--- description: Understand how a Container is deployed, started, routed, and shut down across Cloudflare's network. title: Lifecycle of a Container image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png --- [Skip to content](#main-content) > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/containers/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Lifecycle of a Container Last updated Aug 28, 2026|Copy as Markdown|[View as Markdown](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/concepts/architecture/index.md)|[Agent setup](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/agent-setup/) ## Deployment After you deploy an application with a Container, your image is uploaded to [Cloudflare's Registry](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/guides/image-management/) and distributed globally to Cloudflare's Network. Cloudflare will pre-schedule instances and pre-fetch images across the globe to ensure quick start times when scaling up the number of concurrent container instances. Worker code goes live on deploy. Container instances update with a [rollout](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/configuration/rollouts/). Refer to [Deploy Containers](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/guides/deploy/). ## Container instance lifecycle flowchart LR accTitle: Container instance lifecycle accDescr: A Worker accesses a container through its Durable Object. The container moves from stopped to starting, running but not ready, ready for traffic, stopping, and stopped. Worker["Worker"] -->|Durable Object binding| DurableObject["Durable Object"] DurableObject -->|ctx.container| Container subgraph Container["Container instance"] direction TD Stopped["Stopped"] Starting["Starting
start() called"] Running["Running
Not ready"] Ready["Ready
Accepting traffic"] Stopping["Stopping
Stop requested"] StoppedAgain["Stopped"] Stopped --> Starting --> Running --> Ready --> Stopping --> StoppedAgain end A Container can only be accessed through its Durable Object. A Worker sends a request to the Durable Object, which accesses the Container through `ctx.container`. An inactivity timeout, `signal()`, `destroy()`, a rollout, or a process exit can stop the instance. If startup fails or the process exits early, the instance returns to the stopped state. The `ctx.container.running` property becomes `true` before the process is ready to accept traffic. Check port readiness before you send the first request. You can manage this lifecycle through the [Durable Object Container API](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/durable-object-container/) or the higher-level [Container class](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/). To compare both options, refer to [Containers APIs](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/). ## Lifecycle of a request ### Client to Worker Recall that Containers are backed by [Durable Objects](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/durable-objects/) and [Workers](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/workers/). Requests are first routed through a Worker, which is generally handled by a datacenter in a location with the best latency between itself and the requesting user. A different datacenter may be selected to optimize overall latency, if [Smart Placement](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/workers/configuration/placement/)is on, or if the nearest location is under heavy load. Because all Container requests are passed through a Worker, end-users cannot make non-HTTP TCP or UDP requests to a Container instance. If you have a use case that requires inbound TCP or UDP from an end-user, please [let us know ↗](https://forms.gle/AGSq54VvUje6kmKu8). ### Worker to Durable Object From the Worker, a request passes through a Durable Object instance. You can extend `DurableObject` and use `ctx.container` directly, or extend the [Container class](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/). Each Durable Object instance is a globally routable isolate that can execute code and store state. This allows developers to address and route to specific container instances, run code when a container exits, and store persistent state associated with each instance. ### Starting a Container When a Durable Object instance requests to start a new container instance, the **nearest location with a pre-fetched image** is selected. Note Durable Objects and their associated Container instances are not guaranteed to run in the same location. Container placement is optimized for request routing and startup speed, so a Container may start in a different location than its Durable Object. Starting additional container instances will use other locations with pre-fetched images, and Cloudflare will automatically begin prepping additional machines behind the scenes for additional scaling and quick cold starts. Because there are a finite number of pre-warmed locations, some container instances may be started in locations that are farther away from the end-user. This is done to ensure that the container instance starts quickly. You are only charged for actively running instances and not for any unused pre-warmed images. #### Cold starts A cold start is when a container instance is started from a completely stopped state. If you call `env.MY_CONTAINER.get(id)` with a completely novel ID and launch this instance for the first time, it will result in a cold start. This will start the container image from its entrypoint for the first time. Depending on what this entrypoint does, it will take a variable amount of time to start. Container cold starts can often be in the 1-3 second range, but this is dependent on image size and code execution time, among other factors. ### Requests to running Containers When a request _starts_ a new container instance, the nearest location with a pre-fetched image is selected. Subsequent requests to a particular instance, regardless of where they originate, will be routed to this location as long as the instance stays alive. However, once that container instance stops and restarts, future requests could be routed to a _different_ location. This location will again be the nearest location to the originating request with a pre-fetched image. ### Container runtime Each container instance runs inside its own VM, which provides strong isolation from other workloads running on Cloudflare's network. Containers should be built for the `linux/amd64` architecture, and should stay within [size limits](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/platform/limits/). [Logging](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/faq/#how-do-container-logs-work), metrics collection, and [networking](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/faq/#how-do-i-allow-or-disallow-egress-from-my-container) are automatically set up on each container, as configured by the developer. ### Container shutdown With the Durable Object Container API, call [setInactivityTimeout()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/durable-object-container/#setinactivitytimeout) to let the runtime stop an inactive container. You can also stop a container with [signal()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/durable-object-container/#signal) or [destroy()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/durable-object-container/#destroy). The `Container` class sets [sleepAfter](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#sleepafter) to 10 minutes by default. Its [onActivityExpired()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#onactivityexpired) implementation calls [stop()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#stop). You can change the duration or override the hook. When the platform is about to stop a container instance, it: 1. Sends `SIGTERM` to the main process in the container. 2. Waits up to 15 minutes for that process to exit. 3. Sends `SIGKILL` if the process is still running. Handle `SIGTERM` in your image if you need cleanup before exit. The same sequence runs when a [rollout](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/configuration/rollouts/) replaces a container instance with a new image. ### Lifecycle events The Durable Object Container API provides [monitor()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/durable-object-container/#monitor). Its promise resolves when the container exits and rejects when the container errors. The [Container class](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/) adds hooks that run Worker code when the container changes state: * [onStart()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#onstart) — Runs after the container has started. * [onStop()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#onstop) — Runs after the container process exits. Receives the exit code and reason for the stop. * [onActivityExpired()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#onactivityexpired) — Runs when the [sleepAfter](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#sleepafter) timer expires with no incoming requests. The default implementation calls `stop()` to shut down the container. You can use this to only stop the container on certain conditions. * [onError()](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/api/container-class/#onerror) — Runs when the container exits with an error. Refer to the [status hooks example](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/examples/status-hooks/) for a full implementation. #### Persistent disk All disk is ephemeral. When a Container instance goes to sleep, the next time it is started, it will have a fresh disk as defined by its container image. Snapshots are coming soon, which allow the user to quickly persist and restore the disk from an entire container or a directory. You can also use [FUSE](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/containers/examples/r2-fuse-mount/) to persist disk to R2 or other object storage backends. Though you should not expect native SSD-like performance while using FUSE. ## An example request * A developer deploys a Container. Cloudflare automatically readies instances across its Network. * A request is made from a client in Bariloche, Argentina. It reaches the Worker in a nearby Cloudflare location in Neuquen, Argentina. * This Worker request calls `getContainer(env.MY_CONTAINER, "session-1337")`. Under the hood, this brings up a Durable Object, which then calls `this.ctx.container.start`. * This requests the nearest free Container instance. Cloudflare recognizes that an instance is free in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and starts it there. * A different user needs to route to the same container. This user's request reaches the Worker running in Cloudflare's location in San Diego, US. * The Worker again calls `getContainer(env.MY_CONTAINER, "session-1337")`. * If the initial container instance is still running, the request is routed to the original location in Buenos Aires. If the initial container has gone to sleep, Cloudflare will once again try to find the nearest "free" instance of the Container, likely one in North America, and start an instance there. Was this helpful? YesNo ## On this page [![](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/_astro/logo.te5VL_aD.svg)Docs](https://codex-container-api-docs.previews.developers.cloudflare.com/) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/containers/concepts/architecture/#page","headline":"Lifecycle of a Container · Cloudflare Containers docs","description":"Understand how a Container is deployed, started, routed, and shut down across Cloudflare's network.","url":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/containers/concepts/architecture/","inLanguage":"en","image":"https://developers.cloudflare.com/og-docs.png","dateModified":"2026-08-28","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Cloudflare","description":"One platform for your apps, agents, and workforce. 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