Managing Containers

Containers in Rexec provide isolated, on-demand development environments in the cloud. Each container comes with persistent storage, customizable resources, and automatic tool installation based on your selected role.

Creating a Container

From the Dashboard

Click the Create Terminal button in the top navigation
Choose your container configuration:
- Image Type: Select from Ubuntu, Debian, Alpine, Fedora, or custom images
- Role: Choose pre-configured tool sets (Node.js, Python, Go, Rust, etc.)
- Resources: Allocate memory, CPU, and disk space
- Shell Setup: Configure shell enhancements and themes
Click Create Container
Wait for the container to be created (you’ll see real-time progress)
Your terminal will automatically connect when ready

Available Images

ubuntu - Latest Ubuntu LTS (default)
debian - Debian stable
alpine - Lightweight Alpine Linux
fedora - Latest Fedora
custom - Provide your own Docker image
macos - macOS VM (Enterprise tier only)

Pre-configured Roles

Roles automatically install development tools when your container starts:

node - Node.js, npm, yarn, pnpm
python - Python 3, pip, virtualenv
go - Go compiler and tools
rust - Rust toolchain (rustc, cargo)
java - OpenJDK and Maven
php - PHP and Composer
ruby - Ruby and Bundler
elixir - Elixir and Mix
c - GCC, Make, CMake
barebone - Minimal setup (fastest startup)

Container Limits by Tier

Free Tier

Max Containers: 5
Memory: Up to 2GB per container
CPU: Up to 2 vCPUs (2000 millicores)
Disk: Up to 8GB per container
Session Duration: 50 hours

Pro Tier

Max Containers: 10
Memory: Up to 4GB per container
CPU: Up to 4 vCPUs (4000 millicores)
Disk: Up to 16GB per container
Session Duration: Unlimited

Enterprise Tier

Max Containers: 20
Memory: Up to 8GB per container
CPU: Up to 8 vCPUs (8000 millicores)
Disk: Up to 32GB per container
Session Duration: Unlimited
macOS Containers: Available

Managing Container Settings

Updating Container Configuration

In the Dashboard, find your container card
Click the ⚙ Settings icon
Modify settings:
- Name: Rename your container
- Memory: Adjust memory allocation (512MB - tier limit)
- CPU: Change CPU shares (512 - tier limit)
- Disk: Update storage quota (2GB - tier limit)
Click Save Changes

When you change resources, the container will be automatically recreated with the new settings. Your data persists on the attached volume.

Container Lifecycle

Status Indicators:

🟢 running - Container is active and ready
🟡 creating - Container is being set up
🟡 configuring - Installing role tools
⚫ stopped - Container is paused
🔴 error - Creation or startup failed

Starting and Stopping

Stop a Container:

# From CLI
rexec container stop <container-id>

Or click the Stop button in the container card menu. Start a Stopped Container:

# From CLI
rexec container start <container-id>

Or click the Start button in the container card.

If a container was removed from the Docker host, it will be automatically recreated with the same configuration when you click Start.

API Examples

Create Container via API

curl -X POST https://rexec.sh/api/containers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "image": "ubuntu",
    "name": "dev-environment",
    "role": "node",
    "memory_mb": 2048,
    "cpu_shares": 1024,
    "disk_mb": 8192,
    "shell": {
      "enhanced": true,
      "theme": "robbyrussell",
      "autosuggestions": true,
      "syntax_highlight": true
    }
  }'

List Containers

curl https://rexec.sh/api/containers \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Response:

{
  "containers": [
    {
      "id": "abc123...",
      "name": "dev-environment",
      "image": "ubuntu",
      "role": "node",
      "status": "running",
      "created_at": "2026-03-04T10:30:00Z",
      "resources": {
        "memory_mb": 2048,
        "cpu_shares": 1024,
        "disk_mb": 8192
      },
      "idle_seconds": 120
    }
  ],
  "count": 1,
  "limit": 5
}

Update Container Settings

curl -X PATCH https://rexec.sh/api/containers/<container-id>/settings \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "production-test",
    "memory_mb": 4096,
    "cpu_shares": 2048,
    "disk_mb": 16384
  }'

Delete Container

curl -X DELETE https://rexec.sh/api/containers/<container-id> \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN"

Persistent Storage

Each container has a persistent volume mounted at /workspace. Data stored here survives:

Container restarts
Resource updates
System maintenance

Volume Name Format: rexec-{user_id}-{container_name}

Best Practices

Organize Your Files

/workspace
├── projects/        # Your code repositories
├── configs/         # Dotfiles and configuration
├── scripts/         # Utility scripts
└── data/            # Application data

Backup Important Data

While volumes are persistent, always maintain backups:

# Sync to external storage
rsync -avz /workspace/ user@backup:/path/

# Use Git for code
cd /workspace/projects/myapp
git push origin main

Shell Customization

Enhanced Shell Features

When creating a container with enhanced shell enabled, you get:

Oh My Zsh with custom themes
Autosuggestions based on command history
Syntax Highlighting for commands
Git Aliases for faster workflows
System Stats in your prompt

Available Themes

robbyrussell (default)
agnoster
powerlevel10k
spaceship

Tmux Integration

Enable tmux for session persistence and split panes:

{
  "shell": {
    "use_tmux": true
  }
}

Troubleshooting

Container Stuck in 'Creating' Status

If the container creation takes longer than 5 minutes:

Check the WebSocket connection status (indicator in UI)
Refresh the page to reconnect
If still stuck, delete and recreate the container
Contact support if the issue persists

Common Causes:

Large custom image download
Docker host overload
Network connectivity issues

Connection Failed

If you can’t connect to your container:

Verify the container status is “running” (not “configuring”)
Check your browser console for WebSocket errors
Try reconnecting from the Dashboard
Ensure your token hasn’t expired (refresh if needed)

Out of Storage Space

# Check disk usage
df -h /workspace

# Find large files
du -sh /workspace/* | sort -rh | head -10

# Clean up
rm -rf /workspace/node_modules
npm cache clean --force

Or increase disk quota in container settings (subject to tier limits).

MFA-Locked Terminal

If your container shows a lock icon and prompts for MFA:

Enter your 6-digit TOTP code from your authenticator app
Or use a backup code if you’ve lost access to your authenticator
To remove MFA protection, click “Unlock Terminal” and verify with a code

See the Authentication Guide for MFA setup.

Advanced Usage

Custom Docker Images

Using Your Own Images

Select “custom” as the image type and provide a Docker image name:

{
  "image": "custom",
  "custom_image": "your-registry.com/your-image:tag"
}

Requirements:

Image must be publicly accessible or authenticated
Must include a shell (/bin/sh or /bin/bash)
SSH is optional (WebSocket terminal works without it)

Automation with CLI

# Create and connect in one command
rexec create --image ubuntu --role python --name ml-env --connect

# Batch create multiple containers
for env in dev staging prod; do
  rexec create --name "app-$env" --role node
done

# Auto-start stopped containers
rexec list --status stopped | jq -r '.[].id' | xargs -I {} rexec start {}

Guest vs. Authenticated Sessions

Guest Containers

No sign-in required
Limited to 5 containers
50-hour maximum lifetime
Automatically cleaned up after expiration
Cannot be restarted after stopping

Authenticated Containers

Free tier users with PipeOps login:

Same 5 container limit as guests
50-hour session duration for free tier
Can restart containers
Unlimited duration with Pro/Enterprise subscription

Upgrade to Pro for unlimited session duration and 10 concurrent containers.

Real-time Updates

The Rexec dashboard uses WebSocket connections to provide live updates:

Container Status: See status changes instantly
Resource Usage: Monitor CPU, memory, and disk in real-time
Idle Time: Track how long containers have been inactive
Creation Progress: Watch image pull and setup stages

Look for the connection indicator in the top right of the dashboard.

Get Started

Core Features

Deployment

User Guides

Managing Containers

Managing Containers

Creating a Container

From the Dashboard

Available Images

Pre-configured Roles

Container Limits by Tier

Managing Container Settings

Updating Container Configuration

Container Lifecycle

Starting and Stopping

API Examples

Create Container via API

List Containers

Update Container Settings

Delete Container

Persistent Storage

Best Practices

Shell Customization

Enhanced Shell Features

Available Themes

Tmux Integration

Troubleshooting

Advanced Usage

Custom Docker Images

Automation with CLI

Guest vs. Authenticated Sessions

Guest Containers

Authenticated Containers

Real-time Updates

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Deployment

User Guides

​Managing Containers

​Creating a Container

​From the Dashboard

​Available Images

​Pre-configured Roles

​Container Limits by Tier

​Managing Container Settings

​Updating Container Configuration

​Container Lifecycle

​Starting and Stopping

​API Examples

​Create Container via API

​List Containers

​Update Container Settings

​Delete Container

​Persistent Storage

​Best Practices

​Shell Customization

​Enhanced Shell Features

​Available Themes

​Tmux Integration

​Troubleshooting

​Advanced Usage

​Custom Docker Images

​Automation with CLI

​Guest vs. Authenticated Sessions

​Guest Containers

​Authenticated Containers

​Real-time Updates

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Managing Containers

Creating a Container

From the Dashboard

Available Images

Pre-configured Roles

Container Limits by Tier

Managing Container Settings

Updating Container Configuration

Container Lifecycle

Starting and Stopping

API Examples

Create Container via API

List Containers

Update Container Settings

Delete Container

Persistent Storage

Best Practices

Shell Customization

Enhanced Shell Features

Available Themes

Tmux Integration

Troubleshooting

Advanced Usage

Custom Docker Images

Automation with CLI

Guest vs. Authenticated Sessions

Guest Containers

Authenticated Containers

Real-time Updates