OTee Docker Commands

A handy reference for managing an OTee edge deployment (the vPLC agent + NATS) with Docker on a Linux edge device.

Note on names: OTee’s compose project and containers are named per device (e.g. agent_<device>, nats-nats_<device>, agent-agent_<device>). Run docker ps -a to see the exact names on your machine, and substitute them below.

Check status

docker ps                       # running containers
docker ps -a                    # all containers, including stopped ones
docker images                   # installed images
docker volume ls                # volumes
docker logs <container> --tail 50          # last 50 log lines
docker logs <container> --tail 50 -f       # follow logs live

Start, stop, restart

docker compose -p <project> up -d           # start the stack (detached)
docker compose -p <project> down            # stop + remove containers & network
docker compose -p <project> restart         # restart in place

Tip: restart reuses the existing container environment. If you’ve changed config or timezone, use down then up -d so the change is actually picked up.

Run Docker without sudo

If Docker asks for sudo, your user isn’t in the docker group yet:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Then log out and back in (or reboot) for it to take effect.

Full clean wipe (for a fresh install)

Order matters- remove containers before images. Stopped containers still hold image references, so docker rmi fails if you skip the container removal step.

# 1. Bring the stack down
docker compose -p <project> down

# 2. Force-remove any lingering containers
docker rm -f <nats-container> <agent-container>

# 3. Remove images (only works once the containers are gone)
docker rmi <agent-image> <nats-image>

# 4. Remove the volume (wipes runtime state)
docker volume rm <volume-name>

Verify it’s clean:

docker ps -a && docker images && docker volume ls

Install Docker (Debian-based devices)

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER      # then log out/in

Troubleshooting a container that won’t start

docker logs <container> --tail 50

Check the logs first, most start-up failures point to their cause there. If the container relies on time-sensitive services, make sure the device clock is synced (timedatectl / chronyc tracking) before retrying.

Smart platforms

Virtual PLCs

MQTT and edge data

IoT platforms and alerts

Check status

Start, stop, restart

Run Docker without sudo

Full clean wipe (for a fresh install)

Install Docker (Debian-based devices)

Troubleshooting a container that won’t start

​Check status

​Start, stop, restart

​Run Docker without sudo

​Full clean wipe (for a fresh install)

​Install Docker (Debian-based devices)

​Troubleshooting a container that won’t start

Check status

Start, stop, restart

Run Docker without sudo

Full clean wipe (for a fresh install)

Install Docker (Debian-based devices)

Troubleshooting a container that won’t start