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HealthCheck tests inconsistently parsed by the compatibility API #26519

@Thomascountz

Description

@Thomascountz

Issue Description

When creating a container via the Docker API (like Podman Desktop does), if the Healthcheck.Test array contains an argument that itself has spaces (like ["CMD", "/usr/bin/mysql", "--protocol=TCP", "--execute=SELECT 1;"]), Podman splits this argument into multiple arguments ([..., "--execute=SELECT", "1;"]). This is inconsistent with Docker's behavior.

I think the issue is caused by how "CMD" HealthCheck.Test arrays are parsed into a string and then turned back into an array before execution.

In the container creation handler, the Healthcheck.Test array from the JSON payload is concatenated into a single, space-separated string.

if cc.Config.Healthcheck != nil {
finCmd := ""
for _, str := range cc.Config.Healthcheck.Test {
finCmd = finCmd + str + " "
}
if len(finCmd) > 1 {
finCmd = finCmd[:len(finCmd)-1]
}
cliOpts.HealthCmd = finCmd
if cc.Config.Healthcheck.Interval > 0 {
cliOpts.HealthInterval = cc.Config.Healthcheck.Interval.String()
}
if cc.Config.Healthcheck.Retries > 0 {
cliOpts.HealthRetries = uint(cc.Config.Healthcheck.Retries)
}
if cc.Config.Healthcheck.StartPeriod > 0 {
cliOpts.HealthStartPeriod = cc.Config.Healthcheck.StartPeriod.String()
}
if cc.Config.Healthcheck.Timeout > 0 {
cliOpts.HealthTimeout = cc.Config.Healthcheck.Timeout.String()
}
}

This single string is then passed down to MakeHealthCheckFromCli in pkg/specgenutil/specgen.go. Inside this function, the string is split back into an array using strings.Fields, which splits on any whitespace.

func MakeHealthCheckFromCli(inCmd, interval string, retries uint, timeout, startPeriod string, isStartup bool) (*manifest.Schema2HealthConfig, error) {
cmdArr := []string{}
isArr := true
err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(inCmd), &cmdArr) // array unmarshalling
if err != nil {
cmdArr = strings.SplitN(inCmd, " ", 2) // default for compat
isArr = false
}
// Every healthcheck requires a command
if len(cmdArr) == 0 {
return nil, errors.New("must define a healthcheck command for all healthchecks")
}
var concat string
if strings.ToUpper(cmdArr[0]) == define.HealthConfigTestCmd || strings.ToUpper(cmdArr[0]) == define.HealthConfigTestNone { // this is for compat, we are already split properly for most compat cases
cmdArr = strings.Fields(inCmd)

This will cause any arguments containing spaces to be treated as separate arguments.

Steps to reproduce the issue

Create a minimal container with a healthcheck containing a space

curl -X POST "http://localhost/containers/create?name=healthcheck-test" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
--unix-socket ~/.local/share/containers/podman/machine/podman.sock \
-d '{
  "Image": "mysql:latest",
  "Healthcheck": {
    "Test": ["CMD", "/usr/bin/mysql", "--protocol=TCP", "--execute=SELECT 1;"]
  }
}'

Describe the results you received

Inspect the container's spec

jq '.Config.Healthcheck' \
  <(curl -s "http://localhost/containers/healthcheck-test/json" --unix-socket ~/.local/share/containers/podman/machine/podman.sock)
{
  "Test": [
    "CMD",
    "/usr/bin/mysql",
    "--protocol=TCP",
    "--execute=SELECT",
    "1;"
  ],
  "Interval": 1000000000,
  "Timeout": 5000000000,
  "Retries": 5
}

Describe the results you expected

Here is the output of inspecting the same container created using Docker

jq '.Config.Healthcheck' \
  <(curl -s "http://localhost/containers/healthcheck-test/json" --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock)
{
  "Test": [
    "CMD",
    "/usr/bin/mysql",
    "--protocol=TCP",
    "--execute=SELECT 1;"
  ],
  "Interval": 1000000000,
  "Timeout": 5000000000,
  "Retries": 5
}

podman info output

Client:
  APIVersion: 5.5.1
  BuildOrigin: pkginstaller
  Built: 1749159952
  BuiltTime: Thu Jun  5 23:45:52 2025
  GitCommit: 850db76dd78a0641eddb9ee19ee6f60d2c59bcfa
  GoVersion: go1.24.3
  Os: darwin
  OsArch: darwin/arm64
  Version: 5.5.1
host:
  arch: arm64
  buildahVersion: 1.40.1
  cgroupControllers:
  - cpu
  - io
  - memory
  - pids
  cgroupManager: systemd
  cgroupVersion: v2
  conmon:
    package: conmon-2.1.12-3.fc41.aarch64
    path: /usr/bin/conmon
    version: 'conmon version 2.1.12, commit: '
  cpuUtilization:
    idlePercent: 99.45
    systemPercent: 0.26
    userPercent: 0.29
  cpus: 12
  databaseBackend: sqlite
  distribution:
    distribution: fedora
    variant: coreos
    version: "41"
  eventLogger: journald
  freeLocks: 2043
  hostname: localhost.localdomain
  idMappings:
    gidmap:
    - container_id: 0
      host_id: 1000
      size: 1
    - container_id: 1
      host_id: 100000
      size: 1000000
    uidmap:
    - container_id: 0
      host_id: 502
      size: 1
    - container_id: 1
      host_id: 100000
      size: 1000000
  kernel: 6.12.13-200.fc41.aarch64
  linkmode: dynamic
  logDriver: journald
  memFree: 18904375296
  memTotal: 23395192832
  networkBackend: netavark
  networkBackendInfo:
    backend: netavark
    dns:
      package: aardvark-dns-1.15.0-1.fc41.aarch64
      path: /usr/libexec/podman/aardvark-dns
      version: aardvark-dns 1.15.0
    package: netavark-1.15.2-1.fc41.aarch64
    path: /usr/libexec/podman/netavark
    version: netavark 1.15.2
  ociRuntime:
    name: crun
    package: crun-1.20-2.fc41.aarch64
    path: /usr/bin/crun
    version: |-
      crun version 1.20
      commit: 9c9a76ac11994701dd666c4f0b869ceffb599a66
      rundir: /run/user/502/crun
      spec: 1.0.0
      +SYSTEMD +SELINUX +APPARMOR +CAP +SECCOMP +EBPF +CRIU +LIBKRUN +WASM:wasmedge +YAJL
  os: linux
  pasta:
    executable: /usr/bin/pasta
    package: passt-0^20250121.g4f2c8e7-2.fc41.aarch64
    version: |
      pasta 0^20250121.g4f2c8e7-2.fc41.aarch64-pasta
      Copyright Red Hat
      GNU General Public License, version 2 or later
        <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
      This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
      There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
  remoteSocket:
    exists: true
    path: unix:///run/user/502/podman/podman.sock
  rootlessNetworkCmd: pasta
  security:
    apparmorEnabled: false
    capabilities: CAP_CHOWN,CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE,CAP_FOWNER,CAP_FSETID,CAP_KILL,CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE,CAP_SETFCAP,CAP_SETGID,CAP_SETPCAP,CAP_SETUID,CAP_SYS_CHROOT
    rootless: true
    seccompEnabled: true
    seccompProfilePath: /usr/share/containers/seccomp.json
    selinuxEnabled: true
  serviceIsRemote: true
  slirp4netns:
    executable: /usr/bin/slirp4netns
    package: slirp4netns-1.3.1-1.fc41.aarch64
    version: |-
      slirp4netns version 1.3.1
      commit: e5e368c4f5db6ae75c2fce786e31eef9da6bf236
      libslirp: 4.8.0
      SLIRP_CONFIG_VERSION_MAX: 5
      libseccomp: 2.5.5
  swapFree: 0
  swapTotal: 0
  uptime: 8h 20m 55.00s (Approximately 0.33 days)
  variant: v8
plugins:
  authorization: null
  log:
  - k8s-file
  - none
  - passthrough
  - journald
  network:
  - bridge
  - macvlan
  - ipvlan
  volume:
  - local
registries:
  search:
  - docker.io
store:
  configFile: /var/home/core/.config/containers/storage.conf
  containerStore:
    number: 3
    paused: 0
    running: 1
    stopped: 2
  graphDriverName: overlay
  graphOptions: {}
  graphRoot: /var/home/core/.local/share/containers/storage
  graphRootAllocated: 98899800064
  graphRootUsed: 16771616768
  graphStatus:
    Backing Filesystem: xfs
    Native Overlay Diff: "true"
    Supports d_type: "true"
    Supports shifting: "false"
    Supports volatile: "true"
    Using metacopy: "false"
  imageCopyTmpDir: /var/tmp
  imageStore:
    number: 3
  runRoot: /run/user/502/containers
  transientStore: false
  volumePath: /var/home/core/.local/share/containers/storage/volumes
version:
  APIVersion: 5.5.1
  BuildOrigin: 'Copr: packit/containers-podman-26294'
  Built: 1749081600
  BuiltTime: Thu Jun  5 02:00:00 2025
  GitCommit: 850db76dd78a0641eddb9ee19ee6f60d2c59bcfa
  GoVersion: go1.23.9
  Os: linux
  OsArch: linux/arm64
  Version: 5.5.1

Podman in a container

No

Privileged Or Rootless

Rootless

Upstream Latest Release

No

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