Docker CLI Cheat Sheet

This Docker CLI cheat sheet is a comprehensive guide to the essential commands for working with Docker containers and images. While it covers most of the common use cases, some edge cases may require additional information, so it’s always a good idea to refer to the official Docker documentation.

TL;DR

docker build -t my-image .                           # Create image using this directory's Dockerfile

docker run -p 4200:80 my-image                       # Run "my-image" mapping port 4200 to 80
docker run -d -p 4200:80 my-image                    # Same thing, but in detached mode
docker run username/repository:tag                   # Run image from a registry

docker image ls -a                                   # List all images on this machine
docker image rm <image id>                           # Remove specified image from this machine
docker image rm $(docker image ls -a -q)             # Remove all images from this machine

docker container ls                                  # List all running containers
docker container ls -a                               # List all containers, even those not running
docker container stop <hash>                         # Gracefully stop the specified container
docker container kill <hash>                         # Force shutdown of the specified container
docker container rm <hash>                           # Remove specified container from this machine
docker container rm $(docker container ls -a -q)     # Remove all containers

docker login                                         # Log in this CLI session using your Docker credentials
docker tag <image> username/repository:tag           # Tag <image> for upload to registry
docker push username/repository:tag                  # Upload tagged image to registry
docker system prune                                  # Remove all unused containers, networks and images.

Build

Build an image from a Dockerfile

To build an image using a Dockerfile, you can use the docker build command. By default, it uses the Dockerfile located in the current directory and the current directory as the build context:

docker build -t my-image .

To use a different Dockerfile, you can use the -f or --file option followed by the path to the Dockerfile:

docker build -f Dockerfile.dev -t my-image .

This command will create a image using this directory’s Dockerfile.dev and the current directory as the context.

Other useful options include:

Run

Run an image

To run an image, use the following command:

docker run -p 4200:80 my-image

This command will run “my-image” mapping port 4200 on the host machine to 80 from the container.

To run the container in detached mode, use the -d or --detach option:

docker run --detach -p 4200:80 my-image

This command will run the container in the background and print its container ID.

Other useful options include:

Run an image from a registry

To run an image from a registry, use the following command:

docker run username/repository:tag

Replace username with the username associated with the repository, repository with the name of the repository, and tag with the version tag you want to use. This command will pull the image from the registry if it’s not already available locally and start a container from it.

Run a command on an image

To run a specific command on a container started from an image, use the following command:

docker run my-image <command>

This command will run the <command> on a container started from “my-image”.

To start an interactive shell inside a container, you can use the following command:

docker run -it my-image /bin/bash

This command will start a new bash session on a container started from “my-image”. The -it option is used to allocate a pseudo-TTY and keep STDIN open, and /bin/bash is the command that will be executed inside the container.

Other useful options include:

Run a command on a running container

To run a command on a running container, use the following command:

docker exec -it <container id> <command>

This command will run the <command> on the container.

If you want to start a new shell session on the running container, you can use the following command:

docker exec -it <container id> /bin/bash

This command will start a new bash session on the container.

Other useful options include:

Images

List all images

To list all images on the machine, use the following command:

docker image ls --all

The -a or --all option is used to show all images, including intermediate images. To display only the IDs of the images, use the -q or --quiet option, as shown below:

docker image ls --all -quiet

Other useful options include:

For more information, refer to the Docker documentation.

Remove an image

To remove an image from your local machine, you can use the following command:

docker image rm <image id>

Remove all images

To remove all images, including intermediate and dangling images, use the following command:

docker image rm $(docker image ls --all --quiet)

This command will delete all images. The command docker image ls -a -q will return all existing image IDs and pass them to the docker image rm command which will delete them.

It’s recommended to be cautious while removing images, as it may cause disruption to running containers. Before removing the images, make sure they are not used by any running containers or dependent services.

Containers

List all running containers

To list all running containers, use the following command:

docker container ls

Alternatively, you can use the following command which provides the same output:

docker ps

To only show the IDs of all containers, use the -q or --quiet option:

docker container ls --quiet

Other useful options include:

For more information about this command, refer to the docker container ls documentation or docker ps documentation.

List all containers

To list all containers, including those not running, use the following command:

docker container ls --all

To only show the IDs of all containers, use the -q or --quiet option:

docker container ls --all --quiet

Other useful options include:

For more information about this command, refer to the Docker documentation.

Stop a container

To stop a container, use the following command:

docker container stop <hash>

This command will gracefully stop the specified container.

For more information on stopping and killing containers, refer to the Docker documentation.

Stop all running containers

To gracefully stop all running containers, use the following command:

docker container stop $(docker ps --quiet)

This command will retrieve all running container IDs by running docker ps -q and then pass them to the docker container stop command which will gracefully stop all running containers.

Kill a container

To force shutdown a container, use the following command:

docker container kill <hash>

This command will immediately stop the container, similar to unplugging a machine.

For more information about this command, refer to the Docker documentation.

Kill all running containers

To kill all running containers, you can use the following command:

docker container kill $(docker ps --quiet)

The docker ps --quiet command returns the IDs of all running containers, which are then passed to the docker container kill command to force shutdown them.

Remove a container

To remove a container, use the following command:

docker container rm <hash>

This command will remove the specified container from the current machine. Note that the container must be stopped before it can be removed. If you want to remove a running container, you can use the --force or -f option to force the removal.

docker container rm --force <hash>

For more information about this command and its options, refer to the Docker documentation.

Remove all stopped containers

To remove all stopped containers, you can use the following command:

docker container prune

Alternatively, you can use the following command to manually delete all stopped containers:

docker container rm $(docker ps --all --quiet --filter "status=exited")

This command will use the docker ps command to find all containers that have an exited status, and then delete them using the docker container rm command.

Note that any running containers will not be deleted by these commands.

Remove all containers

To remove all containers, including those that are currently running, use the following command:

docker container rm $(docker ps --all --quiet)

This command will use the docker ps command to find all containers, and then delete them using the docker container rm command.

Registry

Upload tagged image to registry

The Docker registry is a central place to store and distribute Docker images. To upload your Docker images to the registry, you first need to tag and push them. Here is how you can do it:

1. Log in to your Docker account using the docker login command. This command will prompt you to enter your Docker credentials:

   docker login
   

2. Tag your local Docker image with a name that includes the Docker registry username, repository name, and version tag:

   docker tag <image> username/repository:tag
   

   Here’s an example:

   docker tag my-image username/my-repo:v1.0
   

3. Push the tagged image to the registry using the docker push command:

   docker push username/repository:tag
   

   Here’s an example:

   docker push username/my-repo:v1.0
   

   This command uploads the tagged image to the registry. Make sure that you have the necessary permissions to push images to the repository.

4. After you have pushed your image, you can log out of your Docker account using the docker logout command:

   docker logout
   

   By logging out, you ensure that no one else can push images to your account from this CLI session.

For more information about the Docker registry and how to use it, see the Docker documentation.

System

Remove all unused containers, networks and images

To remove all unused containers, networks, and images, use the following command:

docker system prune

To remove all images, including the ones that are in use, use the --all option:

docker system prune --all

Other useful options include:

For more information about this command, refer to the Docker documentation.