# Is Docker duplicating data?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Tags:** docker
**Created:** [November 27, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767 "2023-11-27T20:44:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Dannii](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dannii)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767/1 "2023-11-27T20:44:03Z")
My forum is hitting the limits of its server’s file system, but before upgrading the server I wanted to check there isn’t any config that would make it use the FS more efficiently.
I have a [standard install](https://meta.discourse.org/t/142537?silent=true) in /var/discourse, which is 20GB. But the /var/lib/docker folder is 21GB, most of which seems to be in “overlays” for the FS.
I don’t understand how Docker works at the FS level, and I assume it’s not just carelessly duplicating data, but the two folders being so similar in size does make me wonder if there’s a chance the /var/discourse data has been copied into the Docker folder.
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### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2023, 9:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767/2 "2023-11-27T21:35:10Z")
Have you done
`./launcher cleanup`
It’s likely extra docker containers (so the answer to your question is yes)
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### Author:  [@Dannii](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dannii)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2023, 9:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767/3 "2023-11-27T21:36:47Z")
I did run `docker container prune`, which didn’t do anything. The container list only shows the main app and the mail receiver. I also ran `docker image prune` which freed 1.5GB space.
I didn’t think of running the launcher’s cleanup. Will try and report back.
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### Author:  [@Dannii](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Dannii)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2023, 6:33am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767/4 "2023-11-28T06:33:32Z")
`launcher cleanup` cleaned up 6.6GB of images (I’m not sure why `docker image prune` didn’t remove them!), and also removed a 3.4GB Postgresql ‘backup data cluster’. So that will give us enough space for a while.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2023, 6:33am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/is-docker-duplicating-data/286767/5 "2023-12-28T06:33:32Z")
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