DockerInstall

Overview

This node allows you to interact with Docker containers through the Portainer API. Specifically, the "Container Top" operation retrieves the list of processes running inside a specified Docker container. This is useful for monitoring and managing containerized applications by inspecting their active processes.

Common scenarios include:

• Debugging running containers by viewing their current processes.
• Monitoring resource usage or process status within containers.
• Automating container management workflows that require process-level insights.

For example, you might use this node to fetch the process list of a web server container to check if certain worker processes are running as expected.

Properties

Output

The node outputs JSON data representing the processes running inside the specified container. The structure typically includes details such as process IDs, user, CPU/memory usage, command line, and other standard ps output fields.

If binary data were involved, it would be summarized here, but this node only returns JSON process information.

Dependencies

• Requires a valid connection to a Portainer API instance.
• Needs an API authentication token configured in n8n credentials to authorize requests.
• The node dynamically loads available Portainer endpoints to select the target environment.

Troubleshooting

• Invalid Endpoint or Container ID: Ensure the selected endpoint and container ID/name exist and are accessible via the Portainer API.
• Authentication Errors: Verify that the API key or token credential is correctly set up and has sufficient permissions.
• Empty or Unexpected Process List: Check that the container is running and that the ps_args parameter is appropriate for your use case.
• Network Issues: Confirm that n8n can reach the Portainer API URL without firewall or network restrictions.

Links and References

• Portainer API Documentation
• Docker ps Command Reference
• n8n Expressions Documentation