docker/cli · error

empty string specified for links

Error message

empty string specified for links

What it means

Error "empty string specified for links" thrown in docker/cli.

Source

Thrown at opts/opts.go:374

}

// ParseCPUs takes a string ratio and returns an integer value of nano cpus
func ParseCPUs(value string) (int64, error) {
	cpu, ok := new(big.Rat).SetString(value)
	if !ok {
		return 0, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse %v as a rational number", value)
	}
	nano := cpu.Mul(cpu, big.NewRat(1e9, 1))
	if !nano.IsInt() {
		return 0, errors.New("value is too precise")
	}
	return nano.Num().Int64(), nil
}

// ParseLink parses and validates the specified string as a link format (name:alias)
func ParseLink(val string) (string, string, error) {
	if val == "" {
		return "", "", errors.New("empty string specified for links")
	}
	// We expect two parts, but restrict to three to allow detecting invalid formats.
	arr := strings.SplitN(val, ":", 3)

	// TODO(thaJeztah): clean up this logic!!
	if len(arr) > 2 {
		return "", "", errors.New("bad format for links: " + val)
	}
	// TODO(thaJeztah): this should trim the "/" prefix as well??
	if len(arr) == 1 {
		return val, val, nil
	}
	// This is kept because we can actually get a HostConfig with links
	// from an already created container and the format is not `foo:bar`
	// but `/foo:/c1/bar`
	if strings.HasPrefix(arr[0], "/") {
		// TODO(thaJeztah): clean up this logic!!
		_, alias := path.Split(arr[1])

View on GitHub (pinned to e9452d6e78)

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at opts/opts.go:374 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

AI-assisted analysis of docker/cli@e9452d6e78 (2026-08-01). Data as JSON: /data/errors/71319f042dc999f7.json. Report an issue: GitHub.