returns a result akin to the following:

```bash
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| NVIDIA-SMI 384.130            	Driver Version: 384.130               	|
|-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
| GPU  Name 	   Persistence-M| Bus-Id    	Disp.A | Volatile Uncorr. ECC |
| Fan  Temp  Perf  Pwr:Usage/Cap|         Memory-Usage | GPU-Util  Compute M. |
|===============================+======================+======================|
|   0  GRID K520       	Off  | 00000000:00:03.0 Off |                  N/A |
| N/A   36C	P0    39W / 125W |  	0MiB /  4036MiB |      0%  	Default |
+-------------------------------+----------------------+----------------------+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Processes:                                                       GPU Memory |
|  GPU   	PID   Type   Process name                         	Usage  	|
|=============================================================================|
|  No running processes found                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
```

Use the `device` option to specify GPUs. For example:

```bash
$ docker run -it --rm --gpus device=GPU-3a23c669-1f69-c64e-cf85-44e9b07e7a2a ubuntu nvidia-smi
```

Exposes that specific GPU.

```bash
$ docker run -it --rm --gpus device=0,2 ubuntu nvidia-smi
```

Exposes the first and third GPUs.

> **Note**
>
> NVIDIA GPUs can only be accessed by systems running a single engine.

#### Set NVIDIA capabilities

You can set capabilities manually. For example, on Ubuntu you can run the
following:

```bash
$ docker run --gpus 'all,capabilities=utility' --rm ubuntu nvidia-smi
```

This enables the `utility` driver capability which adds the `nvidia-smi` tool to
the container.

Capabilities as well as other configurations can be set in images via
environment variables. More information on valid variables can be found at the
[nvidia-container-runtime](https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-container-runtime)
GitHub page. These variables can be set in a Dockerfile.

You can also utitize CUDA images which sets these variables automatically. See
the [CUDA images](https://github.com/NVIDIA/nvidia-docker/wiki/CUDA) GitHub page
for more information.
