Cheatsheets

    • Docker Cheatsheet

    Complete Docker cheatsheet covering containers, images, Docker Compose, services, stacks, and Docker Machine commands.

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    Docker Cheatsheet

    Docker

    Containers

    DevOps

    Orchestration

    Complete reference for Docker commands, from basic container operations to advanced orchestration with Docker Compose, services, stacks, and Docker Machine.

    Quick Reference

    🐳 Basic Commands

    Essential Docker container and image operations

    🔧 Docker Compose

    Multi-container application management

    ⚙️ Services & Stacks

    Production deployment and scaling

    🖥️ Docker Machine

    Virtual machine provisioning and management

    Basic Docker Commands

    Getting Started

    docker init

    Create image using this directory's Dockerfile

    docker build -t friendlyname .

    Run "friendlyname" mapping port 4000 to 80

    docker run -p 4000:80 friendlyname

    Same thing, but in detached mode

    docker run -d -p 4000:80 friendlyname

    Container Management

    Enter a running container

    docker exec -it [container-id] bash

    See a list of all running containers

    docker ps

    See a list of all containers, even the ones not running

    docker ps -a

    Gracefully stop the specified container

    docker stop <hash>

    Force shutdown of the specified container

    docker kill <hash>

    Remove the specified container from this machine

    docker rm <hash>

    Remove force specified container from this machine

    docker rm -f <hash>

    Remove all containers from this machine

    docker rm $(docker ps -a -q)

    Image Management

    Show all images on this machine

    docker images -a

    Remove the specified image from this machine

    docker rmi <imagename>

    Remove all images from this machine

    docker rmi $(docker images -q)

    Tag <image> for upload to registry

    docker tag <image> username/repository:tag

    Upload tagged image to registry

    docker push username/repository:tag

    Run image from a registry

    docker run username/repository:tag

    Logging and Registry

    Live tail a container's logs

    docker logs <container-id> -f

    Log in this CLI session using your Docker credentials

    docker login

    System Cleanup

    Remove all unused containers, networks, images (both dangling and unreferenced), and optionally, volumes

    docker system prune

    Remove all unused containers, networks, images not just dangling ones

    docker system prune -a

    Remove all unused local volumes

    docker volume prune

    Remove all unused networks

    docker network prune

    Docker Compose

    Docker Compose is perfect for defining and running multi-container Docker applications using a YAML file.

    Basic Operations

    Create and start containers

    docker-compose up

    Create and start containers in detached mode

    docker-compose up -d

    Stop and remove containers, networks, images, and volumes

    docker-compose down

    Restart all service

    docker-compose restart

    Development & Debugging

    View output from containers

    docker-compose logs

    Validate and view the Compose file

    docker-compose config

    Display the running processes

    docker-compose top

    Start web service and runs bash as its command, remove old container

    docker-compose run -rm -p 2022:22 web bash

    Image & Service Management

    Pull all image service

    docker-compose pull

    Build all image service

    docker-compose build

    Scale special service(s)

    docker-compose scale <service_name>=<replica>

    Docker Services

    Docker services are used in Docker Swarm mode for managing containerized applications across multiple nodes.

    Service Management

    Create new service

    docker service create <options> <image> <command>

    List Services

    docker service ls

    List the tasks of Services

    docker service ps

    Display detailed information Service(s)

    docker service inspect --pretty <service_name>

    Scaling & Updates

    Scale special service(s)

    docker service scale <service_name>=<replica>

    Update Service options

    docker service update <options> <service_name>

    Docker Stack

    Docker Stack is used to deploy and manage a complete application stack in Docker Swarm mode.

    Stack Operations

    List all running applications on this Docker host

    docker stack ls

    Run the specified Compose file

    docker stack deploy -c <composefile> <appname>

    List the services associated with an app

    docker stack services <appname>

    List the running containers associated with an app

    docker stack ps <appname>

    Tear down an application

    docker stack rm <appname>

    Docker Machine

    Docker Machine is primarily used for provisioning Docker hosts on various platforms and cloud providers.

    Machine Creation

    Create a VM (Mac, Win7, Linux)

    docker-machine create --driver virtualbox myvm1

    Win10

    docker-machine create -d hyperv --hyperv-virtual-switch "myswitch" myvm1

    Machine Management

    Start a VM that is currently not running

    docker-machine start myvm1

    Stop all running VMs

    docker-machine stop $(docker-machine ls -q)

    Delete all VMs and their disk images

    docker-machine rm $(docker-machine ls -q)

    Machine Information & Access

    View basic information about your node

    docker-machine env myvm1

    Open an SSH session with the VM; type "exit" to end

    docker-machine ssh myvm1

    Copy file to node's home dir

    docker-machine scp docker-compose.yml myvm1:~

    Swarm Operations via Machine

    List the nodes in your swarm

    docker-machine ssh myvm1 "docker node ls"

    Inspect a node

    docker-machine ssh myvm1 "docker node inspect <node ID>"

    View join token

    docker-machine ssh myvm1 "docker swarm join-token -q worker"

    Make the worker leave the swarm

    docker-machine ssh myvm2 "docker swarm leave"

    Make master leave, kill swarm

    docker-machine ssh myvm1 "docker swarm leave -f"

    Deploy an app

    docker-machine ssh myvm1 "docker stack deploy -c <file> <app>"

    Best Practices

    Follow these Docker best practices for better performance and security.

    • Use .dockerignore to exclude unnecessary files from the build context
    • Multi-stage builds to keep final images small and secure
    • Non-root users in containers for better security
    • Health checks to monitor container health
    • Resource limits to prevent containers from consuming too many resources
    • Environment-specific configs using environment variables
    • Regular cleanup of unused images, containers, and volumes

    Learn More

    Explore comprehensive Docker documentation

    Resources

    Written by

    Deepak Jangra

    Created At

    Wed Jan 15 2025

    Updated At

    Fri Jun 13 2025

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