Docker daemon error: invalid character '\x00' looking for beginning of value

anyone see this?

Docker version 1.11.1, build 5604cbe/1.11.1 (from amazon linux: docker-1.11.1-1.2.amzn1.x86_64)

[root@canary271a-manager1-aca docker-1.11.1]# docker daemon -D
DEBU[0000] docker group found. gid: 300
DEBU[0000] Listener created for HTTP on unix (/var/run/docker.sock)
INFO[0000] New containerd process, pid: 39850

DEBU[0000] containerd connection state change: TRANSIENT_FAILURE
WARN[0000] containerd: low RLIMIT_NOFILE changing to max current=1024 max=4096
FATA[0000] invalid character β€˜\x00’ looking for beginning of value
DEBU[0003] containerd connection state change: TRANSIENT_FAILURE
DEBU[0006] containerd connection state change: TRANSIENT_FAILURE
INFO[0006] New containerd process, pid: 39859

WARN[0000] containerd: low RLIMIT_NOFILE changing to max current=1024 max=4096
FATA[0000] invalid character β€˜\x00’ looking for beginning of value

Stop Docker service if running. Delete /var/lib/docker and /run/docker.{pid,sock} and re-install Docker.

tried it. do not work.
by downgrade to docker 1.9.1 everything just works fine

and it’s very interesting, I have 50+ node (deployed by cloud formation and managed by puppet) all same
only one shows issue, all others are fine

I had a same issue.

I tried fllowing, and succeed recover docker daemon.

service docker stop
yum remove docker

rm -rf /var/lib/docker
rm -rf /run/containerd
rm -rf /var/run/docker
rm /var/run/docker.sock

yum install docker
service docker start

It appears this may be to invalid data written to /var/run/docker/libcontainerd/containerd/events.log when containerd shuts down improperly. We were able to move this file and restart docker, to recover our containers.

I fixed this issue by delete config.json file, then restart the docker.
My docker version is Docker version 19.03.5, build 633a0ea

In my case the issue was in corrupted C:\Users\username\.docker\features.json file
The file was staffed with some null values. I rewrited it with content β€œ{}”, saved and everything worked out

1 Like

i just override the config.json file by β€œ{}” content and it work fine