Docker Commands

Let’s look at some of the most popular Docker command examples.

Build Commands

Docker uses the build command for building images from a Docker file. Some of the most common commands include:

Command	Description
docker build	Builds an image from a Dockerfile in the current directory.
docker build https://github.com/docker/rootfs.git#container:docker	Builds an image from a remote GIT repository.
docker build -t imagename/tag	Builds and tags an image for easier tracking.
docker build https://yourserver/file.tar.gz	Builds an image from a remote tar archive.
docker build -t image:1.0-<<EOFFROM busyboxRUN echo “hello world”EOF	Builds an image via a Dockerfile that is passed through STDIN.

Clean Up Commands

To keep your system clean and save disk space, it’s a great idea to clean up unused images, containers, and volumes. Check the commands below for more details:

Command	Description
docker image prune	Clears an unused image.
docker image prune -a	Clears all images that are not being used by containers.
docker system prune	Removes all stopped containers, all networks not used by containers, all dangling images, and all build cache.
docker image rm image	Removes an image.
docker rm container	Removes a running container.
docker swarm leave	Leaves a swarm.
docker stack rm stackname	Removes a swarm.
docker volume rm $(docker volume ls -f dangling=true -q)	Removes all dangling volumes.
docker rm $(docker ps -a -q)	Removes all stopped containers.
docker kill $ (docker ps -q)	Stops all running containers.

Container Interaction Commands

Interact with your Docker container with the following common commands:

Command	Description
docker start container	Starts a new container.
docker stop container	Stops a container.
docker pause container	Pauses a container.
docker unpause container	Unpauses a container.
docker restart container	Restarts a container.
docker wait container	Blocks a container
docker export container	Exports container contents to a tar archive.
docker attach container	Attaches to a running container.
docker wait container	Waits until the container is terminated and shows the exit code.
docker commit -m “commit message” -a “author” container username/image_name: tag	Saves a running container as an image.
docker logs -ft container	Follows container logs.
docker exec -ti container script.sh	Runs a command in a container.
docker commit container image	Creates a new image from a container.
docker create image	Creates a new container from an image.

Container Inspection Commands

Sometimes, you need to inspect your containers for quality assurance or troubleshooting purposes. These commands help you get an overview of what different containers are doing:

Command	Description
docker ps	Lists all running containers.
docker -ps -a	Lists all containers.
docker diff container	Inspects changes to directories and files in the container filesystem.
docker top container	Shows all running processes in an existing container.
docker inspect container	Displays low-level information about a container.
docker logs container	Gathers the logs for a container.
docker stats container	Shows container resource usage statistics.

Manage Images Commands

Some of the most common image management commands include:

Command	Description
docker image ls	Lists images.
docker image rm mysql	Removes an image.
docker tag image tag	Tags an image.
docker top container	Shows all running processes in an existing container.
docker history image	Displays the image history.
docker inspect image	Displays low-level information about an image.

Run Commands

Docker uses the run command to create containers from provided images. The default syntax for this command looks like this:

docker run (options) image (command) (arg…)

After the default syntax, use one of the following flags:

Flag	Description
–detach , -d	Runs a container in the background and prints the container ID.
–env , -e	Sets environment variables.
–hostname , -h	Sets a hostname to a container.
–label , -l	Creates a meta data label for a container.
–name	Assigns a name to a container.
–network	Connects a container to a network.
–rm	Removes container when it stops.
–read-only	Sets the container filesystem as read-only.
–workdir , -w	Sets a working directory in a container.

Registry Commands

If you need to interact with Docker Hub, use the following commands:

Command	Description
docker login	Logs in to a registry.
docker logout	Logs out from a registry.
docker pull mysql	Pulls an image from a registry.
docker push repo/ rhel-httpd:latest	Pushes an image to a registry.
docker search term	Searches Docker Hub for images with the specified term.

Service Commands

Manage all Docker services with these basic commands:

Command	Description
docker service ls	Lists all services running in a swarm.
docker stack services stackname	Lists all running services.
docker service ps servicename	Lists the tasks of a service.
docker service update servicename	Updates a service.
docker service create image	Creates a new service.
docker service scale servicename=10	Scales one or more replicated services.
docker service logs stackname servicename	Lists all service logs.

Network Commands

If you need to interact with the Docker network, use one of the following commands:

Command	Description
docker network create networkname	Creates a new network.
docker network rm networkname	Removes a specified network.
docker network ls	Lists all networks.
docker network connect networkname container	Connects a container to a network.
docker network disconnect networkname container	Disconnects a container from a network.
docker network inspect networkname	Displays detailed information about a network.