Docker commands

50 Essential Docker Commands for Developers

Command	Description
docker run	Creates and starts a new container from an image.
docker ps	Lists running containers. Use `docker ps -a` for all.
docker stop	Stops a running container.
docker start	Starts a stopped container.
docker restart	Restarts a container.
docker kill	Forcefully stops a container. Use with caution.
docker rm	Removes a stopped container.
docker rmi	Removes an image. Remove dependent containers first.
docker images	Lists available images.
docker build	Builds an image from a Dockerfile.
docker pull	Downloads an image from a registry.
docker push	Uploads an image to a registry.
docker exec	Executes a command inside a container (e.g., `bash`).
docker logs	Displays container logs.
docker cp	Copies files between container and host.
docker inspect	Displays detailed information about a container/image.
docker port	Shows port mappings for a container.
docker stats	Displays container resource usage statistics.
docker compose up	Starts services defined in a `docker-compose.yml` file.
docker compose down	Stops services defined in a `docker-compose.yml` file.
docker compose ps	Lists containers created by Docker Compose.
docker compose exec	Executes a command in a running Compose container.
docker compose logs	Views logs from Compose services.
docker compose build	Builds or rebuilds services defined in `docker-compose.yml`.
docker network create	Creates a Docker network.
docker network connect	Connects a container to a network.
docker network disconnect	Disconnects a container from a network.
docker network ls	Lists Docker networks.
docker volume create	Creates a Docker volume.
docker volume ls	Lists Docker volumes.
docker volume rm	Removes a Docker volume.
docker volume inspect	Displays information about a volume.
docker login	Logs in to a Docker registry.
docker logout	Logs out from a Docker registry.
docker search	Searches for images on Docker Hub.
docker info	Displays system-wide Docker information.
docker version	Displays Docker version information.
docker attach	Attaches to a running container.
docker commit	Creates a new image from a container's changes.
docker diff	Shows changes to files in a container's filesystem.
docker events	Gets real time events from the docker server.
docker history	Shows the history of a Docker image.
docker import	Imports a tarball as a Docker image.
docker load	Loads an image from a tar archive.
docker save	Saves one or more images to a tar archive.
docker tag	Creates a tag for an image.
docker wait	Blocks until a container stops, then prints its exit code.
docker update	Updates configuration of one or more containers.
docker system prune	Removes unused data.
docker context ls	Lists the Docker contexts.
docker context use	Sets the current Docker context.