03 - Docker Basic Commands
Docker basic commands
With Docker installed, learn the everyday commands to manage images and containers.
Info and help
Version
docker --version
System info
docker info
Help
docker help
docker run --help
Image commands
Search on Docker Hub
docker search nginx
Pull image
docker pull nginx:latest
List local images
docker images
# or
docker image ls
Remove image
docker rmi nginx:latest
# or
docker image rm nginx:latest
Container commands
Create & start a container
docker run -d --name my-nginx -p 8080:80 nginx
Flags:
-drun detached--name my-nginxcontainer name-p 8080:80map host 8080 → container 80
List running containers
docker ps
List all containers
docker ps -a
Start/stop/restart
docker start my-nginx
docker stop my-nginx
docker restart my-nginx
Exec into container
docker exec -it my-nginx bash
-i keeps STDIN open; -t allocates a pseudo-TTY.
Logs
docker logs my-nginx
docker logs -f my-nginx
Inspect container
docker inspect my-nginx
Remove container
docker rm my-nginx # stopped
docker rm -f my-nginx # force remove running
Practical examples
Run a web server
docker run -d --name webserver -p 8080:80 nginx
Visit http://localhost:8080.
Run a database
docker run -d --name mysql-db \
-e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=my-secret-pw \
-v mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql \
mysql:5.7
-esets env vars.-vmounts the named volume.
Resource usage
docker stats
Docker cheat sheet
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
docker pull | Pull image |
docker run | Create & start container |
docker ps | List running containers |
docker images | List local images |
docker start | Start stopped container |
docker stop | Stop running container |
docker restart | Restart container |
docker exec | Exec in running container |
docker logs | View logs |
docker rm | Remove container |
docker rmi | Remove image |
docker build | Build from Dockerfile |
docker volume | Manage volumes |
docker network | Manage networks |
Summary
You now know the daily Docker commands for images and containers. Next: build custom images with Dockerfile.