Docker Commands

Comprehensive Docker commands and workflows for containerization across all platforms.

Basic Commands

Command	Description
docker --version	Show Docker version
docker info	Display system-wide information
docker help	Show help for Docker commands
docker images	List all images
docker ps	List running containers
docker ps -a	List all containers (running and stopped)
docker pull <image>	Pull an image from registry
docker run <image>	Run a container from image
docker stop <container>	Stop a running container
docker start <container>	Start a stopped container
docker restart <container>	Restart a container
docker rm <container>	Remove a container
docker rmi <image>	Remove an image

Container Management

Command	Description
docker run -d <image>	Run container in detached mode
docker run -it <image>	Run container interactively
docker run -p 8080:80 <image>	Map port 8080 to container port 80
docker run -v /host:/container <image>	Mount volume
docker run --name <name> <image>	Run container with custom name
docker exec -it <container> bash	Execute bash in running container
docker logs <container>	View container logs
docker logs -f <container>	Follow container logs
docker inspect <container>	Inspect container details
docker stats	Show container resource usage
docker top <container>	Show running processes in container

Image Management

Command	Description
docker build -t <name> .	Build image from Dockerfile
docker build -t <name>:<tag> .	Build image with tag
docker tag <image> <new-name>	Tag an image
docker push <image>	Push image to registry
docker save <image> > file.tar	Save image to tar file
docker load < file.tar	Load image from tar file
docker history <image>	Show image history
docker search <term>	Search for images in registry

Docker Compose

Command	Description
docker-compose up	Start services defined in compose file
docker-compose up -d	Start services in detached mode
docker-compose down	Stop and remove containers
docker-compose build	Build or rebuild services
docker-compose logs	View logs for all services
docker-compose ps	List containers
docker-compose exec <service> bash	Execute command in service
docker-compose pull	Pull latest images
docker-compose restart	Restart services

Network Management

Command	Description
docker network ls	List networks
docker network create <name>	Create a network
docker network rm <name>	Remove a network
docker network inspect <name>	Inspect network details
docker run --network <name> <image>	Run container on specific network

Volume Management

Command	Description
docker volume ls	List volumes
docker volume create <name>	Create a volume
docker volume rm <name>	Remove a volume
docker volume inspect <name>	Inspect volume details
docker volume prune	Remove unused volumes

Common Workflows

Development Workflow

# Build and run application
docker build -t myapp .
docker run -p 3000:3000 myapp

# Development with volume mounting
docker run -p 3000:3000 -v $(pwd):/app myapp

# Using Docker Compose for development
docker-compose up --build

Production Deployment

# Build production image
docker build -t myapp:prod .

# Tag for registry
docker tag myapp:prod registry.com/myapp:latest

# Push to registry
docker push registry.com/myapp:latest

# Deploy on production server
docker pull registry.com/myapp:latest
docker run -d -p 80:3000 --name myapp-prod registry.com/myapp:latest

Container Debugging

# Check container logs
docker logs -f container-name

# Execute shell in running container
docker exec -it container-name bash

# Inspect container configuration
docker inspect container-name

# Check resource usage
docker stats container-name

Best Practices

Dockerfile Optimization

• Use multi-stage builds to reduce image size
• Leverage build cache by ordering instructions properly
• Use specific base image tags, avoid latest
• Minimize the number of layers
• Use .dockerignore to exclude unnecessary files

Security

• Run containers as non-root user
• Use official base images when possible
• Regularly update base images
• Scan images for vulnerabilities
• Limit container resources (CPU, memory)

Performance

• Use appropriate base images (alpine for smaller size)
• Optimize layer caching
• Use health checks for containers
• Monitor container resource usage
• Use volumes for persistent data

Production Deployment

• Use orchestration tools (Docker Swarm, Kubernetes)
• Implement proper logging and monitoring
• Use secrets management for sensitive data
• Set up automated backups
• Implement rolling updates