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Get Container Logs

GET /api/containers/{id}/logs?env=1&tail=100
Retrieves the most recent log entries from a container. Returns logs as a single response.

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Path Parameters

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id
string
required
The container ID or name

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Query Parameters

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env
string
required
The environment ID where the container is located
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tail
number
default:"100"
Number of lines to retrieve from the end of the logs

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Response

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logs
string
The container log output as a string

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Error Responses

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error
string
Error message if the request fails
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details
string
Additional error details
Status Codes:
  • 200 - Success
  • 403 - Permission denied
  • 500 - Failed to get container logs

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Example

curl -X GET "https://your-dockhand.com/api/containers/abc123def456/logs?env=1&tail=100" \
  -H "Cookie: session=your-session-cookie"

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Response Example

{
  "logs": "2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z Starting application...\n2024-01-15T10:30:01.000Z Server listening on port 3000\n2024-01-15T10:30:15.000Z GET /api/health 200\n"
}

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Stream Container Logs

GET /api/containers/{id}/logs/stream?env=1&tail=100
Streams container logs in real-time using Server-Sent Events (SSE). This endpoint provides live log output as the container generates it.

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Path Parameters

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id
string
required
The container ID or name

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Query Parameters

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env
string
required
The environment ID where the container is located
​
tail
number
default:"100"
Number of historical log lines to retrieve before starting the stream

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Response Format

The endpoint returns a Server-Sent Events (SSE) stream with the following event types: Event: connected Emitted immediately when the stream connection is established.
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containerId
string
The container ID
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containerName
string
The container name
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hasTty
boolean
Whether the container has TTY enabled
Event: log Emitted for each log line from the container.
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text
string
The log line text
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containerName
string
The container name
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stream
string
The output stream - either “stdout” or “stderr” (only present for non-TTY containers)
Event: end Emitted when the log stream ends (e.g., container stopped).
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reason
string
Reason the stream ended
Event: error Emitted if an error occurs during streaming.
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error
string
Error message

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Error Responses

Status Codes:
  • 200 - SSE stream established
  • 403 - Permission denied
  • 503 - Edge agent not connected (for Hawser Edge environments)

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Example

curl -X GET "https://your-dockhand.com/api/containers/abc123def456/logs/stream?env=1&tail=100" \
  -H "Cookie: session=your-session-cookie" \
  -H "Accept: text/event-stream"

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Response Example

event: connected
data: {"containerId":"abc123def456","containerName":"my-nginx","hasTty":false}

event: log
data: {"text":"2024-01-15T10:30:00.000Z Starting application...\n","containerName":"my-nginx","stream":"stdout"}

event: log
data: {"text":"2024-01-15T10:30:01.000Z Server listening on port 3000\n","containerName":"my-nginx","stream":"stdout"}

event: log
data: {"text":"2024-01-15T10:30:15.000Z GET /api/health 200\n","containerName":"my-nginx","stream":"stdout"}

: keepalive

event: log
data: {"text":"2024-01-15T10:30:30.000Z Warning: High memory usage\n","containerName":"my-nginx","stream":"stderr"}

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Notes

  • Keepalive comments (: keepalive) are sent every 5 seconds to maintain the connection through proxies like Traefik
  • For containers with TTY enabled, the stream field is not present in log events
  • For non-TTY containers, Docker multiplexes stdout and stderr which are demultiplexed by the API
  • The stream follows logs in real-time until the client disconnects or the container stops
  • Both stdout and stderr streams are included in the output
  • Timestamps are included if the container was configured with --log-opt timestamps=true

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