docs/reference/commandline/pause.md

---
title: "pause"
description: "The pause command description and usage"
keywords: "cgroups, container, suspend, SIGSTOP"
---

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# pause

```markdown
Usage:  docker pause CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]

Pause all processes within one or more containers

Options:
      --help   Print usage
```

## Description

The `docker pause` command suspends all processes in the specified containers.
On Linux, this uses the cgroups freezer. Traditionally, when suspending a process
the `SIGSTOP` signal is used, which is observable by the process being suspended.
With the cgroups freezer the process is unaware, and unable to capture,
that it is being suspended, and subsequently resumed. On Windows, only Hyper-V
containers can be paused.

See the
[cgroups freezer documentation](https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/cgroup-v1/freezer-subsystem.txt)
for further details.

## Examples

```bash
$ docker pause my_container
```

## Related commands

* [unpause](unpause.md)