apptainer(1)

apptainer(1) — stop that instance, bestie 🛑💅

okay so this is the manual for apptainer instance stop, and it's giving cleanup era. no cap, it's literally how you say bye to a named running instance. 🫶

✨ NAME ✨

apptainer-instance-stop — Stop a named instance of a given container image. the “log off, bestie” button for your container. 💅

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

apptainer instance stop [stop options...] [instance]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The command apptainer instance stop allows you to stop and clean up a named, running instance of a given container image. it’s the polite-but-firm exit, and yes, the vibe is immaculate. ✨

🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

okay bestie, here’s the full option menu — no skipping, no cap:

• -a, --all[=false] — stop all user's instances. group-chat cleanup mode: everyone out. 🧹
• -F, --force[=false] — force kill instance. dramatic exit, not a gentle nudge. 💀
• -h, --help[=false] — help for stop. the wait, what does this do? button. 🙈
• -s, --signal="" — signal sent to the instance. value looks like --signal="". 📡
• -t, --timeout=10 — force kill non stopped instances after X seconds. default is 10. ⏳
• -u, --user="" — if running as root, stop instances belonging to user. value looks like --user="". 👑

💖 EXAMPLE 💖

here’s the whole demo, copied exactly so you don’t have to guess:

$ apptainer instance start my-sql.sif mysql1
$ apptainer instance start my-sql.sif mysql2
$ apptainer instance stop mysql*
Stopping mysql1 instance of my-sql.sif (PID=23845)
Stopping mysql2 instance of my-sql.sif (PID=23858)

$ apptainer instance start my-sql.sif mysql1

Force instance to shutdown
$ apptainer instance stop -f mysql1 (may corrupt data)

Send SIGTERM to the instance
$ apptainer instance stop -s SIGTERM mysql1
$ apptainer instance stop -s TERM mysql1
$ apptainer instance stop -s 15 mysql1

⚠️ not me warning you: the force example is $ apptainer instance stop -f mysql1 (may corrupt data) — the manpage literally says may corrupt data, so be careful, bestie. 😭

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

• apptainer-instance(1) — the bigger instance manual is right there, iykyk. 📚

🕰️ HISTORY 🕰️

• 22-Oct-2026 — Auto generated by spf13/cobra.

✨ Auto generated by spf13/cobra · Oct 2026 · apptainer(1) — okay bye bestie, slay your instances responsibly 💅🫶