diff --git a/go/common/docker/docker.go b/go/common/docker/docker.go
index e299330b48..1726c78349 100644
--- a/go/common/docker/docker.go
+++ b/go/common/docker/docker.go
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ import (
 
 const _networkName = "node_network"
 
-// volumes is a map from volume name to dir name it will have within the container. If a volume doesn't exist this will create it.
-func StartNewContainer(containerName, image string, cmds []string, ports []int, envs, devices, volumes map[string]string) (string, error) {
+// StartNewContainer - volumes is a map from volume name to dir name it will have within the container. If a volume doesn't exist this will create it.
+func StartNewContainer(containerName, image string, cmds []string, ports []int, envs, devices, volumes map[string]string, autoRestart bool) (string, error) {
 	ctx := context.Background()
 	cli, err := client.NewClientWithOpts(client.FromEnv)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -95,21 +95,27 @@ func StartNewContainer(containerName, image string, cmds []string, ports []int,
 		"max-file": "3",
 	}
 
+	hc := container.HostConfig{
+		PortBindings: portBindings,
+		Mounts:       mountVolumes,
+		Resources:    container.Resources{Devices: deviceMapping},
+		LogConfig:    container.LogConfig{Type: "json-file", Config: logOptions},
+	}
+
+	if autoRestart {
+		hc.RestartPolicy = container.RestartPolicy{Name: "unless-stopped"}
+	}
+
 	// create the container
-	resp, err := cli.ContainerCreate(ctx, &container.Config{
-		Image:        image,
-		Entrypoint:   cmds,
-		Tty:          false,
-		ExposedPorts: exposedPorts,
-		Env:          envVars,
-	},
-		&container.HostConfig{
-			PortBindings:  portBindings,
-			Mounts:        mountVolumes,
-			RestartPolicy: container.RestartPolicy{Name: "unless-stopped"},
-			Resources:     container.Resources{Devices: deviceMapping},
-			LogConfig:     container.LogConfig{Type: "json-file", Config: logOptions},
+	resp, err := cli.ContainerCreate(ctx,
+		&container.Config{
+			Image:        image,
+			Entrypoint:   cmds,
+			Tty:          false,
+			ExposedPorts: exposedPorts,
+			Env:          envVars,
 		},
+		&hc,
 		&network.NetworkingConfig{
 			EndpointsConfig: map[string]*network.EndpointSettings{
 				_networkName: {
diff --git a/go/node/docker_node.go b/go/node/docker_node.go
index 78dc27d277..48d750f7e9 100644
--- a/go/node/docker_node.go
+++ b/go/node/docker_node.go
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ func (d *DockerNode) startHost() error {
 		d.cfg.hostP2PPort,
 	}
 
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-host", d.cfg.hostImage, cmd, exposedPorts, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-host", d.cfg.hostImage, cmd, exposedPorts, nil, nil, nil, true)
 
 	return err
 }
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ func (d *DockerNode) startEnclave() error {
 
 	// we need the enclave volume to store the db credentials
 	enclaveVolume := map[string]string{d.cfg.nodeName + "-enclave-volume": _enclaveDataDir}
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-enclave", d.cfg.enclaveImage, cmd, exposedPorts, envs, devices, enclaveVolume)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-enclave", d.cfg.enclaveImage, cmd, exposedPorts, envs, devices, enclaveVolume, true)
 
 	return err
 }
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ func (d *DockerNode) startEdgelessDB() error {
 	//dbVolume := map[string]string{d.cfg.nodeName + "-db-volume": "/data"}
 	//_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-edgelessdb", d.cfg.edgelessDBImage, nil, nil, envs, devices, dbVolume)
 
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-edgelessdb", d.cfg.edgelessDBImage, nil, nil, envs, devices, nil)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer(d.cfg.nodeName+"-edgelessdb", d.cfg.edgelessDBImage, nil, nil, envs, devices, nil, true)
 
 	return err
 }
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/eth2network/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/eth2network/docker.go
index 0a2b5d4e4e..bed408d44a 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/eth2network/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/eth2network/docker.go
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func (n *Eth2Network) Start() error {
 	// keep a volume of binaries to avoid downloading
 	volume := map[string]string{"eth2_bin": "/home/obscuro/go-obscuro/integration/.build/eth2_bin/"}
 
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("eth2network", "testnetobscuronet.azurecr.io/obscuronet/eth2network:latest", cmds, exposedPorts, nil, nil, volume)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("eth2network", "testnetobscuronet.azurecr.io/obscuronet/eth2network:latest", cmds, exposedPorts, nil, nil, volume, false)
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/faucet/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/faucet/docker.go
index c6d9fd734a..33cca7dcbf 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/faucet/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/faucet/docker.go
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func (n *DockerFaucet) Start() error {
 		"--serverPort", fmt.Sprintf("%d", n.cfg.faucetPort),
 	}
 
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("faucet", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, []int{n.cfg.faucetPort}, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("faucet", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, []int{n.cfg.faucetPort}, nil, nil, nil, false)
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/fundsrecovery/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/fundsrecovery/docker.go
index c6211807a4..d04a747c8d 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/fundsrecovery/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/fundsrecovery/docker.go
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func (n *FundsRecovery) Start() error {
 `, n.cfg.l1HTTPURL, n.cfg.l1privateKey),
 	}
 
-	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("recover-funds", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, nil, envs, nil, nil)
+	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("recover-funds", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, nil, envs, nil, nil, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/gateway/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/gateway/docker.go
index 7be1786b72..cf11fbfeb6 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/gateway/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/gateway/docker.go
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ func (n *DockerGateway) Start() error {
 		"--logPath", "sys_out",
 	}
 
-	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("gateway", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, []int{n.cfg.gatewayHTTPPort, n.cfg.gatewayWSPort}, nil, nil, nil)
+	_, err := docker.StartNewContainer("gateway", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, []int{n.cfg.gatewayHTTPPort, n.cfg.gatewayWSPort}, nil, nil, nil, true)
 	return err
 }
 
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/l1contractdeployer/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/l1contractdeployer/docker.go
index 071a889351..ce9aeb01d5 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/l1contractdeployer/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/l1contractdeployer/docker.go
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ func (n *ContractDeployer) Start() error {
 `, n.cfg.l1HTTPURL, n.cfg.privateKey),
 	}
 
-	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("hh-l1-deployer", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, ports, envs, nil, nil)
+	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("hh-l1-deployer", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, ports, envs, nil, nil, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
diff --git a/testnet/launcher/l2contractdeployer/docker.go b/testnet/launcher/l2contractdeployer/docker.go
index 6c185f4f93..5b0d9a5839 100644
--- a/testnet/launcher/l2contractdeployer/docker.go
+++ b/testnet/launcher/l2contractdeployer/docker.go
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func (n *ContractDeployer) Start() error {
 `, n.cfg.l1HTTPURL, n.cfg.l1privateKey, n.cfg.l2PrivateKey, n.cfg.hocPKString, n.cfg.pocPKString),
 	}
 
-	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("hh-l2-deployer", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, ports, envs, nil, nil)
+	containerID, err := docker.StartNewContainer("hh-l2-deployer", n.cfg.dockerImage, cmds, ports, envs, nil, nil, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}