Docker Core
A command referenced a network name or ID the daemon has no record of.
network-not-foundReviewed for reference consistency: August 11, 2026
A command referenced a network name or ID the daemon has no record of.
What network-not-found Means
The network-not-found error on the Docker Core indicates a command referenced a network name or id the daemon has no record of.. This typically occurs due to the network was removed by a compose down or manual removal earlier.
User-defined networks live in the daemon's registry alongside its built-in peers. Connecting a container, inspecting, or removing a network by a name that was never created, or that a torn-down compose project already deleted, resolves to nothing and returns the not-found condition.
How to fix network-not-found
General informational guidance, not professional advice. Commands can affect your system or data — back up first and proceed at your own risk. FixerCode is an independent reference, not affiliated with any vendor mentioned.
List the networks this daemon knows
The network listing shows names and drivers currently registered, the direct comparison for the missing reference.
docker network lsConfirm which context the client targets
The context listing marks the active endpoint; a different context means a different daemon with its own networks.
docker context ls
Technical Background
Network lookup is scoped to the daemon the client talks to, so identical commands can succeed on one host and fail on another purely because the network exists in one registry and not the other.
Built-in networks such as bridge cover the default path, which is why the failure only appears once workloads move to named networks whose lifecycle is explicitly managed.
Common Causes
- The network was removed by a compose down or manual removal earlier
- The name differs in spelling or case from the created network
- The command targets a different daemon or context than the one that created it
- Swarm-scoped networks are absent on nodes that are not managers
Typical Scenarios
- Connecting a container to a compose network after the owning project exited
- A script hardcoding a network name from another host's setup
- A typo between the create step and the run step of a tutorial sequence
What to Know
The listing of existing networks is the immediate comparison point: a present name means the failing command's spelling or context is off, an absent name means the network was never created or already removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Docker network-not-found error
Persistent ones survive restarts; compose-scoped networks are removed when their project tears down, which is the common source of vanishing names.
The shape of the failure matches, but the registries are separate: networks and containers are looked up in independent stores.
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