Operate Services
After a Service is deployed, Coolify provides stack lifecycle actions, deployment output, container logs, terminal access, scheduled tasks, component controls, and resource operations.
Know where to look
| Page or control | Use it to |
|---|---|
| Configuration | Change the Compose definition, components, environment variables, storage, and automation. |
| Deployment output | Follow image pulls, generated configuration, Compose startup, and command failures for the current operation. |
| Logs | Read stdout and stderr from the Service containers. |
| Terminal | Open a shell in a selected running container when your role can access terminals. |
| Component Settings | Change domains, image, public database access, status exclusion, or log-drain behavior for one component. |
| Update Service | Change image versions and merge required Compose or environment updates. |
| Troubleshooting | Diagnose a failed deployment, degraded component, configuration difference, connection failure, or domain error. |
| Scheduled Tasks | Run a recurring command inside a selected component container. |
| Resource Operations | Clone the Service or move it between projects and environments. |
| Danger Zone | Permanently delete the Service and selected Docker resources. |
Choose a lifecycle action
| Goal | Action | What Coolify does |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy a new or stopped Service | Deploy | Pulls the configured images, writes the generated Compose and .env files, and runs the stack. |
| Recreate a running stack without intentionally updating images | Restart | Stops the current containers and starts the stack from the saved configuration without first running a Compose pull. |
| Pull the image tags saved in Compose and recreate the stack | Advanced > Pull Latest Images & Restart | Runs a Compose pull, then recreates the stack. |
| Take the stack offline without deleting its configuration | Stop | Stops and removes the component containers. Persistent volumes and the Service resource remain. |
| Recover from a stuck or degraded deployment | Advanced > Force Restart or Force Deploy | Marks active deployment records as failed when necessary and starts a forced deployment path. Use only after checking the current operation and logs. |
A mutable tag can resolve to different software than the currently running image. Read upstream release notes, back up stateful components, and confirm version compatibility before selecting Pull Latest Images & Restart in production.
Protect Service state
Data outside a declared persistent mount can disappear when Coolify recreates a container. Identify and back up every stateful component before relying on Service lifecycle actions.
Use database-aware backups for databases and storage backups for file data. Keep a tested copy outside the Service server.
Run recurring commands
Use Configuration > Scheduled Tasks for a command that must run inside one Service container on a schedule. A multi-container Service requires the Compose service name so Coolify can select the correct running container.
Follow Scheduled tasks for frequency, timeout, target, manual execution, and verification.