After completing a massive project, you and your team decided to use project-wide containers in the staging and production steps to avoid any last-minute and environment-related issues.works on my machine” statements. But, while creating a container, you encountered “exec user process caused: exec format error” and have no idea how to fix it. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll explain the possible reasons for this problem, along with some reliable fixes to resolve the “exec user process caused: exec format error” on your Linux system.
Contents
Fix “exec user process caused: exec format error” (2023)What causes “exec user process caused: exec format error”How to fix “exec user process caused: exec format error”1. Missing script header2. Incorrect character encoding for line breaks3. Architecture mismatch4. Incorrect Script Coding5. Wrong permissionsResolve “exec user process caused: exec format error”
Fix “exec user process caused: exec format error” (2023)
What causes “exec user process caused: exec format error”
The most common cause of “exec user process caused: exec format error” is the missing script header, such as #!/bin/bash. This causes the container to move to the wait stage with the reason CrashLoopBackOff when you try to run it. By checking the container log files, you will find the exact name of the error as standard_init_linux.go:300: exec user process caused an “exec format error”.
In addition to the reason mentioned above, there could be other reasons why this error occurs when working with containers:
- Using the wrong script header, such as adding a space in the middle.
- Use some incompatible character encodings when writing the scripts
- Mismatched CPU architecture
- missing file permissions
This is not an exhaustive list of the possible reasons behind this error, but we have listed the most common causes. With that being said, here are the top 5 solutions to fix the problem on your Linux PC.
How to fix “exec user process caused: exec format error”
1. Missing script header
When writing any script with an interpreted language, it is always a good idea to use a script header. Tells the shell to use which interpreter. You can think of the script header as the entry point for scripts. A few things to keep in mind when using a script header:
- A script header must begin with a The issue (#!) character.
- The header must not contain spaces or any other special characters.
- Use the appropriate headers for the programming language you are working in, and the header should also correspond to the particular script and distribution. For example, if you are using python 3.x on a Debian-based distribution, use the following script header:
#!/bin/python3
While using Alpine Linux, users tend to use the same bash script headers that are used in other Linux distributions. For Alpine Linux, many use the following script header:
#!/bin/ash
2. Incorrect character encoding for line breaks
The newline character seems trivial and is often overlooked during troubleshooting, but it is known to be a major cause of some errors. The newline character is used to indicate the “end of line” (EOL). This is interpreted differently on Windows and Linux. Windows uses CRLF (Carriage Return Line Feed), which interprets the new line as \r\n . On the other hand, Linux uses LF (Line Feed), which interprets newlines as \n .
Suppose you wrote a file on Windows using the CRLF encoding, which when sent to staging or production with Linux as the environment causes the exec format error. This problem can be solved by following some really simple steps:
- open the file in any Linux text editor of your choice.
- Use the find and replace functionality to first find the “
\r\n” and replace it with “\n” in all locations. - Alternatively, you can even set it to linux coding when you are writing the actual code.
3. Architecture mismatch
System architecture mismatch is also one of the most common reasons for “User process exec caused: exec format error“. Containerization technology was developed to solve problems related to the software environment, but not to the hardware.
For example, this often happens when you’re working on projects on a system with ARM architecture, such as with Apple’s new M-series chipsets. When you push some code into your production environment, which uses an x86 system, it results in “exec user process caused: exec format error”. This is because each piece of code, when converted to the lower level of instructions, is different for both ARM and x86. Docker detects the Apple M1 Pro platform as “linux/arm64/v8“. To resolve this issue, use the following docker syntax while creating an image:
docker buildx build --platform=linux/amd64 -t <image_name>:<version>-amd64 .
Then update your docker file”OF” statement using this syntax:
FROM --platform=linux/amd64 <base_image>:<version>
When you run the above statements, your image will be changed from arm64 architecture to amd64, fixing the problem at hand. Please let us know if this solution fixes the issues with your Docker deployments.
4. Incorrect Script Coding
Incorrect script encoding is not a common problem, but it is also known to cause “exec user process caused: exec format error”, especially on Windows PCs. When you start writing the script, make sure the encoding is set to UTF-8. If you are using VS Code to write the script, you can change the encoding by following the steps below:
1. Open the file you want to change the encoding for in VS Code.
2. Go to the “File” menu at the top left and hover over the “preferencesoption” in the dropdown menu. Here, you need to select the “Settings” option from the sub-menu. Alternatively, you can directly press “CTRL + , (comma)” on the keyboard to access the Settings menu. This will open the settings menu in a separate tab.
3. In the search bar, type “coding” and press Enter. Here, you will see the “Files: Coding” settings with a dropdown menu.
4. Here, choose UTF-8 from the drop down menu. This will change the encoding format of all global files opened or modified with VS Code.
Generally, applying the UTF-8 encoding method works for most users. But if you are still facing the error, then you can try to change the encoding to UTF8+BOM by following the same steps as mentioned above. Here, BOM stands for Byte Order Mark.
If you are using vim or any other command line based text editor, it uses the system-wide encoding format. Check out this article on how to enable UTF-8 support on Linux.
5. Wrong permissions
File permissions are often overlooked while working on a project. Permissions are of three types: read, write, and execute. The last type is divided into three categories of users: owner, user and group. Generally, if you run an executable file without the correct permissions, it will give a “Permission Denied” error. But, when containing a large project, even a single file without executable permissions can cause “exec user process caused: exec format error”. To check the permissions for each file in the container, use the following steps:
1. First, navigate to the container using the command:
cd <path_to_container>
2. Next, to check the file permissions of each file in the directory, use the following command:
ls -la
3. To change the permissions of a file to an executable permission, use the following syntax:
chmod +x <file_name_1> <file_name_2> <file_name_3>
Resolve “exec user process caused: exec format error”
Dividing larger problems into smaller ones can help solve them efficiently. Here, we have shared some possible causes of “exec user process caused: exec format error” along with their solutions. I hope the solutions will help you to resolve the error. If you need to know more about file permissions, check out our article on file permissions in Linux. In case you are having trouble getting rid of the error, let us know in the comments below.
FAQs
To solve this problem, use the following docker syntax while building an image: docker buildx build --platform=linux/amd64 -t <image_name>:<version>-amd64 . When you execute the above statements, your image will get modified from arm64 to amd64 architecture, fixing the issue at hand.
What is shell in Docker? ›
SHELL ["executable", "parameters"] The SHELL instruction allows the default shell used for the shell form of commands to be overridden. The default shell on Linux is ["/bin/sh", "-c"] , and on Windows is ["cmd", "/S", "/C"] . The SHELL instruction must be written in JSON form in a Dockerfile.
What does Docker build do? ›
The docker build command builds Docker images from a Dockerfile and a “context”. A build's context is the set of files located in the specified PATH or URL . The build process can refer to any of the files in the context. For example, your build can use a COPY instruction to reference a file in the context.
What is Docker in programming? ›
Docker is an open platform for developing, shipping, and running applications. Docker enables you to separate your applications from your infrastructure so you can deliver software quickly. With Docker, you can manage your infrastructure in the same ways you manage your applications.
What does format error mean? ›
The formatting error comes when there is a problem in the layout designed. For example the template or table created with a window does not fit in it.
What is Exec format error in jar file? ›
The error Exec format error means we download the wrong JDK build for a specific platform. For example, an AMD processor, based on x86_64 architecture.
What is shell process in Linux? ›
CONCEPT: The shell is a type of program called an interpreter. An interpreter operates in a simple loop: It accepts a command, interprets the command, executes the command, and then waits for another command. The shell displays a "prompt," to notify you that it is ready to accept your command.
What is shell function in Linux? ›
Shell functions are a way to group commands for later execution using a single name for the group. They are executed just like a "regular" command. When the name of a shell function is used as a simple command name, the list of commands associated with that function name is executed.
How do I exec into a container? ›
Accessing a Container's Shell Using Docker Exec
- Step 1: Run a container. Before we can use the "docker exec" command, we need to have a container already running. ...
- Step 2: Check the container status. ...
- Step 3: Access the container's shell. ...
- Step 4: Run commands using the shell. ...
- Step 5: Exit the container's shell.
Try Docker Compose
- Step 1: Define the application dependencies. ...
- Step 2: Create a Dockerfile. ...
- Step 3: Define services in a Compose file. ...
- Step 4: Build and run your app with Compose. ...
- Step 5: Edit the Compose file to add a bind mount. ...
- Step 6: Re-build and run the app with Compose. ...
- Step 7: Update the application.
To restart Docker on a Linux system, you can use the following command "sudo systemctl restart docker". How can I restart a specific container in Docker? To restart a specific Docker container, you need to use the "docker restart" command followed by the container ID or name "docker restart [container-name]".
How to enable Docker build? ›
If you have installed Docker Desktop, you don't need to enable BuildKit. If you are running a version of Docker Engine version earlier than 23.0, you can enable BuildKit either by setting an environment variable, or by making BuildKit the default setting in the daemon configuration.
Is Docker a VM? ›
A docker container is a portable unit of software—that has the application—along with the associated dependency and configuration. Unlike a VM, Docker containers do not boot up their own guest OS. Rather, they run on top of the host operating system. This is facilitated by a container engine.
What is Docker cloud? ›
The Docker Cloud is a service provided by Docker in which you can carry out the following operations − Nodes − You can connect the Docker Cloud to your existing cloud providers such as Azure and AWS to spin up containers on these environments.
What is the difference between Docker container and VM? ›
VMs have the host OS and guest OS inside each VM. A guest OS can be any OS, like Linux or Windows, irrespective of the host OS. In contrast, Docker containers host on a single physical server with a host OS, which shares among them. Sharing the host OS between containers makes them light and increases the boot time.
What is the most common formatting error? ›
Manual Hanging Indent
This is by far the most common formatting error we see, and the most egregious.
How do I fix format disk error without formatting raw? ›
Here is a quick guide on how to do this:
- Run Command Prompt as administrator.
- Type diskpart and press Enter.
- Type list disk and press Enter.
- Type in select disk X (replace X with the RAW disk's number) and press Enter.
- Type clean and press Enter.
- Type create partition primary and hit Enter.
File System Errors are essentially disk-related errors that may be due to corrupt files, bad sectors, disk integrity corruption, file execution policies, etc. These errors may prevent you from accessing or opening files. These may be encountered in files such as PDF, images, documents, movies, etc.
How to install executable JAR file? ›
Steps to run a JAR file on Windows, Mac or Linux
- Verify that Java is installed on your computer.
- Confirm the computer's PATH variable includes Java's \bin directory.
- Double-click the JAR file if auto-run has been configured.
- Run the JAR file on the command line or terminal window if a double-clicking fails.
Follow these steps to open a . JAR file with WinRAR:
- Download and install RARLAB WinRAR.
- Launch it to run the program.
- Click on File and then select Open Archive.
- Navigate to where the file is and select it.
- Click on Extract To and go to commands.
- Select “Extract to the specified folder.”
- Accept defaults.
- Go to your jar file's folder.
- change it's extension to . zip.
- You are good to go and can easily extract it by just double clicking it.
Enter the restart command.
Type sudo systemctl restart service into Terminal, making sure to replace the service part of the command with the command name of the service, and press ↵ Enter . For example, to restart Apache on Ubuntu Linux, you would type sudo systemctl restart apache2 into Terminal.
How to check shell type in Linux? ›
Determine the Current Shell in Linux
- Overview. A shell is a program that provides a command-line interface to the operating system. ...
- Using the echo Command. ...
- Using the ps Command. ...
- Viewing the /etc/passwd File. ...
- Using the lsof Command. ...
- Using the readlink Command. ...
- Using /proc/$$/cmdline. ...
- Other Approaches.
Steps to execute a shell script in Linux
- Create a new file called demo.sh using a text editor such as nano or vi in Linux: nano demo.sh.
- Add the following code: ...
- Set the script executable permission by running chmod command in Linux: chmod +x demo.sh.
- Execute a shell script in Linux: ./demo.sh.
What Is Shell? The Shell is the name of the program that runs in the terminal (command line interpreter). It can be also seen as a program that processes commands and returns output because it is like an application running commands.
How to call a function in shell script? ›
To invoke a function, simply use the function name as a command. To pass parameters to the function, add space-separated arguments like other commands. The passed parameters can be accessed inside the function using the standard positional variables i.e. $0, $1, $2, $3, etc.
How do I exit exec container? ›
Method 1: Exit and Stop Docker Container
If a process is running in the container, press Ctrl+C to send the SIGINT signal and stop the process. The screenshot below shows Ctrl+C interrupting the ping command. 2. Next, press Ctrl+D to exit and stop the container.
How do you restart a container? ›
Container Stop/Restart procedure
- To verify if the container has stopped run docker ps -a command. The status of the stopped container would display as Exited . docker ps -a.
- Start a Docker container in a stopped state docker start <container_name/id> Connect:Direct service automatically starts inside the container.
CONTAINER: In the exec command, we can define the container details like the container ID. So, it will identify the running container in the docker environment and trigger the command that you want to execute on the docker container. COMMAND: As per the requirement, we can define the command in the exec command.
What is the difference between docker run and exec? ›
What's the Difference between Docker Run and Docker Exec? Docker Run vs Docker Exec! This is a fairly common question – but has a simple answer! In short, docker run is the command you use to create a new container from an image, whilst docker exec lets you run commands on an already running container!
How to run docker container
- The -i option means that it will be interactive mode (you can enter commands to it)
- The -t option gives you a terminal (so that you can use it as if you used ssh to enter the container).
- The -d option (daemon mode) keeps the container running in the background.
- bash is the command it runs.
Note
- Create the docker group. $ sudo groupadd docker.
- Add your user to the docker group. $ sudo usermod -aG docker $USER.
- Log out and log back in so that your group membership is re-evaluated. ...
- Verify that you can run docker commands without sudo .
How to Reset Docker Desktop to Factory Default
- To begin with, open the Docker Desktop app and head to the dashboard.
- Then, select the Troubleshoot icon and click Reset to factory defaults.
- Next, click the Yes, reset anyway and the task is done.
Restart the Docker daemon. On Linux, you can avoid a restart (and avoid any downtime for your containers) by reloading the Docker daemon. If you use systemd , then use the command systemctl reload docker . Otherwise, send a SIGHUP signal to the dockerd process.
How to check docker service status in Linux? ›
The operating-system independent way to check whether Docker is running is to ask Docker, using the docker info command. You can also use operating system utilities, such as sudo systemctl is-active docker or sudo status docker or sudo service docker status , or checking the service status using Windows utilities.
How do I start docker running? ›
Starting a docker container
The syntax of the docker run command is as follows: $ docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE[:TAG|@DIGEST] [COMMAND] [ARG...] The command takes the image name, with the optional TAG or DIGEST.
How to run docker on command line? ›
The basic syntax for the command is: docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...] You can run containers from locally stored Docker images. If you use an image that is not on your system, the software pulls it from the online registry.
How to get docker on command line? ›
After downloading Docker Desktop Installer.exe, run the following command in a terminal to install Docker Desktop:
- $ "Docker Desktop Installer.exe" install.
- Start-Process 'Docker Desktop Installer.exe' -Wait install.
- $ net localgroup docker-users <user> /add.
Docker containers are generally faster and less resource-intensive than virtual machines, but full VMware virtualization still has its unique core benefits—namely, security and isolation.
Should I use Docker instead of VM? ›
This means Docker containers are much smaller and require far fewer resources than a VM. Docker is fast. Very fast. While a VM can take an at least a few minutes to boot and be dev-ready, it takes anywhere from a few milliseconds to (at most) a few seconds to start a Docker container from a container image.
While Docker is a container runtime, Kubernetes is a platform for running and managing containers from many container runtimes. Kubernetes supports numerous container runtimes including Docker, containerd, CRI-O, and any implementation of the Kubernetes CRI (Container Runtime Interface).
Who is Docker owned by? ›
Docker Inc. was founded by Kamel Founadi, Solomon Hykes, and Sebastien Pahl during the Y Combinator Summer 2010 startup incubator group and launched in 2011. The startup was also one of the 12 startups in Founder's Den first cohort.
Does Docker require coding? ›
Is coding knowledge required for Docker? Though you don't have to have a thorough understanding of coding, a basic knowledge of programming will help. Additionally, if you know, creating an application using either PHP, Java or Node. Js will boost your learning.
Does AWS use Docker? ›
Run Docker on AWS
AWS provides support for both Docker open-source and commercial solutions. There are a number of ways to run containers on AWS, including Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) is a highly scalable, high performance container management service.
What is the difference between Docker and Docker machine? ›
Docker Engine was initially developed for Linux systems and has since been extended to operate natively on both Windows and macOS. Docker Machine is a tool used to install and manage Docker Engine on various virtual hosts or older versions of macOS and Windows.
What is the difference between VM and container in Linux? ›
A container is a software code package containing an application's code, its libraries, and other dependencies. Containerization makes your applications portable so that the same code can run on any device. A virtual machine is a digital copy of a physical machine.
Which is better VM or container? ›
In short, containers are lighter weight and more portable than VMs. Conclusion Virtual machines and containers differ in several ways, but the primary difference is that containers provide a way to virtualize an OS so that multiple workloads can run on a single OS instance.
What does Cannot execute binary file Exec format error mean? ›
This error typically occurs when a binary file for a certain processor architecture is run on a different architecture e.g., an x86 executable is run on an ARM CPU.
What is Exec format error in Ninja? ›
Any time you see Exec format error popping up in your logs it relates to the fact that a prebuilt isn't running on the correct architecture. This may be because the arm64 prebuilt doesn't exist or perhaps it was improperly fetched.
What is Exec format error EDC5130I? ›
EDC5130I Exec format error.
A request was made to execute a file that was not in a format that may be executed (however, the file does have the appropriate permissions). This message is equivalent to the POSIX.
The HTTP 415 Unsupported Media Type client error response code indicates that the server refuses to accept the request because the payload format is in an unsupported format. The format problem might be due to the request's indicated Content-Type or Content-Encoding , or as a result of inspecting the data directly.
How do I force a file to open in binary mode? ›
To open a file in binary format, add 'b' to the mode parameter. Hence the "rb" mode opens the file in binary format for reading, while the "wb" mode opens the file in binary format for writing.
How to bypass the system cannot execute the specified program? ›
It displays the message: The system cannot execute the specified program. To fix this right click on the file and select properties. Select the button in the lower left hand corner of the properties page that says UNBLOCK. The file will now execute.
How do I run an executable binary file? ›
Executing With the File Manager
- Open File Manager and navigate to the directory containing the program file (a shell script or a binary program file).
- Right-click on the file and click Properties.
- Click the Permissions tab.
- Select the Allow executing file as program option.
- Close the Properties window.
Analysis. The error Exec format error means that the binary being executed is made for a different architecture than the environment currently booted. It usually occurs when the system has been booted on a 32-bit system when a 64-bit environment is trying to load.
What is Exec format error b in ansible? ›
"Exec format error" means, simply, that you have tried to execute a file that the kernel doesn't recognize as valid program – it is in unsuitable format.
What is Exec format error in Enoexec? ›
Description: This error indicates that a request has been made to execute a file which, although it has the appropriate permissions, does not start with a valid magic number. A magic number is the first two bytes in a file, used to determine what type of file it is.
What format error is 0xc1010103? ›
The error code 0xc1010103 mostly occurs due to missing codec or unsupported file format. So, try playing the problematic video in another media player as it may fix the issue. The most preferred media player is VLC Media Player, which is configured to play most of the known file formats.
How do I fix unsupported file error? ›
Part 3: How to Fix Unsupported File Type Error with Ease
- 01 Ensure Stable Network Connection. Sometimes the error is caused by our network connection that leads to file download stopping halfway. ...
- 02 Use a File Repair Tool. ...
- 03 Restart Your Android Phone. ...
- 04 Reduce File Size. ...
- 05 Convert File to A Supported Format.
How to Fix Unsupported Video Format?
- Convert Video to Supported Format/Codec.
- Install Windows Codec Pack.
- Try a Different Media Player.
- Repair the Corrupted File.
