Docker Command Cheat Sheet #
This cheat sheet provides a quick reference for commonly used Docker commands.
Docker System Commands #
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker version |
Display Docker version information |
docker info |
Display system-wide information |
docker system prune |
Remove all unused containers, networks, images, and build cache |
docker system df |
Show Docker disk usage |
Docker Image Commands #
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker images |
List all images |
docker pull <image-name> |
Pull an image from registry |
docker build -t <name:tag> <path> |
Build an image from Dockerfile |
docker rmi <image-id> |
Remove an image |
docker image prune |
Remove unused images |
docker tag <source-image> <target-image> |
Create a tag for image |
docker history <image-name> |
Show history of an image |
docker save -o <file.tar> <image-name> |
Save image to a tar archive |
docker load -i <file.tar> |
Load image from a tar archive |
docker inspect <image-id> |
Display detailed information about an image |
Docker Container Commands #
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker ps |
List running containers |
docker ps -a |
List all containers (including stopped) |
docker run <image-name> |
Run a container |
docker run -it <image-name> <command> |
Run container interactively |
docker run -d <image-name> |
Run container in detached mode |
docker run -p <host-port>:<container-port> <image-name> |
Run container with port mapping |
docker run -v <host-path>:<container-path> <image-name> |
Run container with volume mount |
docker run --name <container-name> <image-name> |
Run container with a specific name |
docker run --rm <image-name> |
Run container and remove it when it exits |
docker stop <container-id> |
Stop a running container |
docker start <container-id> |
Start a stopped container |
docker restart <container-id> |
Restart a container |
docker rm <container-id> |
Remove a container |
docker rm -f <container-id> |
Force remove a running container |
docker exec -it <container-id> <command> |
Execute a command in a running container |
docker logs <container-id> |
Fetch the logs of a container |
docker logs -f <container-id> |
Follow log output of a container |
docker cp <container-id>:<container-path> <host-path> |
Copy files from container to host |
docker cp <host-path> <container-id>:<container-path> |
Copy files from host to container |
docker stats |
Display live container resource usage |
docker inspect <container-id> |
Display detailed information about a container |
docker top <container-id> |
Display the running processes of a container |
docker update --memory <limit> <container-id> |
Update container resources |
Docker Network Commands #
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker network ls |
List all networks |
docker network create <network-name> |
Create a network |
docker network rm <network-name> |
Remove a network |
docker network inspect <network-name> |
Display detailed information about a network |
docker network connect <network-name> <container-id> |
Connect a container to a network |
docker network disconnect <network-name> <container-id> |
Disconnect a container from a network |
docker network prune |
Remove all unused networks |
Docker Volume Commands #
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker volume ls |
List all volumes |
docker volume create <volume-name> |
Create a volume |
docker volume rm <volume-name> |
Remove a volume |
docker volume inspect <volume-name> |
Display detailed information about a volume |
docker volume prune |
Remove all unused volumes |
Dockerfile Instructions #
| Instruction | Description |
|---|---|
FROM |
Set base image |
WORKDIR |
Set working directory |
COPY |
Copy files from host to container |
ADD |
Copy files from host or URL to container |
RUN |
Execute command during build |
ENV |
Set environment variable |
ARG |
Define build-time variable |
EXPOSE |
Expose port |
VOLUME |
Create mount point |
CMD |
Default command for container |
ENTRYPOINT |
Configure container executable |
LABEL |
Add metadata to image |
USER |
Set user for container |
HEALTHCHECK |
Check container health |
Common Docker Run Options #
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
-d, --detach |
Run container in background |
-e, --env |
Set environment variables |
-p, --publish |
Publish container’s port to the host |
-v, --volume |
Bind mount a volume |
--name |
Assign a name to the container |
--network |
Connect to a network |
--restart |
Restart policy (no, on-failure, always, unless-stopped) |
--rm |
Remove container when it exits |
-it |
Interactive mode with TTY |
--memory |
Memory limit |
--cpus |
Number of CPUs |
Docker Command Examples #
Running a Nginx Web Server #
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name my-nginx nginx
Building a Custom Image #
docker build -t my-app:1.0 .
Running a Container with Environment Variables #
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 -e NODE_ENV=production --name my-node-app my-node-app
Creating a Docker Network and Connecting Containers #
docker network create my-network
docker run -d --name db --network my-network mongo
docker run -d --name app --network my-network -p 8000:8000 my-app
Volume Mounting for Persistence #
docker run -d -p 27017:27017 -v mongodb-data:/data/db --name mongodb mongo
Running a MySQL Container with Environment Variables #
docker run -d -p 3306:3306 \
-e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secretpassword \
-e MYSQL_DATABASE=mydb \
-e MYSQL_USER=user \
-e MYSQL_PASSWORD=password \
-v mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql \
--name mysql \
mysql:8.0