Docker Essential 200 commands

Here’s a list of the top 200 most commonly used Docker commands, along with a brief of each. This list includes commands for managing images, containers, networks, volumes, and more:

1. Basic Docker Commands

1. docker --version - Display the installed Docker version.

2. docker info - Display system-wide information about Docker.

3. docker help - Show help for Docker commands.

4. docker pull <image> - Download an image from Docker Hub.

5. docker push <image> - Upload an image to Docker Hub.

6. docker images - List all Docker images on the local machine.

7. docker rmi <image> - Remove a Docker image.

8. docker search <term> - Search for images on Docker Hub.

2. Container Management

9. docker run <image> - Create and start a container from an image.

10. docker ps - List running containers.

11. docker ps -a - List all containers, including stopped ones.

12. docker exec -it <container> <command> - Execute a command in a running container.

13. docker stop <container> - Stop a running container.

14. docker start <container> - Start a stopped container.

15. docker restart <container> - Restart a container.

16. docker rm <container> - Remove a stopped container.

17. docker logs <container> - Fetch logs from a container.

18. docker attach <container> - Attach to a running container's console.

19. docker commit <container> <new-image> - Create a new image from a container's changes.

20. docker rename <old-container> <new-container> - Rename a container.

3. Image Management

21. docker build -t <image-name>:<tag> <build_context_path> - Build an image from a Dockerfile.

22. docker tag <image> <new-image> - Tag an image for easier reference.

23. docker history <image> - Show the history of an image.

24. docker inspect <image> - Display detailed information about an image.

25. docker save -o <file>.tar <image> - Save an image to a tar file.

26. docker load -i <file>.tar - Load an image from a tarfile.

4. Docker Networking

27. docker network ls - List all Docker networks.

28. docker network create <network-name> - Create a new Docker network.

29. docker network rm <network-name> - Remove a Docker network.

30. docker network inspect <network-name> - Display detailed information about a network.

31. docker network connect <network-name> <container>- Connect a container to a network.

32. docker network disconnect <network-name> <container> - Disconnect a container from a network.

5. Docker Volumes

33. docker volume ls - List all Docker volumes.

34. docker volume create <volume-name> - Create a new Docker volume.

35. docker volume rm <volume-name> - Remove a Docker volume.

36. docker volume inspect <volume-name> - Display detailed information about a volume.

37. docker run -v <volume-name>:<container_path <image> - Mount a volume in a container.

6. Docker Compose

38. docker-compose up - Start services defined in a dockercompose.yml file.

39. docker-compose down - Stop and remove services defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

40. docker-compose build - Build or rebuild services defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

41. docker-compose logs - View logs from services defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

42. docker-compose exec <service> <command> - Execute a command in a running service.

43. docker-compose ps - List containers for services defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

7. Docker Swarm

44. docker swarm init - Initialize a Docker Swarm.

45. docker swarm join - Join a node to an existing Swarm.

46. docker swarm leave - Remove a node from a Swarm.

47. docker service create <service> - Create a new service in a Swarm.

48. docker service ls - List services in a Swarm.

49. docker service scale <service>=<replicas> - Scale a service in a Swarm.

8. Docker Registry

50. docker login - Log in to a Docker registry.

51. docker logout - Log out from a Docker registry.

52. docker registry - Interact with a Docker registry.

9. Docker System

53. docker system df - Show disk usage of Docker objects.

54. docker system prune - Remove unused data to free up space.

55. docker system events - Get real-time events from the Docker daemon.

10. Container Statistics

56. docker stats - Display a live stream of container(s) resource usage statistics.

57. docker top - Display the running processes of a container.

11. Docker Configuration

58. docker config ls - List all Docker configs.

59. docker config create <config-name>- Create a new Docker config.

60. docker config rm <config-name> - Remove a Docker config.

12. Docker Secrets

61. docker secret ls - List all Docker secrets.

62. docker secret create <secret-name> <file>- Create a new Docker secret.

63. docker secret rm <secret-name> - Remove a Docker secret.

13. Advanced Docker Commands

64. docker update <contaienr> - Update configuration of a running container.

65. docker cp <container>:<path> <local-path> - Copy files/folders from a container to the local filesystem.

66. docker cp <local-path> <container>:<path> - Copy files/folders from the local filesystem to a container.

67. docker inspect <container> - Display detailed information about a container.

68. docker wait <container> - Block until a container stops, then print its exit code.

14. Docker Health Checks

69. docker run --health-cmd "<command>" - Specify a command to check the health of a container.

70. docker run --health-interval <duration> - Specify how often to perform health checks.

71. docker run --health-timeout <duration> - Specify a maximum time to allow one check to run.

15. Environment Variables

72. docker run -e <key>=<value> - Set an environment variable in a container.

73. docker run --env-file <file>- Set environment variables from a file.

16. Container Restart Policies

74. docker run --restart <policy> - Specify a restart policy for a container.

17. Docker Build Options

75. docker build --no-cache - Build an image without using cache.

76. docker build --build-arg <key>=<value> - Set build-time variables.

18. Networking Options

77. docker run --network <network> - Specify the network a container should join.

78. docker run --ip <ip_address> - Specify an IP address for the container.

19. Volumes and Bind Mounts

79. docker run -v <host_path>:<container_path> - Bind mount a host path to a container path.

80. docker run --mount type=volume,source=<volume>,target=<path> - Specify a volume mount.

20. Container Execution

81. docker run -d <image> - Run a container in detached mode.

82. docker run -it <image> - Run a container in interactive mode with a terminal.

21. Managing Docker Daemon

83. docker daemon - Start the Docker daemon.

84. docker run --privileged - Run a container with extended privileges.

22. Container Cleanup

85. docker rm -f <container> - Forcefully remove a running container.

86. docker rmi -f <image> - Forcefully remove an image.

23. Docker Plugin Management

87. docker plugin ls - List installed plugins.

88. docker plugin install <plugin> - Install a new plugin.

89. docker plugin remove <plugin> - Remove a plugin.

24. Inspecting and Logging

90. docker inspect <object> - Get detailed information about the object.

91. docker logs -f <container> - Follow logs from a container.

25. Docker Contexts

92. docker context ls - List Docker contexts.

93. docker context create <context> - Create a new Docker context.

94. docker context use <context> - Set the current Docker context.

26. Resource Management

95. docker update --cpu-shares <value> <container> - Update the CPU shares of a container.

96. docker update --memory <value> <container> - Update the memory limit of a container.

27. Managing Docker Desktop

97. docker desktop - Open Docker Desktop application.

28. Checking for Updates

98. docker version --format '{{.Client.Version}}' - Get the version of the Docker client.

99. docker version --format '{{.Server.Version}}' - Get the version of the Docker server.

29. Docker Machine Commands

100. docker-machine create <machine_name> - Create a new Docker Machine.

101. docker-machine ls - List all Docker Machines.

102. docker-machine env <machine_name> - Display environment variables for the Docker Machine.

103. docker-machine stop <machine_name> - Stop a Docker Machine.

104. docker-machine start <machine_name> - Start a Docker Machine.

30. Setting Up Dockerfile

105. FROM <image>- Specify the base image.

106. RUN <command>- Execute a command in the image during build.

107. CMD ["executable","param1","param2"] - Specify the default command to run in a container.

108. ENTRYPOINT ["executable", "param1", "param2"] - Set the entry point for a container.

109. WORKDIR /path - Set the working directory for instructions.

110. COPY <source><destination> - Copy files or directories from host to image.

111. ADD <source><destination> - Copy files or directories from host to image with URL support and automatic unpacking of compressed files.

112. ENV <key> <value> - Set environment variables in the image.

113. EXPOSE <port> - Inform Docker that the container listens on the specified network ports at runtime.

114. VOLUME ["/data"] - Create a mount point with the specified path and mark it as holding externally mounted volumes from the native host or other containers.

31. Docker Compose File Configuration

115. version: '3' - Specify the Compose file format version.

116. services: - Define the services in the Compose file.

117. image: - Specify the image for a service.

118. build: - Specify the build context for a service.

119. ports: - Map container ports to host ports.

120. volumes: - Mount volumes into the service container.

121. environment: - Set environment variables for a service.

122. depends_on: - Specify dependencies between services.

123. networks: specify the container to launch in which network

32. Health Check Configuration

123. healthcheck: - Configure health checks for services in Docker Compose.

33. Advanced Networking Options

124. driver: - Specify the network driver to use.

125. ipam: - Configure IP address management options.

34. Scaling Services in Docker Compose

126. docker-compose up --scale <service>=<replicas> - Scale a service to a specified number of replicas.

35. Deploying Applications

127. docker deploy <stack>- Deploy a stack to a Swarm.

128. docker stack ls - List deployed stacks in a Swarm.

36. Managing Swarm Nodes

129. docker node ls - List nodes in the Swarm.

130. docker node update <node> - Update a node's configuration.

131. docker node promote <node> - Promote a node to a manager in a Swarm.

132. docker node demote <node> - Demote a manager to a worker in a Swarm.

37. Container Orchestration

133. docker stack deploy -c <file> <stack> - Deploy a stack using a Compose file.

38. Troubleshooting

134. docker exec -it <container> /bin/bash - Start a shell in a running container.

135. docker inspect --format='{{json .State}}' - Inspect the state of a container in JSON format.

136. docker logs --tail <number><container> - Fetch the last few lines of logs from a container.

39. Managing Docker Services

137. docker service inspect <service> - Inspect a service.

138. docker service update <service> - Update a service.

139. docker service remove <service> - Remove a service.

40. Docker Secrets Management

140. docker secret inspect <secret>- Inspect a Docker secret.

41. Docker Configurations Management

141. docker config create <name> <file> - Create a configuration from a file.

42. Advanced Volume Management

142. docker volume prune - Remove all unused volumes.

43. Resource Limiting Options

143. --cpus - Limit the number of CPUs available to a container.

144. --memory-swappiness - Set the memory swappiness of a container.

44. Docker Context Switching

145. docker context create <context_name> --docker <host> - Create a new Docker context with a specified host.

146. docker context inspect <context_name> - Inspect a Docker context.

45. Cleaning Up Docker Environment

147. docker system prune -a - Remove unused data, including images, containers, and networks.

46. Interactive Mode Commands

148. docker run -it <image> bash - Start a container in interactive mode with a bash shell.

47. Docker File System Commands

149. docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app -w /app <image> <command> - Run a command in a mounted volume.

48. Docker Build Arguments

150. ARG <name>[=<default>] - Define a variable that users can pass at build-time to the Dockerfile with the docker build command.

49. Docker Compose Override Files

151. docker-compose -f <file> -f <override_file> up - Use multiple Compose files to configure services.

50. Container Startup Options

152. --entrypoint - Override the default entry point of the image.

51. Docker Build Context

153. docker build --file <dockerfile> <context> - Specify the Dockerfile and build context.

52. Docker Info Command Options

154. docker info --format - Format the output of the info command.

53. Using Docker Hub

155. docker hub - Access Docker Hub from the command line.

54. Container Environment Variables

156. docker run -e KEY=value - Set an environment variable when starting a container.

55. Container Exit Code

157. docker inspect --format='{{.State.ExitCode}}' - Get the exit code of a container.

56. Handling Stopped Containers

158. docker ps -f "status=exited" - List stopped containers.

57. Container Networking Options

159. --network-alias - Add an alias to a container in a specified network.

58. Multi-Stage Builds

160. FROM <base-image> AS <stage-name> - Define a stage in a multi-stage Dockerfile.

59. Docker System Commands

161. docker system df -v - Show detailed disk usage of Docker objects.

60. Networking Command Options

162. docker network connect --alias <alias> <network> <container>- Connect a container to a network with an alias.

61. Docker Compose Variables

163. COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME - Specify a project name for Docker Compose.

62. Working with Docker Volumes

164. docker volume prune --force - Force remove unused volumes without confirmation.

63. Container Capabilities

165. --cap-add - Add Linux capabilities to a container.

166. --cap-drop - Drop Linux capabilities from a container.

64. Docker Security Options

167. --security-opt - Set security options for a container.

65. Custom Docker Networks

168. docker network create --driver/-d <driver> <network-name> - Create a custom network with a specified driver.

66. Docker Inspect Command Options

169. docker inspect --format='{{.NetworkSettings.IPAddress}}' - Get the IP address of a container.

67. Docker Events

170. docker events - Get a real-time stream of events from the Docker server.

68. Service Health Checks

171. docker service update --health-cmd <command> <service> - Update the health check command for a service.

69. Image Layers

172. docker history --no-trunc <image> - Show the history of an image without truncating the output.

70. Docker Build Caching

173. docker build --no-cache=true - Disable build cache.

71. Container Restart Policies

174. docker run --restart always - Always restart a container unless it is explicitly stopped.

72. Managing Docker Swarm Services

175. docker service logs <service> - View logs for a specific service in a Swarm.

73. Service Scaling

176. docker service scale <service>=<replicas> - Scale a service to a specified number of replicas.

74. Container Resource Allocation

177. docker run --memory-swap <memory> - Set the total memory limit (memory + swap).

75. Docker Volume Mount Options

178. --mount type=bind,source=<host-path>,target=<container_path> - Specify a bind mount.

76. Docker System Cleanup

179. docker system prune --volumes - Remove unused data, including volumes.

77. File Sharing in Docker

180. -v <host-path>:<container-path> - Create a bind mount to share files between host and container.

78. Running Containers in Detached Mode

181. docker run -d <image> - Run a container in detached mode.

79. Container Health Status

182. docker inspect <container> -- format='{{.State.Health.Status}}' - Get the health status of a container.

80. Using Docker Logs

183. docker logs -f <container> - Follow logs of a running container.

81. Viewing Docker Disk Usage

184. docker system df - Show disk usage for Docker objects.

82. Creating a Docker Network

185. docker network create <network-name> - Create a new Docker network.

83. Inspecting Docker Networks

186. docker network inspect <network-name> - Inspect a Docker network.

84. Removing Docker Networks

187. docker network rm <network-name> - Remove a Docker network.

85. Container Resource Limits

188. --cpu-shares - Set CPU shares for a container.

86. Docker Compose with Multiple Files

189. docker-compose -f <file1>-f <file2> up - Use multiple Docker Compose files.

87. Managing Docker Contexts

190. docker context use <context-name> - Switch to a different Docker context.

88. Docker Run Command Options

191. --rm - Automatically remove the container when it exits.

89. Using Docker with Systemd

192. sudo systemctl start docker - Start the Docker service on systems using systemd.

90. Checking Docker Version

193. docker --version - Show the Docker version.

91. Docker Command Line Help

194. docker <command> --help - Display help for a specific Docker command.

92. Running a Container with a Specific User

195. docker run -u <username> - Run a container with a specific user.

93. Building Images with a Dockerfile

196. docker build -t <image_name> . - Build an image from a Dockerfile in the current directory.

94. Running Containers in Background

197. docker run -d <image> - Start a container in detached mode.

95. Docker Networking Commands

198. docker network create -d <driver> <network-name>- Create a new network with a specific driver.

96. Displaying Docker System Information

199. docker version - Show version information for Docker client and server.

97. Running a Shell in a Container

200. docker exec -it <container> sh - Start a shell in a running container using sh.