hyperledger/fabric · error

Error uploading files to the container instance %s: %s

Error message

Error uploading files to the container instance %s: %s

What it means

After building the gzip'd tar of TLS files, DockerVM.Start uploads it into the running-yet-stopped chaincode container using the Docker API CopyToContainer (docker cp equivalent). This error wraps any failure returned by that API call, identified by container name. It means the Docker daemon refused or failed the archive upload into the container filesystem.

Source

Thrown at core/container/dockercontroller/dockercontroller.go:305

		})
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("error writing files to upload to Docker instance into a temporary tar blob: %s", err)
		}

		// Write the tar file out
		if err = tw.Close(); err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("error writing files to upload to Docker instance into a temporary tar blob: %s", err)
		}

		gw.Close()

		_, err = vm.Client.CopyToContainer(context.Background(), containerName, dcli.CopyToContainerOptions{
			DestinationPath:           "/",
			Content:                   bytes.NewReader(payload.Bytes()),
			AllowOverwriteDirWithFile: true,
		})
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("Error uploading files to the container instance %s: %s", containerName, err)
		}
	}

	// start container with HostConfig was deprecated since v1.10 and removed in v1.2
	_, err = vm.Client.ContainerStart(context.Background(), containerName, dcli.ContainerStartOptions{})
	if err != nil {
		dockerLogger.Errorf("start-could not start container: %s", err)
		return err
	}

	dockerLogger.Debugf("Started container %s", containerName)
	return nil
}

func addFiles(tw *tar.Writer, contents map[string][]byte) error {
	for name, payload := range contents {
		err := tw.WriteHeader(&tar.Header{
			Name: name,

View on GitHub (pinned to 2736b63f8f)

Solutions

1. Check Docker daemon health: run 'docker ps' on the peer host and confirm the daemon socket (/var/run/docker.sock) is accessible to the peer process.
2. Verify the chaincode container exists with 'docker ps -a' - if it was removed, rebuild/restart it via chaincode lifecycle.
3. Free disk space on the Docker host if the daemon reports no space left on device.
4. Check the peer's docker settings in core.yaml (vm.endpoint) point to a reachable daemon.
5. Retry the chaincode invoke/install; transient daemon errors often clear.

Example fix

// before (peer core.yaml)
vm:
  endpoint: unix:///var/run/docker.sock
// after - ensure daemon is running and socket path correct
// systemctl start docker
// vm:
//   endpoint: unix:///var/run/docker.sock

// pre-check daemon reachability before chaincode ops
// docker -H <vm.endpoint> ps >/dev/null 2>&1 || echo "docker daemon unreachable"

if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "Error uploading files to the container instance") {
    // check 'docker ps -a' for container, daemon socket perms, disk space, then retry once
    logger.Errorf("docker copy-to-container failed: %v", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: vm.Client.CopyToContainer(ctx, containerName, {DestinationPath: "/", Content: tarGzBytes, AllowOverwriteDirWithFile: true}) returns an error during Start when TLSConfig is set.

Common situations: Container was removed or is in a bad state (created/Exited) at upload time; Docker daemon down or unreachable; permission denied on the daemon socket; disk full on the Docker host; destination path '/' missing in a broken image.

Related errors

• Error creating container: %s
• Error uploading input to container: %s
• Error attaching to container: %s
• failed to wait on container exit
• error writing files to upload to Docker instance into a temp

AI-assisted analysis of hyperledger/fabric@2736b63f8f (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/b57ccba80260f344. Report an issue: GitHub.