cheatsheet
Essential Docker commands for building, running, managing containers and images — your daily reference guide.
By Ehsan Golpayegani ·
Docker Commands Cheatsheet
Quick reference for the most commonly used Docker commands.
Container Lifecycle
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker run <image> | Create and start a container |
docker run -d <image> | Run container in detached mode |
docker run -it <image> /bin/bash | Run container interactively |
docker stop <container> | Gracefully stop a container |
docker kill <container> | Force stop a container |
docker rm <container> | Remove a stopped container |
docker restart <container> | Restart a container |
Image Management
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker build -t <name> . | Build image from Dockerfile |
docker images | List all local images |
docker pull <image> | Download image from registry |
docker push <image> | Push image to registry |
docker rmi <image> | Remove an image |
docker tag <src> <dest> | Tag an image |
Inspection & Debugging
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker ps | List running containers |
docker ps -a | List all containers |
docker logs <container> | View container logs |
docker logs -f <container> | Follow container logs |
docker exec -it <container> /bin/sh | Execute command in container |
docker inspect <container> | Detailed container info |
docker stats | Live resource usage |
Networking
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker network ls | List networks |
docker network create <name> | Create a network |
docker network connect <net> <container> | Connect container to network |
docker run -p 8080:80 <image> | Map host port to container port |
Volumes
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker volume create <name> | Create a volume |
docker volume ls | List volumes |
docker run -v <vol>:/data <image> | Mount volume |
docker run -v $(pwd):/app <image> | Bind mount current directory |
Docker Compose
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker compose up | Start all services |
docker compose up -d | Start in detached mode |
docker compose down | Stop and remove containers |
docker compose logs -f | Follow all logs |
docker compose build | Build all services |
docker compose ps | List running services |
Cleanup
# Remove all stopped containers
docker container prune
# Remove all unused images
docker image prune -a
# Remove all unused volumes
docker volume prune
# Nuclear option — remove everything unused
docker system prune -a --volumes