Automated Docker cleanup

Docker stores images and build files on the server. Over time, unused files can fill the disk and prevent deployments from completing.

Coolify can clean the server automatically on a schedule or when disk usage reaches a limit.

Docker cleanup can use significant CPU

Docker cleanup can be CPU-intensive while it scans and removes unused data. If the server has limited CPU resources, schedule cleanup less frequently and run it when applications receive less traffic.

Configure Docker cleanup

Open Docker Cleanup

Open Servers in the Coolify sidebar.
Select the server you want to clean.
Select Docker Cleanup in the server menu.

The page shows the cleanup settings and recent cleanup executions.

Choose when cleanup runs

Start with these settings:

Keep Docker cleanup frequency at 0 0 * * * to check once each day at midnight.
Keep Force Docker Cleanup enabled if you want cleanup to run every time the schedule is due.
Disable Force Docker Cleanup if cleanup should run only after disk usage reaches Docker cleanup threshold (%).
Keep the threshold at 80 unless you need cleanup to start sooner.

Select Save after changing the schedule or threshold.

A safe starting configuration

Keep volume and network deletion disabled. Leave application image retention enabled. This removes common unused Docker data without deliberately pruning persistent volumes or every rollback image.

Choose what Coolify may delete

The advanced cleanup options are disabled by default:

Setting	What happens when enabled
Delete Unused Volumes	Deletes every Docker volume that is not currently attached to a container.
Delete Unused Networks	Deletes every Docker network that is not currently used by a container.
Disable Application Image Retention	Removes old application images instead of keeping the configured number for rollback.

Unused volumes can still contain important data

A stopped or removed container can leave an unused volume containing application or database data. Back up important data and identify every volume before enabling Delete Unused Volumes.

Leave these settings disabled unless you have confirmed the unused objects can be deleted.

Run a manual cleanup

Use a manual cleanup to confirm the settings before relying on the schedule:

Review the three advanced cleanup options.
Select Trigger Manual Cleanup.
Wait for the execution to finish.

A manual cleanup starts immediately. It does not wait for the schedule or disk threshold.

Review the result

Open Recent executions and select the latest cleanup.

Confirm that:

the execution completed successfully
the command output does not show an unexpected error
disk usage decreased when unused data was available
important applications and databases still work
the application rollback images you expect are still available