ZebEd - Tech Education Platform

Docker Commands Reference: Complete Cheat Sheet

This comprehensive guide covers essential Docker commands from basic to advanced, organized by functionality with detailed explanations and practical examples. Whether you're a beginner or experienced developer, this reference will help you master Docker operations.

Building Images

Docker images are built from Dockerfiles and form the foundation of containerized applications.

docker build -t myapp:latest .                    # Build image with tag from current directory
docker build -f Dockerfile.dev -t myapp:dev .     # Build using specific Dockerfile
docker build --no-cache -t myapp:clean .          # Build without cache for clean rebuild
docker build --target builder -t myapp:builder .  # Build specific target in multi-stage build
docker build --build-arg VERSION=1.0 .            # Build with arguments

docker images                                   # List all images
docker image ls                                 # Alternative listing command
docker image inspect myapp:latest               # Detailed image information
docker image history myapp:latest               # Show image layers and build history
docker image prune -a                           # Remove all unused images

Running Containers

Containers are running instances of images. These commands control container execution and runtime behavior.

docker run nginx:alpine                         # Run container in foreground
docker run -d nginx:alpine                      # Run in detached mode (background)
docker run -it ubuntu:latest bash               # Run with interactive terminal
docker run --name webapp nginx:alpine           # Run with custom name

docker run -p 8080:80 nginx:alpine              # Map host port 8080 to container port 80
docker run -p 80:80 -p 443:443 nginx:alpine     # Multiple port mappings
docker run --network mynetwork nginx:alpine     # Connect to custom network
docker run --hostname myapp nginx:alpine        # Set container hostname

docker run -v /host/path:/container/path nginx  # Bind mount host directory
docker run -v myvolume:/app/data nginx          # Use named volume
docker run --mount type=bind,source=$(pwd),target=/app nginx  # Advanced mount
docker run -v $(pwd):/app -v /app/node_modules nginx  # Development mount with exclusion

docker run -e NODE_ENV=production myapp         # Set environment variable
docker run --env-file .env myapp                # Set variables from file
docker run --memory=512m myapp                  # Memory limit
docker run --cpus=1.5 myapp                     # CPU limit
docker run --restart=always myapp               # Auto-restart policy

Managing Containers

These commands help you monitor and control container lifecycle and status.

docker ps                                     # Show running containers
docker ps -a                                  # Show all containers (including stopped)
docker ps -q                                  # Show only container IDs
docker ps --filter "status=running"           # Filter by status
docker ps --filter "name=web"                # Filter by name
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}"  # Custom format

docker stop container_name                     # Gracefully stop container
docker stop $(docker ps -q)                   # Stop all running containers
docker kill container_name                    # Force immediate stop
docker restart container_name                 # Restart container
docker pause container_name                   # Pause container execution
docker unpause container_name                 # Resume container execution

docker rename old_name new_name               # Rename container
docker update --memory=1g container_name      # Update container resources
docker wait container_name                    # Block until container stops
docker port container_name                    # Show port mappings

Interacting with Containers

Commands for debugging, monitoring, and interacting with running containers.

docker exec -it container_name bash           # Open interactive shell
docker exec container_name ls -la /app        # Execute single command
docker exec -u root container_name bash       # Execute as specific user
docker exec -w /app container_name pwd        # Set working directory for command

docker logs container_name                    # View container logs
docker logs -f container_name                 # Follow logs (real-time)
docker logs --tail 100 container_name         # Show last 100 lines
docker logs --since 1h container_name         # Show logs from last hour
docker logs -t container_name                 # Show timestamps

docker stats                                 # Live resource usage for all containers
docker stats container_name                   # Resource usage for specific container
docker stats --format "table {{.Container}}\t{{.CPUPerc}}\t{{.MemUsage}}"
docker top container_name                     # Show running processes in container
docker inspect container_name                 # Detailed container information

docker cp container_name:/path/to/file ./     # Copy file from container to host
docker cp ./file container_name:/path/        # Copy file from host to container
docker diff container_name                    # Show filesystem changes

Image Management

Commands for managing Docker images, tags, and registries.

docker tag myapp:latest myregistry/myapp:v1.0  # Tag image for registry
docker tag myapp:latest myapp:1.0.0           # Version tagging
docker rmi myapp:old                          # Remove specific image
docker rmi $(docker images -q)                # Remove all images (use carefully!)

docker image save myapp:latest > myapp.tar    # Save image to tar file
docker image load < myapp.tar                 # Load image from tar file
docker image import ./container.tar myapp     # Import from tarball
docker image export container_name > container.tar  # Export container to tarball

Publishing and Distribution

Commands for working with Docker registries and image distribution.

docker login                                 # Login to Docker Hub
docker login myregistry.example.com           # Login to private registry
docker logout                                # Logout from registry

docker push myregistry/myapp:v1.0            # Push image to registry
docker pull myregistry/myapp:v1.0            # Pull image from registry
docker search nginx                          # Search Docker Hub for images
docker search --filter "is-official=true" nginx  # Search official images

Volume Management

Docker volumes provide persistent storage for containers.

docker volume ls                            # List volumes
docker volume create mydata                 # Create named volume
docker volume inspect mydata                # Volume details
docker volume rm mydata                     # Remove volume
docker volume prune                        # Remove unused volumes

Network Management

Commands for managing Docker networks and container networking.

docker network ls                          # List networks
docker network create mynetwork            # Create custom network
docker network inspect mynetwork           # Network details
docker network connect mynetwork container # Connect container to network
docker network disconnect mynetwork container # Disconnect container
docker network rm mynetwork                # Remove network

System Information and Maintenance

Commands for Docker system management and cleanup.

docker info                                # System-wide information
docker version                             # Docker version information
docker system df                           # Docker disk usage
docker system events                       # Real-time Docker events

docker container prune                    # Remove all stopped containers
docker image prune                        # Remove unused images
docker volume prune                       # Remove unused volumes
docker network prune                      # Remove unused networks
docker system prune                       # Remove all unused data
docker system prune -a                    # Remove all unused images including dangling

Docker Compose Commands

Docker Compose simplifies multi-container application management.

docker compose up                         # Build and start all services
docker compose up -d                      # Start in detached mode
docker compose up --build                 # Force rebuild of images
docker compose up service1 service2       # Start specific services only

docker compose down                       # Stop and remove containers
docker compose down -v                    # Remove volumes as well
docker compose down --rmi all             # Remove images as well
docker compose stop                       # Stop services without removing
docker compose start                      # Start stopped services
docker compose restart                    # Restart services

docker compose ps                        # Show service status
docker compose logs                      # View logs from all services
docker compose logs -f                   # Follow logs
docker compose logs service_name         # View logs for specific service
docker compose exec service_name bash    # Execute command in service container
docker compose exec -u root service_name bash  # Execute as root

docker compose build                     # Build service images
docker compose build --no-cache          # Build without cache
docker compose pull                     # Pull service images
docker compose config                   # Validate and view compose file
docker compose top                      # Display running processes

Security and Best Practices Commands

Essential commands for securing your Docker environment.

docker scan myapp:latest                  # Security vulnerability scan
docker run --user 1000:1000 myapp        # Run as non-root user
docker run --read-only myapp             # Read-only filesystem
docker run --security-opt=no-new-privileges myapp
docker run --cap-drop=ALL --cap-add=NET_BIND_SERVICE myapp

Tips and Best Practices

Development Workflow:

Use descriptive names for containers and images
Implement .dockerignore to exclude unnecessary files from build context
Use multi-stage builds to minimize final image size
Leverage layer caching by ordering Dockerfile instructions properly

Production Guidelines:

Always run containers as non-root users when possible
Use health checks for critical services
Set resource limits (memory, CPU) to prevent resource exhaustion
Keep containers stateless and use volumes for persistence
Regularly update base images and scan for vulnerabilities

Security Measures:

Scan images for vulnerabilities before deployment
Use signed images from trusted sources
Limit container capabilities using --cap-drop
Avoid using privileged mode unless absolutely necessary
Use secrets management for sensitive data instead of environment variables

Performance Optimization:

Use alpine-based images for smaller footprint
Combine RUN commands to reduce layers
Clean up package caches and temporary files in the same layer they're created
Use specific tags instead of 'latest' for production deployments

Quick Reference: Most Frequently Used Commands

docker build -t name .          # Build image
docker run -d -p 80:80 name    # Run container
docker ps                      # List containers
docker exec -it name bash      # Enter container
docker logs name               # View logs
docker compose up              # Start compose services
docker system prune            # Cleanup unused resources

This comprehensive reference serves as your go-to guide for Docker commands in both development and production environments. Bookmark this page for quick access to essential Docker operations and best practices.

Docker Commands Cheat Sheet