Migrate from Boot2Docker to Machine

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

If you were using Boot2Docker previously, you have a pre-existing Docker boot2docker-vm VM on your local system. To allow Docker Machine to manage this older VM, you must migrate it.

  1. Open a terminal or the Docker CLI on your system.

  2. Type the following command.

    $ docker-machine create -d virtualbox --virtualbox-import-boot2docker-vm boot2docker-vm docker-vm

  3. Use the docker-machine command to interact with the migrated VM.

Subcommand comparison

The docker-machine subcommands are slightly different than the boot2docker subcommands. The table below lists the equivalent docker-machine subcommand and what it does:

boot2docker docker-machine docker-machine description
init create Creates a new docker host.
up start Starts a stopped machine.
ssh ssh Runs a command or interactive ssh session on the machine.
save - Not applicable.
down stop Stops a running machine.
poweroff stop Stops a running machine.
reset restart Restarts a running machine.
config inspect Prints machine configuration details.
status ls Lists all machines and their status.
info inspect Displays a machine’s details.
ip ip Displays the machine’s ip address.
shellinit env Displays shell commands needed to configure your shell to interact with a machine
delete rm Removes a machine.
download - Not applicable.
upgrade upgrade Upgrades a machine’s Docker client to the latest stable release.
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