Where Does nerdctl Store Images and Containers?
nerdctl is a client only. Images and containers live in containerd storage, usually /var/lib/containerd.
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nerdctl stores nothing of its own. As a containerd client it reads and writes the containerd content store, snapshots, and metadata. The default root sits at /var/lib/containerd on Linux hosts.
Namespaces separate nerdctl work from other containerd users like k3s. The k8s.io namespace belongs to Kubernetes while default holds your pulls. Pruning through ctr or nerdctl affects every consumer of the same store.
Where nerdctl stores this, by platform
/var/lib/containerd
Content, snapshots, and metadata for all namespaces. Relocate with containerd config root setting. Prune carefully since k3s may share the store.
Frequently asked questions
Where did my nerdctl images go?
Into the containerd store under your current namespace. Switch namespaces with nerdctl namespace commands to see others. The default namespace hides k8s images and vice versa.
How do I move containerd storage?
Set the root path in containerd config.toml and migrate with the daemon stopped. Both nerdctl and cluster runtimes follow the move. Keep a backup before first start.
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