How to fix net/http: request canceled while waiting for connection in Docker

DockerINTERMEDIATEMEDIUM

The 'request canceled while waiting for connection' error occurs when Docker cannot establish a network connection to a registry like Docker Hub. This is typically caused by network configuration issues, proxy settings, DNS problems, or firewall restrictions.

What this error means

The "net/http: request canceled while waiting for connection (Client.Timeout exceeded while awaiting headers)" error indicates that Docker's HTTP client timed out while trying to establish a connection to a remote server, most commonly a container registry like Docker Hub (registry-1.docker.io) or GitHub Container Registry (ghcr.io). When you run commands like `docker pull`, `docker push`, or `docker build` (which pulls base images), Docker needs to connect to these registries over the internet. This error means the connection attempt took too long and was canceled, usually because: 1. The request never reached the destination server 2. A response was never received 3. The connection was blocked by a firewall or proxy Unlike a "connection refused" error (where the server actively rejects the connection), this timeout error suggests the packets are being dropped or the network path is unreachable. This makes it one of the more frustrating Docker errors to diagnose because it could stem from many different network layers.

How to fix "net/http: request canceled while waiting for connection"

1Test network connectivity to Docker Hub

First, verify whether the issue is Docker-specific or a general network problem:

bash

# Test if you can reach Docker Hub from your host
curl -v https://registry-1.docker.io/v2/

# Test DNS resolution
nslookup registry-1.docker.io

# If using GitHub Container Registry
curl -v https://ghcr.io/v2/

If curl works but Docker doesn't, the issue is likely with Docker's network configuration (proxy, DNS, or firewall settings specific to Docker).

2Configure proxy settings for Docker daemon

If you're behind a corporate proxy, Docker needs explicit proxy configuration:

bash

# Create the systemd drop-in directory
sudo mkdir -p /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d

# Create the proxy configuration file
sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/http-proxy.conf

Add your proxy settings:

ini

[Service]
Environment="HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080"
Environment="HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.example.com:8080"
Environment="NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1,.example.com"

Then reload and restart Docker:

bash

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl restart docker

Verify the settings are applied:

bash

sudo systemctl show --property=Environment docker

3Configure DNS to use Google's public DNS

DNS issues are a common cause. Configure Docker to use reliable public DNS servers:

bash

# Edit Docker daemon configuration
sudo nano /etc/docker/daemon.json

Add or update the DNS configuration:

json

{
  "dns": ["8.8.8.8", "8.8.4.4"]
}

Restart Docker to apply:

bash

sudo systemctl restart docker

For Docker Desktop (Windows/Mac): Go to Settings > Docker Engine and add the DNS configuration to the JSON.

4Disable IPv6 if causing DNS instability

IPv6 can cause DNS resolution issues on some networks. Try disabling it:

bash

# Add to /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo nano /etc/sysctl.conf

Add these lines:

bash

net.ipv6.conf.all.disable_ipv6=1
net.ipv6.conf.default.disable_ipv6=1
net.ipv6.conf.lo.disable_ipv6=1

Apply the changes:

bash

sudo sysctl --system

Then restart Docker:

bash

sudo systemctl restart docker

5Check and disconnect VPN if interfering

VPN connections often route Docker traffic incorrectly:

1. Temporarily disconnect your VPN and try the Docker command again
2. If it works without VPN, you need to configure VPN split tunneling

For most VPNs, you can exclude Docker traffic by adding these routes to your VPN's split tunnel configuration:
- registry-1.docker.io
- auth.docker.io
- production.cloudflare.docker.com

Alternatively, configure Docker to use the host network for pulls:

bash

# Try pulling with host network mode (won't help for build/push)
docker pull --network host ubuntu:latest

6Clean up Docker networks

Corrupted Docker network configuration can cause connectivity issues:

bash

# Remove unused networks
docker network prune

# List all networks
docker network ls

# If you see duplicate or stale networks, remove them
docker network rm <network_name>

In severe cases, reset Docker's network completely:

bash

# Stop Docker
sudo systemctl stop docker

# Remove network configuration (safe - Docker will recreate it)
sudo rm -rf /var/lib/docker/network

# Restart Docker
sudo systemctl start docker

7Check disk space

Low disk space can cause network operations to hang and timeout:

bash

# Check disk usage
df -h /var/lib/docker

# Check Docker's disk usage
docker system df

If disk space is low, clean up:

bash

# Remove unused containers, images, and build cache
docker system prune -a

# Include volumes if needed (WARNING: deletes data)
docker system prune -a --volumes

8Retry the command

Sometimes the error is transient due to network congestion or rate limiting:

bash

# Simply retry the pull command
docker pull ubuntu:latest

# Or use a script for automated retry
for i in {1..5}; do
  docker pull ubuntu:latest && break
  echo "Attempt $i failed, retrying in 10 seconds..."
  sleep 10
done

If you're hitting Docker Hub rate limits, authenticate to increase your limit:

bash

docker login

Free accounts get 200 pulls per 6 hours when authenticated vs. 100 pulls when anonymous.

9Use a registry mirror

Configure a Docker registry mirror to bypass network issues:

bash

# Edit daemon.json
sudo nano /etc/docker/daemon.json

Add a mirror (example using Google's mirror for gcr.io images):

json

{
  "registry-mirrors": ["https://mirror.gcr.io"]
}

For corporate environments, your IT team may provide an internal registry mirror. Restart Docker after making changes:

bash

sudo systemctl restart docker

How to fix net/http: request canceled while waiting for connection in Docker

What this error means

Typical symptoms

Common causes

How to fix "net/http: request canceled while waiting for connection"

Advanced notes

Related errors

Official resources & further reading