How to fix Error response from daemon: get volume: no such volume in Docker

### Understanding Docker Volume Lifecycle

Docker volumes exist independently of containers. When you create a container with -v myvolume:/path:

1. Docker checks if myvolume exists
2. If not, Docker creates it
3. Docker stores the volume reference in the container's configuration
4. This reference persists even when the container stops

The problem arises when you delete the volume but not the container. The container config still holds the old volume reference.

### docker start vs docker-compose up

This error commonly occurs when mixing start and up commands:

| Command | Creates Resources | Best For |
|---------|------------------|----------|
| docker start | No | Restarting existing containers |
| docker run | Yes (container only) | One-off containers |
| docker-compose start | No | Restarting compose services |
| docker-compose up | Yes (all resources) | Initial deployment & recovery |

Best practice: Use docker-compose up -d instead of docker-compose start for better resilience.

### Preventing This Error

1. Don't prune volumes carelessly:

# This removes ALL unused volumes - be careful!
docker volume prune

# Better: list unused volumes first
docker volume ls -f dangling=true

2. Remove containers before volumes:

# Correct order
docker rm mycontainer
docker volume rm myvolume

# Or use compose to handle dependencies
docker-compose down --volumes

3. Use named volumes in compose:

volumes:
  mydata:
    name: myproject_data  # Explicit name prevents orphans

### Volume Driver Issues

If you're using a volume driver plugin (e.g., for NFS, cloud storage), the error may indicate driver problems:

# Check volume driver
docker volume inspect <volume> --format '{{.Driver}}'

# List available drivers
docker plugin ls

# Check driver status
docker plugin inspect <driver>

Ensure the driver plugin is running and properly configured.

### CI/CD Pipeline Considerations

In CI/CD environments, this error often appears when pipelines share Docker hosts:

# Defensive startup script
docker-compose down --volumes 2>/dev/null || true
docker volume prune -f
docker-compose up -d --build

This ensures a clean state before each pipeline run.

### Recovering Data from Orphaned Volume References

If you accidentally deleted a volume but still have the container config, you might recover data from Docker's internal storage (Linux only):

# Find the container's data
ls -la /var/lib/docker/containers/<container_id>/

# Volume data location (if using local driver)
ls -la /var/lib/docker/volumes/

However, if docker volume prune was used, the actual data is likely gone.