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Docker Command Reference

A systematic reference covering basic to advanced Docker commands used in daily operations.

Basic Information​

Check Docker Version​

docker version

Display detailed information:

docker info

Check System Information​

# Check disk usage
docker system df

# System-wide information
docker system info

Image Management​

List Images​

# Display all images
docker images

# Display images sorted by size
docker images --format "table {{.Repository}}\t{{.Tag}}\t{{.Size}}"

Pull Images​

# Download image from Docker Hub
docker pull <image_name>

# Specify a particular tag
docker pull <image_name>:<tag>

Examples:

docker pull ubuntu:22.04
docker pull ros:humble

Build Images​

# Build image from Dockerfile
docker build -t <image_name> <path>

# Build with specific tag
docker build -t <image_name>:<tag> .

# Pass build arguments
docker build --build-arg <arg_name>=<value> -t <image_name> .

Examples:

docker build -t myapp:latest .
docker build -t myapp:v1.0 /path/to/dockerfile

Remove Images​

# Remove specific image
docker rmi <image_id>

# Remove all unused images
docker image prune

# Force removal
docker rmi -f <image_id>

Container Management​

Create and Run Containers​

Basic Execution​

# Create and run new container
docker run <image_id>

# Run in interactive mode
docker run -it <image_name> /bin/bash

# Run in background
docker run -d <image_name>

Advanced Options​

# GUI-enabled container with volume mounting
docker run -it \
    -v <local_path>:/data \
    --device=/dev/dri \
    --group-add video \
    --volume=/tmp/.X11-unix:/tmp/.X11-unix \
    --env="DISPLAY=$DISPLAY" \
    --env="QT_X11_NO_MITSHM=1" \
    --name=<container_name> \
    <image_name>:<tag> \
    /bin/bash

List Containers​

# Display running containers
docker ps

# Display all containers (including stopped)
docker ps -a

# Display with custom format
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"

Start, Stop, and Restart Containers​

# Start existing container
docker start <container_id>

# Start in interactive mode
docker start -ia <container_id>

# Stop container
docker stop <container_id>

# Restart container
docker restart <container_id>

# Force stop
docker kill <container_id>

Connect to Containers​

# Connect to running container
docker exec -it <container_id> /bin/bash

# Connect as specific user
docker exec -it --user <username> <container_id> /bin/bash

# Execute command
docker exec <container_id> <command>

Remove Containers​

# Remove stopped container
docker rm <container_id>

# Force remove running container
docker rm -f <container_id>

# Remove all stopped containers
docker container prune

Image and Container Conversion​

Create Image from Container​

# Basic commit
docker commit <container_id> <new_image_name>

# Specify author and message
docker commit -a="<author>" -m="<message>" <container_id> <new_image_name>:<version>

Example:

docker commit -a="youkoutaku" -m="Added development tools" mycontainer myapp:v1.0

Tag Images​

# Tag existing image with new name
docker tag <image_id> <username>/<repository>:<tag>

# Follow Docker Hub naming convention
docker tag myapp:latest youkoutaku/myapp:v1.0

Docker Hub Operations​

Login and Logout​

# Login to Docker Hub
docker login

# Login to specific registry
docker login <registry_url>

# Logout
docker logout

Push and Search Images​

# Push image to Docker Hub
docker push <username>/<repository>:<tag>

# Search for images
docker search <image_name>

Volume and Network Management​

Volume Management​

# List volumes
docker volume ls

# Create volume
docker volume create <volume_name>

# Inspect volume
docker volume inspect <volume_name>

# Remove unused volumes
docker volume prune

Network Management​

# List networks
docker network ls

# Create network
docker network create <network_name>

# Inspect network
docker network inspect <network_name>

# Connect container to network
docker network connect <network_name> <container_id>

Logging and Monitoring​

View Logs​

# Display container logs
docker logs <container_id>

# Follow logs in real-time
docker logs -f <container_id>

# Display last N lines
docker logs --tail 50 <container_id>

# Display logs with timestamps
docker logs -t <container_id>

Monitor Resource Usage​

# Display real-time resource usage
docker stats

# Monitor specific container only
docker stats <container_id>

# Display statistics once
docker stats --no-stream

System Cleanup​

Bulk Cleanup Commands​

# Remove all unused resources
docker system prune

# Include images in cleanup
docker system prune -a

# Include volumes in cleanup
docker system prune --volumes

# Force execution (no confirmation)
docker system prune -f

Individual Cleanup​

# Remove stopped containers
docker container prune

# Remove unused images
docker image prune

# Remove unused networks
docker network prune

# Remove unused volumes
docker volume prune

Troubleshooting​

Common Diagnostic Commands​

# List processes in container
docker top <container_id>

# Detailed container information
docker inspect <container_id>

# Show filesystem changes in container
docker diff <container_id>

# Show image history
docker history <image_id>

Ports and Processes​

# Check port mappings
docker port <container_id>

# Check running processes
docker exec <container_id> ps aux

# Check network connections
docker exec <container_id> netstat -tlnp

Advanced Usage Examples​

Bulk Operations on Multiple Containers​

# Remove all stopped containers
docker rm $(docker ps -aq -f status=exited)

# Stop all running containers
docker stop $(docker ps -q)

# Remove containers with specific name pattern
docker rm $(docker ps -aq -f name=test*)

Docker Compose Integration​

# Start services from Docker Compose file
docker-compose up

# Start in background
docker-compose up -d

# Stop and remove services
docker-compose down

# View logs
docker-compose logs

Command Aliases Examples​

Useful aliases for efficient workflow:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
alias dps='docker ps'
alias dpsa='docker ps -a'
alias di='docker images'
alias drm='docker rm'
alias drmi='docker rmi'
alias dstop='docker stop'
alias dstart='docker start'
alias dexec='docker exec -it'
alias dlogs='docker logs'
alias dclean='docker system prune -f'

References​

Efficiency Tips
  • Use tab completion to simplify entering container IDs and image names
  • Filter docker ps or docker images output with grep
  • Use --help option to check detailed help for each command
  • Monitor real-time events with docker system events