System Commands #

Command Description
docker version Show Docker version information
docker system info Display system-wide information
docker system df Show Docker disk usage
docker system prune Remove unused containers, networks, and dangling images

Basic Commands #

Command Description
docker run Run a container
docker container ls or docker ps List running containers
docker container ls -a or docker ps -a List all containers (including stopped)
docker stop CONTAINER_NAME Stop a container
docker rm CONTAINER_NAME Remove a container
docker pull IMAGE[:TAG] Pull an image from registry
docker images List local images on Docker Host
docker build -t IMAGE_NAME[:TAG] . Build an image from Dockerfile

Common Options #

Option Description
-d Run container in background (detached mode)
-p HOST_PORT:CONTAINER_PORT Map container port to host port (expose container to outside)
-v HOST_PATH:CONTAINER_PATH Mount a volume
--name CONTAINER_NAME Assign a name to container
-e KEY=VALUE Set environment variables
--network NETWORK Connect to a network
--restart=always Always restart container
-it Interactive with TTY (combines -i and -t)
--rm Remove container when it exits
--memory="512m" Memory limit
--cpus="0.5" CPU limit
--user USER Username or UID
--workdir DIR Working directory in container
--entrypoint CMD Override the default entrypoint

Container Lifecycle #

Command Description
docker start CONTAINER_NAME Start a stopped container
docker restart CONTAINER_NAME Restart a container
docker pause CONTAINER_NAME Pause a container
docker unpause CONTAINER_NAME Unpause a container
docker logs CONTAINER_NAME Get container logs
docker logs -f CONTAINER_NAME Follow container logs
docker stats Display live container resource usage
docker inspect CONTAINER_NAME Show detailed container information
docker exec -it CONTAINER_NAME /bin/sh Get a shell inside the container
docker exec -it CONTAINER_NAME COMMAND Execute command in running container
docker top CONTAINER_NAME Display running processes in a container
docker container prune Remove all stopped containers
docker rename OLD_NAME NEW_NAME Rename a container
docker kill CONTAINER_NAME Send SIGKILL to a container

Images and Volumes #

Command Description
docker image ls List images
docker image history IMAGE Show image history
docker save IMAGE > file.tar Save image to a tar archive
docker load < file.tar Load image from a tar archive
docker tag SOURCE_IMAGE TARGET_IMAGE Create a tag for an image
docker commit CONTAINER IMAGE_NAME Create image from a container
docker rmi IMAGE Remove an image
docker image prune Remove dangling images
docker volume create VOLUME_NAME Create a volume
docker volume ls List volumes
docker volume inspect VOLUME_NAME Display detailed volume information
docker volume rm VOLUME_NAME Remove a volume
docker volume prune Remove unused volumes

Network #

Command Description
docker network create NETWORK_NAME Create a network
docker network ls List networks
docker network inspect NETWORK Display detailed network information
docker network connect NETWORK CONTAINER_NAME Connect container to network
docker network disconnect NETWORK CONTAINER_NAME Disconnect container from network
docker network prune Remove all unused networks

Troubleshooting and Debugging #

Command Description
docker logs CONTAINER View logs from a container
docker inspect CONTAINER Show detailed config and metadata
docker events Monitor real-time Docker events
docker stats Show live resource usage
journalctl -u docker.service View Docker daemon logs (Linux with systemd)

Docker Compose #

Command Description
docker compose config Validate and view the compose file
docker compose up Start services defined in compose.yaml
docker compose up -d Start services in detached mode
docker compose up -d --scale SERVICE=NUM Scale a service
docker compose logs View logs
docker compose logs -f Follow logs
docker compose ps List containers
docker compose exec SERVICE COMMAND Execute command in a service
docker compose build Build services
docker compose restart Restart services
docker compose down Stop and remove all services, networks, and volumes defined by the Compose file

Docker Hub #

Command Description
docker login Log in to Docker Hub
docker logout Log out from Docker Hub
docker search TERM Search Docker Hub for images
docker push IMAGE_NAME[:TAG] Push image to Docker Hub