---
name: "lxc-checkpoint"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "lxc"
version: "1:7.0.0-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/lxc-checkpoint"
---

# lxc-checkpoint(1)

checkpoint a container

## NAME

lxc-checkpoint - checkpoint a container

## SYNOPSIS

**lxc-checkpoint**  {-n *name*} {-D *PATH*} \[-r\] \[-s\] \[-v\] \[-d\] \[-F\]

## DESCRIPTION

**lxc-checkpoint** checkpoints and restores containers.

## OPTIONS

- FC**-r, --restore**F\[0\]

  Restore the checkpoint for the container, instead of dumping it. This option is incompatible with FC**-s**F\[0\].

- FC**-D** F\[0\]*PATH*FC**, --checkpoint-dir=**F\[0\]*PATH*

  The directory to dump the checkpoint metadata.

- FC**-s, --stop**F\[0\]

  Optionally stop the container after dumping. This option is incompatible with FC**-r**F\[0\].

- FC**-v, --verbose**F\[0\]

  Enable verbose criu logging.

- FC**-d, --daemon**F\[0\]

  Restore the container in the background (this is the default). Only available when providing FC**-r**F\[0\].

- FC**-F, --foreground**F\[0\]

  Restore the container in the foreground. Only available when providing FC**-r**F\[0\].

## COMMON OPTIONS

These options are common to most of lxc commands.

- FC**-?, -h, --help**F\[0\]

  Print a longer usage message than normal.

- FC**--usage**F\[0\]

  Give the usage message

- FC**-q, --quiet**F\[0\]

  mute on

- FC**-P, --lxcpath=**F\[0\]*PATH*

  Use an alternate container path. The default is /var/lib/lxc.

- FC**-o, --logfile=**F\[0\]*FILE*

  Output to an alternate log *FILE*. The default is no log.

- FC**-l, --logpriority=**F\[0\]*LEVEL*

  Set log priority to *LEVEL*. The default log priority is FCERRORF\[0\]. Possible values are : FCFATALF\[0\], FCALERTF\[0\], FCCRITF\[0\], FCWARNF\[0\], FCERRORF\[0\], FCNOTICEF\[0\], FCINFOF\[0\], FCDEBUGF\[0\], FCTRACEF\[0\].

  Note that this option is setting the priority of the events log in the alternate log file. It do not have effect on the ERROR events log on stderr.

- FC**-n, --name=**F\[0\]*NAME*

  Use container identifier *NAME*. The container identifier format is an alphanumeric string.

- FC**--rcfile=**F\[0\]*FILE*

  Specify the configuration file to configure the virtualization and isolation functionalities for the container.

  This configuration file if present will be used even if there is already a configuration file present in the previously created container (via lxc-create).

- FC**--version**F\[0\]

  Show the version number.

## EXAMPLES

- lxc-checkpoint -n foo -D /tmp/checkpoint

  Checkpoint the container foo into the directory /tmp/checkpoint.

- lxc-checkpoint -r -n foo -D /tmp/checkpoint

  Restore the checkpoint from the directory /tmp/checkpoint.

## SEE ALSO

[**lxc**(7)](/lxc/7.md), [**lxc-create**(1)](/lxc-create/1.md), [**lxc-copy**(1)](/lxc-copy/1.md), [**lxc-destroy**(1)](/lxc-destroy/1.md), [**lxc-start**(1)](/lxc-start/1.md), [**lxc-stop**(1)](/lxc-stop/1.md), [**lxc-execute**(1)](/lxc-execute/1.md), [**lxc-console**(1)](/lxc-console/1.md), [**lxc-monitor**(1)](/lxc-monitor/1.md), [**lxc-wait**(1)](/lxc-wait/1.md), [**lxc-cgroup**(1)](/lxc-cgroup/1.md), [**lxc-ls**(1)](/lxc-ls/1.md), [**lxc-info**(1)](/lxc-info/1.md), [**lxc-freeze**(1)](/lxc-freeze/1.md), [**lxc-unfreeze**(1)](/lxc-unfreeze/1.md), [**lxc-attach**(1)](/lxc-attach/1.md), [**lxc.conf**(5)](/lxc.conf/5.md)