How to configure Docker daemon.json

Docker daemon settings affect every container that the engine starts after the change. Editing /etc/docker/daemon.json is useful for defaults such as logging behavior or live restore, but a malformed file or duplicated daemon flag can stop dockerd from starting.

The Linux Engine default path is /etc/docker/daemon.json, while rootless mode uses ~/.config/docker/daemon.json and Docker Desktop exposes daemon settings through its own Docker Engine settings surface. The file is JSON, so syntax validation should happen before a restart.

Use a small, reversible change first. Settings such as data-root can require migration planning, while a default logging driver mainly affects newly created containers.

1. Check the active Docker host before editing daemon settings.

   $ docker context show
   default

2. Back up the current daemon configuration if it exists.

   $ sudo cp /etc/docker/daemon.json /etc/docker/daemon.json.backup

   On a new Engine install, create the file if /etc/docker/daemon.json does not exist.

3. Write the daemon settings as strict JSON.

   /etc/docker/daemon.json

   {
     "log-driver": "local",
     "live-restore": true
   }

4. Validate the JSON syntax before restarting Docker.

   $ python3 -m json.tool /etc/docker/daemon.json
   {
       "log-driver": "local",
       "live-restore": true
   }

5. Restart the Docker service so the daemon reads the file.

   $ sudo systemctl restart docker

   A daemon restart can interrupt container management and may restart containers depending on the host configuration. Schedule the change for a maintenance window when the host carries production workloads.

   Related: How to manage the Docker service in Linux

6. Verify that the daemon reports the new default logging driver.

   $ docker info
   ##### snipped #####
   Logging Driver: local
   ##### snipped #####