EC
network not found
DockerERRORCriticalStartupHIGH confidence

The specified Docker network does not exist

What this means

This error appears when you try to attach a container to a Docker network that has not been created. It's a configuration error, often happening in multi-container setups or when scripts expect a certain network to be present.

Why it happens
  1. 1A typo in the network name specified with the '--network' flag.
  2. 2The script or 'docker-compose.yml' file refers to a network that should have been created manually but wasn't.
  3. 3In a docker-compose setup, you are trying to run a single service that depends on a network created by the full stack.
  4. 4The network was removed, but a command or script is still trying to use it.
How to reproduce

A script attempts to run a container on a custom network named 'app-net' before creating it.

trigger — this will error
trigger — this will error
docker run -d --name my-app --network app-net my-app-image

expected output

docker: Error response from daemon: network app-net not found.

Fix 1

Create the Docker Network

WHEN The network is intended to exist and is needed for container communication.

Create the Docker Network
# Create a new bridge network
docker network create app-net

Why this works

This pre-creates the required network, making it available for containers to connect to.

Fix 2

Correct the Network Name

WHEN The error is caused by a typo.

Correct the Network Name
# List available networks to find the correct name
docker network ls
# Use the correct network name
docker run -d --name my-app --network my-app_default my-app-image

Why this works

Ensures the '--network' flag points to an existing network.

Fix 3

Use Docker Compose

WHEN Managing multiple containers that need to communicate.

Use Docker Compose
# In docker-compose.yml
services:
  app:
    image: my-app-image
    networks:
      - app-net
networks:
  app-net:
    driver: bridge

# Run compose to create networks and containers automatically
docker-compose up -d

Why this works

Docker Compose automatically handles the creation and teardown of networks defined in the YAML file, preventing this error.

What not to do

✕ Connect all containers to the default 'bridge' network and use IP addresses.

This is brittle and breaks Docker's built-in DNS-based service discovery. Custom networks provide network isolation and allow containers to communicate using their service names.

Sources
Official documentation ↗

Docker 'network create' documentation

Networking in Compose ↗

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