docker 20: change docker image location

Question

i want to change the pull location for the docker image, i already follow the instruction from this link https://quick-adviser.com/how-do-i-change-docker-location/. i already try adding file daemon.json to C:\ProgramData\Docker\config and fill it with following code:

{
    "data-root": "D:\\docker-image"
}

then restarting docker desktop. After that, i trying pull a small size docker image like adminer docker pull adminer and check to D:\docker-image. After the execution is completed, the folder still empty

here's my docker info output:

$ docker info
Client:
 Context:    default
 Debug Mode: false
 Plugins:
  buildx: Docker Buildx (Docker Inc., v0.7.1)
  compose: Docker Compose (Docker Inc., v2.2.3)
  scan: Docker Scan (Docker Inc., v0.16.0)

Server:
 Containers: 0
  Running: 0
  Paused: 0
  Stopped: 0
 Images: 0
 Server Version: 20.10.12
 Storage Driver: overlay2
  Backing Filesystem: extfs
  Supports d_type: true
  Native Overlay Diff: true
  userxattr: false
 Logging Driver: json-file
 Cgroup Driver: cgroupfs
 Cgroup Version: 1
 Plugins:
  Volume: local
  Network: bridge host ipvlan macvlan null overlay
  Log: awslogs fluentd gcplogs gelf journald json-file local logentries splunk syslog
 Swarm: inactive
 Runtimes: io.containerd.runc.v2 io.containerd.runtime.v1.linux runc
 Default Runtime: runc
 Init Binary: docker-init
 containerd version: 7b11cfaabd73bb80907dd23182b9347b4245eb5d
 runc version: v1.0.2-0-g52b36a2
 init version: de40ad0
 Security Options:
  seccomp
   Profile: default
 Kernel Version: 5.10.16.3-microsoft-standard-WSL2
 Operating System: Docker Desktop
 OSType: linux
 Architecture: x86_64
 CPUs: 8
 Total Memory: 6.04GiB
 Name: docker-desktop
 ID: V6FY:3JES:DVIP:5ZLG:6J26:IXE7:RKCB:T3MK:RR4B:X2XC:JR7B:LEIH
 Docker Root Dir: /var/lib/docker
 Debug Mode: false
 Registry: https://index.docker.io/v1/
 Labels:
 Experimental: false
 Insecure Registries:
  127.0.0.0/8
 Live Restore Enabled: false

WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_bps_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.read_iops_device support
WARNING: No blkio throttle.write_iops_device support

Does this answer your question? [How can I change the location of docker images when using Docker Desktop on WSL2 with Windows 10 Home?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/62441307/how-can-i-change-the-location-of-docker-images-when-using-docker-desktop-on-wsl2) — araisch, Apr 20 '22 at 14:00
@araisch i dont know, i've tried the checked solution but it doesn't work. The result of answer only gives output file `docker-desktop-data.tar` inside my `docker-image` folder. nothing else. Previously i already make sure deleting all image in docker before. But then when i finish trying the solution and pull adminer again, folder `docker-image` still empty. — dhanyn10, Apr 20 '22 at 14:55

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Apr 21 '22 at 06:22

Basically you're running Docker Desktop with WSL2. So files are no longer located in Windows directly. Docker creates an Linux-Virtual-Machine (WSL2) where all files are located inside in a Linux folder structure.

# Image-Layers are somewhere here:
\\wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\image\overlay2
\\wsl$\docker-desktop-data\version-pack-data\community\docker\overlay2

If you want to change the folder on Windows side (e.g. to use disk space on another drive) then you have to move the image file. This is described in the question I posted. How can I change the location of docker images when using Docker Desktop on WSL2 with Windows 10 Home? Two different possibilities given: Moving the WSL2 in total or Move the file and generate a Symlink (mklink) to keep WSL2 like it is and just redirect to the file in another location. By default docker locates the WSL-Image-File for the Data here: %homepath%\AppData\Local\Docker\wsl\data as ext4.vhdx

With this Docker Desktop and WSL2 setup you can't just change the path where the images are located by just using a windows path because under the hood docker works in Linux. So images are stored in Linux.

If you just want to get the image data to move them to another system check docker save and docker load https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/save/

Does this fit your use case?

docker 20: change docker image location

1 Answers1