Docker commands cheatsheet
Quick reference for common Docker + Docker Compose commands.
docker ps
List all running docker containers.
docker ps -a
List all docker containers, including stopped ones.
docker images
List all docker images.
docker logs -f {container_id}
See logs of the running container in real time.
docker build -t {image_name} .
Build a docker image from the Dockerfile in the current directory.
docker run -it {image_name}
Run the Docker image in interactive mode with a terminal session.
docker run -it -v {folder-path}:/app {image_name}
Run the image and mount a host directory into the container. used if we want files generated in the container to appear in the host directory.
docker stop {container_id}
Stop a running container.
docker rmi -f {image_id}
Delete an image (-f forces deletion even if it’s used by a stopped container).
docker inspect {container_name/id}
Return container details in JSON format.
docker stats
Show real-time resource usage of containers.
docker container prune
Remove all stopped containers.
docker image prune
Remove all dangling images. (Docker won’t prune dangling images that still have containers, even if they’re not running. Use docker container prune first.)
docker search {image_name}
Search for an image on Docker Hub and display stats.
docker pull {image_name}
Pull images from Docker Hub.
docker login
Log in to your Docker Hub account.
docker push {docker_hub_repo}:{tag_name}
Push an image to Docker Hub.
docker image tag {old_image_name} {new_image_name}
Rename (re-tag) an image.
Docker Compose Commands
docker-compose up -d
Start services in the background. It won’t rebuild images if they already exist.
docker-compose up --build
Start services, rebuild images even if they exist, and attach logs to the terminal.
docker-compose down
Stop and remove containers started by docker-compose.
docker-compose restart {container_name}
Restart a service container managed by docker-compose.
Docker User Management
sudo usermod -aG docker {USER}
Add a user to the docker group (changes apply after re-login, or use newgrp docker).
getent group docker
Get list of users who are part of the docker group.
