Francisco Giraldo

Quick reference for everyday Docker commands.

Basics

docker version
docker info
docker help
docker help run

Images

docker images                        # List local images
docker image ls
docker pull nginx
docker pull nginx:1.27
docker build -t my-app:1.0 .
docker build -t my-app:1.0 -f Dockerfile.prod .
docker build -t my-app:1.0 --no-cache .
docker build -t my-app:1.0 --target prod .
docker build -t my-app:1.0 --build-arg VERSION=1.0 .
docker tag my-app:1.0 registry.example.com/my-app:1.0
docker push registry.example.com/my-app:1.0
docker history my-app:1.0
docker inspect my-app:1.0
docker rmi my-app:1.0
docker image prune                   # Remove dangling images
docker image prune -a                # Remove unused images

Registry Login

docker login
docker login registry.example.com
docker login registry.example.com -u <user>
docker logout
docker logout registry.example.com

Containers

docker ps                            # Running containers
docker ps -a                         # Include stopped
docker ps -q                         # IDs only
docker run nginx
docker run -d --name web -p 8080:80 nginx
docker run -it --rm alpine sh
docker run -d --name app \
  -e KEY=value \
  --env-file .env \
  -v "$PWD":/app \
  -w /app \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  my-app:1.0
docker start <container>
docker stop <container>
docker restart <container>
docker kill <container>
docker rm <container>
docker rm -f <container>             # Stop and remove
docker rename <container> <new-name>

Logs, Exec & Copy

docker logs <container>
docker logs -f <container>           # Follow
docker logs --tail 100 <container>
docker logs --since 10m <container>
docker exec -it <container> sh
docker exec -it <container> bash
docker exec -u root -it <container> sh
docker cp <container>:/path/file ./local-file
docker cp ./local-file <container>:/path/file
docker top <container>
docker stats
docker port <container>
docker inspect <container>

Networks

docker network ls
docker network create <name>
docker network inspect <name>
docker network connect <name> <container>
docker network disconnect <name> <container>
docker network rm <name>
docker network prune

docker run -d --name web --network <name> nginx

Volumes

docker volume ls
docker volume create <name>
docker volume inspect <name>
docker volume rm <name>
docker volume prune                  # Remove unused volumes

docker run -d --name db -v db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data postgres:16
docker run -d --name app -v "$PWD":/app my-app:1.0

Compose

Use docker compose (Compose V2). Commands run from the directory that contains compose.yaml.

docker compose version
docker compose config                # Render the resolved file
docker compose up
docker compose up -d
docker compose up -d --build
docker compose up -d web             # One service
docker compose ps
docker compose logs
docker compose logs -f
docker compose logs -f --tail 100 web
docker compose exec web sh
docker compose run --rm web <command>
docker compose build
docker compose pull
docker compose stop
docker compose start
docker compose restart
docker compose down                  # Stop and remove containers + networks
docker compose down -v               # Also remove declared volumes
docker compose down --rmi local

services:
  web:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    environment:
      APP_ENV: prod
    depends_on:
      - db
  db:
    image: postgres:16
    volumes:
      - db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret

volumes:
  db-data:

Dockerfile

FROM node:22-alpine AS build
WORKDIR /app
COPY package.json package-lock.json ./
RUN npm ci
COPY . .
RUN npm run build

FROM node:22-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY --from=build /app/dist ./dist
USER node
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "dist/server.js"]

Cleanup

docker system df                     # Disk usage
docker container prune               # Stopped containers
docker image prune                   # Dangling images
docker volume prune
docker network prune
docker builder prune
docker system prune                  # Stopped containers, dangling images, unused networks
docker system prune -a               # Also unused images
docker system prune -a --volumes     # Also unused volumes

Common Debugging Flow

# 1. Is it running?
docker ps -a
docker compose ps

# 2. Why did it stop?
docker logs --tail 100 <container>
docker inspect <container>

# 3. Shell in
docker exec -it <container> sh

# 4. Ports and resources
docker port <container>
docker stats

# 5. Rebuild and recreate
docker compose up -d --build
docker compose down && docker compose up -d

Useful Links

• Docker CLI
• docker run
• Dockerfile reference
• Docker Compose CLI
• Compose file reference
• Volumes
• Networking
• Multi-stage builds
• docker system prune
• Build overview