When trying to access SSHFS-mounted directories from within Docker containers, developers commonly encounter two frustrating errors:

# With -v flag
docker: Error response from daemon: error while creating mount source path: mkdir /path/sshfs: file exists.

# With --mount flag  
docker: Error response from daemon: invalid mount config for type "bind": bind source path does not exist

Docker's volume mounting system fundamentally differs from SSHFS operations. The key issues:

• SSHFS creates FUSE-mounted paths that don't behave like regular filesystems
• Docker's bind mounts require traditional POSIX filesystem semantics
• Permission mapping between host and container creates additional complexity

Option 1: Direct SSHFS Mount Inside Container

Install FUSE and SSHFS directly in your container:

FROM ubuntu:latest
RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y sshfs fuse
RUN chmod 777 /dev/fuse

Then run with necessary privileges:

docker run --device /dev/fuse --cap-add SYS_ADMIN -it myimage bash
# Inside container:
sshfs -o allow_other user@remote:/path /target

Option 2: Host Proxy Mount

Configure the host to expose SSHFS via NFS:

# On host:
sshfs remote:/path /mnt/sshfs
sudo apt-get install nfs-kernel-server
echo "/mnt/sshfs *(rw,sync,no_subtree_check)" >> /etc/exports
exportfs -a

Then mount NFS in container:

docker run --privileged -it myimage bash
apt-get update && apt-get install -y nfs-common
mount -t nfs host-ip:/mnt/sshfs /target

Option 3: SSHFS Docker Volume Plugin

For production environments, consider specialized plugins:

docker plugin install vieux/sshfs
docker volume create -d vieux/sshfs -o sshcmd=user@remote:/path -o password=secret sshvolume
docker run -v sshvolume:/target myimage

• Always check dmesg for FUSE-related errors
• Use strace -f sshfs to debug mounting issues
• Consider sshfs -o debug for verbose output
• For permission issues, experiment with -o uid=,gid= parameters

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When trying to access SSHFS-mounted directories from Docker containers, developers often encounter confusing errors. The fundamental issue stems from how Docker interacts with FUSE-mounted filesystems like SSHFS.

# Common error patterns
docker: Error response from daemon: error while creating mount source path
docker: Error response from daemon: invalid mount config for type "bind"

SSHFS mounts through FUSE create virtual filesystems that don't behave like physical storage. Docker's bind mount mechanism expects:

• Persistent inode information
• Standard filesystem operations
• Stable device mappings

These requirements aren't fully met by FUSE implementations.

Solution 1: Direct SSHFS Mount Inside Container

The most reliable approach is to mount SSHFS directly within the container:

docker run -it --privileged --cap-add SYS_ADMIN --device /dev/fuse myimage bash

# Inside container:
apt-get update && apt-get install -y sshfs
mkdir -p /target
sshfs -o allow_other user@remote:/remote/path /target

Key requirements:

• --privileged flag or specific capabilities
• FUSE installed in container
• SSHFS binaries available

Solution 2: Volume Plugin Approach

For production environments, consider using the SSHFS volume plugin:

docker plugin install --grant-all-permissions vieux/sshfs

docker volume create \
  -d vieux/sshfs \
  -o sshcmd=user@remote:/remote/path \
  -o password=your_password \
  sshvolume

docker run -it -v sshvolume:/target myimage bash

Solution 3: Host-Side Proxy Mount

An alternative approach using bind mounts with proper permissions:

# On host:
mkdir -p /host_mount
sshfs user@remote:/remote/path /host_mount
sudo chmod a+rX /host_mount

docker run -it -v /host_mount:/target:ro myimage bash

When implementing SSHFS-Docker integration:

• Prefer SSH key authentication over passwords
• Use read-only mounts where possible (:ro flag)
• Limit container capabilities to minimum required
• Consider network segmentation for sensitive data

Common issues and fixes:

# Debugging mount failures
docker run -it --rm --cap-add SYS_ADMIN alpine sh -c "apk add strace && strace sshfs"

# Permission denied errors
sshfs -o allow_other,uid=$(id -u),gid=$(id -g) user@remote:/path /mountpoint

# Connection timeouts
sshfs -o ServerAliveInterval=15,ServerAliveCountMax=3 user@remote:/path /mountpoint