Container Will Not Start

Container Will Not Start

Check status and logs

docker compose ps
docker compose logs --tail=200 palcenter

Look for the first startup error rather than later shutdown messages.

Common causes

Storage is not writable

PalCenter must create and update files in /app/data. Confirm the volume is mounted read/write and the configured UID/GID matches the host directory. See Storage Permission Errors.

Port conflict

If host port 3000 is already in use, choose another host port:

ports:
  - "3100:3000"

Then open http://YOUR-SERVER-IP:3100.

Port 3001 is only needed for direct API access. Change or remove its host mapping if it conflicts.

Invalid environment value

Startup validation rejects malformed values. Compare your .env file with Docker Configuration. Remove obsolete overrides and restart.

Damaged or incomplete data

Do not manually edit SQLite databases or system.json. If startup reports invalid stored data, preserve the current volume before making changes and restore a known-good PalCenter backup.

Check the health status

docker inspect --format "{{.State.Health.Status}}" palcenter

If the container remains unhealthy, inspect its logs and confirm that the internal API can initialize /app/data.