Updating and Maintenance

When the vpn container is restarted — whether due to an image update or a manual restart — every container that uses network_mode: "service:vpn" must also be restarted so they reattach to the recreated network namespace.

With Docker Compose

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d --force-recreate

With Plain Docker (no Compose)

docker pull azinchen/nordvpn:latest   # or ghcr.io/azinchen/nordvpn:latest
docker stop vpn && docker rm vpn
# Re-run your "vpn" container with the same args as before...
# Then restart each dependent container:
docker restart webapp api-service redis

Safer Automated Updates for Compose Stacks

Consider using azinchen/update-docker-containers for automated, safe container updates.

Why Dependent Containers Must Restart

Containers that use network_mode: "service:vpn" share the VPN container's network namespace. When the VPN container is recreated, a new namespace is created. Dependent containers still reference the old (now dead) namespace and lose all network connectivity until they are restarted.