Docker Cheat Sheet: 100 Essential Commands with Examples
Saurabh NamdeoDocker 100 Essential Commands with Examples
1. Basic Commands
docker --version: Check Docker version.Example:
docker --versionOutput:
Docker version 24.0.5, build 1234567
docker info: Display system-wide information.Example:
docker info
docker help: Show help for Docker commands.Example:
docker help run
docker login: Log in to a Docker registry.Example:
docker login -u myusername -p mypassword
docker logout: Log out from a Docker registry.Example:
docker logout
docker version: Display client and server version details.Example:
docker version
2. Container Management
docker run <image>: Create and start a new container.Example:
docker run -d -p 80:80 nginxCreates a detached container running the Nginx image and maps port 80.
docker ps: List running containers.Example:
docker ps
docker ps -a: List all containers (including stopped ones).Example:
docker ps -a
docker stop <container>: Stop a running container.Example:
docker stop my-container
docker start <container>: Start a stopped container.Example:
docker start my-container
docker restart <container>: Restart a container.Example:
docker restart my-container
docker rm <container>: Remove a stopped container.Example:
docker rm my-container
docker kill <container>: Forcefully stop a container.Example:
docker kill my-container
docker pause <container>: Pause a container.Example:
docker pause my-container
docker unpause <container>: Unpause a container.Example:
docker unpause my-container
docker rename <old-name> <new-name>: Rename a container.Example:
docker rename my-container my-new-container
docker inspect <container>: View detailed container information.Example:
docker inspect my-container
3. Image Management
docker images: List all images.Example:
docker images
docker rmi <image>: Remove an image.Example:
docker rmi my-image
docker tag <source-image> <target-image>: Tag an image.Example:
docker tag my-image my-repo/my-image:latest
docker build -t <image-name> .: Build an image from a Dockerfile.Example:
docker build -t my-image .
docker pull <image>: Pull an image from a registry.Example:
docker pull nginx
docker push <image>: Push an image to a registry.Example:
docker push my-repo/my-image
docker history <image>: Show the history of an image.Example:
docker history my-image
docker save -o <file.tar> <image>: Save an image to a tarball.Example:
docker save -o my-image.tar my-image
docker load -i <file.tar>: Load an image from a tarball.Example:
docker load -i my-image.tar
docker export <container>: Export a container's filesystem as a tar archive.Example:
docker export my-container > my-container.tar
docker import <file.tar>: Import a tar archive to create an image.Example:
docker import my-container.tar my-imported-image
4. Container Interaction
docker exec -it <container> <command>: Run a command inside a running container.Example:
docker exec -it my-container bash
docker attach <container>: Attach to a running container.Example:
docker attach my-container
docker logs <container>: View logs of a container.Example:
docker logs my-container
docker exec <container> pwd: Print working directory in a container.Example:
docker exec my-container pwd
docker exec <container> ls: List files in a container.Example:
docker exec my-container ls
docker top <container>: Display running processes in a container.Example:
docker top my-container
5. Networking Commands
docker network ls: List all networks.Example:
docker network ls
docker network create <network-name>: Create a custom network.Example:
docker network create my-network
docker network inspect <network>: Inspect a network.Example:
docker network inspect my-network
docker network rm <network>: Remove a network.Example:
docker network rm my-network
docker run --network=<network-name>: Run a container on a specific network.Example:
docker run -d --network=my-network nginx
docker network connect <network> <container>: Connect a container to a network.Example:
docker network connect my-network my-container
docker network disconnect <network> <container>: Disconnect a container from a network.Example:
docker network disconnect my-network my-container
6. Docker Compose Commands
docker-compose up: Start services defined indocker-compose.yml.Example:
docker-compose up -d
docker-compose up -d: Start services in detached mode.Example:
docker-compose up -d
docker-compose down: Stop and remove containers and networks.Example:
docker-compose down
docker-compose ps: List running containers managed by Docker Compose.Example:
docker-compose ps
docker-compose logs: View logs for services.Example:
docker-compose logs -f
docker-compose exec <service> <command>: Run a command in a running service.Example:
docker-compose exec web /bin/bash
docker-compose build: Build services from a Dockerfile.Example:
docker-compose build
docker-compose stop: Stop running services.Example:
docker-compose stop
docker-compose start: Start stopped services.Example:
docker-compose start
docker-compose restart: Restart services.Example:
docker-compose restart
docker-compose pull: Pull images for services.Example:
docker-compose pull
7. Volume Commands
docker volume ls: List all volumes.Example:
docker volume ls
docker volume create <volume-name>: Create a volume.Example:
docker volume create my-volume
docker volume inspect <volume>: Inspect a volume.Example:
docker volume inspect my-volume
docker volume rm <volume>: Remove a volume.Example:
docker volume rm my-volume
docker run -v <volume-name>:<path>: Mount a volume to a container.Example:
docker run -d -v my-volume:/data my-container
docker run -v <host-path>:<container-path>: Bind-mount a host directory to a container.Example:
docker run -d -v /host/data:/container/data my-container
8. Docker System Commands
docker system df: Display disk usage.Example:
docker system df
docker system prune: Remove unused data.Example:
docker system prune
docker system prune -a: Remove all unused images, containers, and networks.Example:
docker system prune -a
docker system events: Display real-time events from the Docker daemon.Example:
docker system events
docker info --format: Format the output ofdocker info.Example:
docker info --format '{{.Containers}} containers are running'
docker update <container>: Update a container's configuration.Example:
docker update --memory 512m my-container
9. Advanced Docker Commands
docker cp <container>:<path> <host-path>: Copy files from a container to the host.Example:
docker cp my-container:/app/data.txt /host/data.txt
docker cp <host-path> <container>:<path>: Copy files from the host to a container.Example:
docker cp /host/data.txt my-container:/app/data.txt
docker stats: Display real-time statistics of running containers.Example:
docker stats
docker diff <container>: Show changes made to a container’s filesystem.Example:
docker diff my-container
docker export <container>: Export the filesystem of a container.Example:
docker export my-container > my-container.tar
docker import <file.tar>: Import an image from a tar archive.Example:
docker import my-container.tar my-imported-image
docker commit <container> <new-image>: Create an image from a container's changes.Example:
docker commit my-container my-custom-image
docker update <container>: Update the resource configuration of a container.Example:
docker update --memory 512m my-container
docker wait <container>: Block until a container stops, then return its exit code.Example:
docker wait my-container
docker attach <container>: Attach to a running container’s standard input/output.Example:
docker attach my-container
docker container prune: Remove all stopped containers.Example:
docker container prune
10. Security and Permissions
docker run --user <UID>: Run a container as a specific user.Example:
docker run --user 1001 my-container
docker run --privileged: Run a container in privileged mode.Example:
docker run --privileged my-container
docker login <registry>: Log in to a specific Docker registry.Example:
docker login my-registry.com
docker trust sign <image>: Sign an image for content trust.Example:
docker trust sign my-image
docker content trust: Enable or disable Docker Content Trust.Example:
export DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1
docker scan <image>: Scan an image for vulnerabilities.Example:
docker scan my-image
11. Troubleshooting Commands
docker inspect <container>: Inspect detailed container configuration.Example:
docker inspect my-container
docker logs --tail <number> <container>: Show the last<number>of lines from a container's logs.Example:
docker logs --tail 10 my-container
docker logs -f <container>: Stream logs of a container in real-time.Example:
docker logs -f my-container
docker events: Monitor real-time events from the Docker daemon.Example:
docker events
docker check: Check system configuration (not an actual command, might bedocker system info).Example:
docker system info
docker container top <container>: Show processes running in a container.Example:
edocker container top my-container
docker network disconnect: Disconnect a container from a network.Example:
docker network disconnect my-network my-container
docker exec -it <container> /bin/bash: Start a bash shell in a container.Example:
docker exec -it my-container /bin/bash
docker run --rm: Automatically remove a container when it exits.Example:
docker run --rm my-container
12. Docker Swarm Commands
docker swarm init: Initialize a Docker swarm.Example:
docker swarm init --advertise-addr 192.168.1.1
docker swarm join: Join a Docker swarm as a worker or manager.Example:
docker swarm join --token <token> 192.168.1.1:2377
docker swarm leave: Leave the Docker swarm.Example:
docker swarm leave --force
docker service create: Create a new service.Example:
docker service create --name my-service --replicas 3 -p 80:80 nginx
docker service ls: List all services in the swarm.Example:
docker service ls
docker service ps <service>: List tasks of a service.Example:
docker service ps my-service
docker service update: Update a service.Example:
docker service update --image nginx:latest my-service
docker stack deploy -c <file> <stack>: Deploy a stack using a Compose file.Example:
docker stack deploy -c docker-compose.yml my-stack
docker stack rm <stack>: Remove a Docker stack. - Example:docker stack rm my-stack
These commands cover a wide range of Docker functionalities to help manage containers, images, and networking effectively.
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