Docker Cheat Sheet: All the

Most Essential Commands

in One Place +
Downloadable PDF
Docker is a popular open-source platform that makes it easy to build,
test, deploy, and manage containerized applications in a consistent,
portable, or virtual environment such as VPS.
While a powerful tool in your development arsenal, learning the different
Docker commands can take time and effort. New users often benefit
from having a Docker cheat sheet readily at hand.
In this tutorial, we will explain how Docker works and provide the most
common Docker commands, along with a downloadable cheat sheet for
you to use.
o Download a Docker Cheat Sheet
o Docker Architecture
o Docker Commands Cheat Sheet
o Build Commands
o Clean Up Commands
o Container Interaction Commands
o Container Inspection Commands
o Manage Images Commands
o Run Commands
o Registry Commands
o Service Commands
o Network Commands

Docker Architecture
Docker architecture consists of five main components: server, client,
container, image, and registry.
Docker Server
A Docker server or Docker daemon is a program that runs in the
background of your computer and manages Docker containers and
images. When you use the Docker command line interface.
(CLI) to create, run, or manage containers, you interact with the Docker
daemon.
The Docker daemon is an essential platform component that ensures
containers can be started and stopped automatically when the system
boots up.
Docker Client
The Docker client lets users interact with the Docker daemon with its
command-line interface (CLI). In simple terms, it’s the main part of the
Docker architecture for creating, managing, and running container
applications.
When you use the Docker CLI to pass a command, the Docker client
sends the command to the Docker daemon running on your computer,
which then carries out the requested operation. The Docker client can
be installed on any machine that needs to interact with the Docker
daemon, including your local machine, a remote server, or a virtual
server.

Docker Container
A Docker container is a package that contains all the required
prerequisites to run an application.
Containers are designed to be highly portable, meaning that they can be
easily moved from one environment to another, such as from a
developer’s laptop to a testing environment or from a testing
environment to a production environment.
Docker Image
A Docker image is a preconfigured template that specifies what should
be included in a Docker container. Usually, images are downloaded from
websites like Docker Hub. However, it’s also possible to create a
custom image with the help of Dockerfile.
Docker Registry
The Docker registry is a central repository that stores and manages
Docker images. It is a server-based system that lets users store and
share Docker images with others, making it easy to distribute and
deploy applications. The most notable Docker registry is Docker Hub.

Docker Commands Cheat Sheet

Now that you know how Docker functions, let’s look at some of the most
popular Docker command examples.

Build Commands
Docker uses the build command for building images from a Docker file.
Some of the most common commands include:
Command Explanation

Builds an image from a Dockerfile in the

docker build
current directory

docker build https://github.com/docker/ Builds an image from a remote GIT

rootfs.git#container:docker repository

docker build -t imagename/tag Builds and tags an image for easier tracking

docker build https://yourserver/file.tar.gz Builds an image from a remote tar archive

docker build -t image:1.0

Builds an image via a Dockerfile that is
-<<EOFFROM busyboxRUN echo “hello
passed through STDIN
world”EOF

Clean Up Commands
To keep your system clean and save disk space, it’s a great idea to
clean up unused images, containers, and volumes. Check the
commands below for more details:
Command Explanation

docker image prune Clears an unused image

docker image prune -a Clears all images that are not being used by containers
 Removes all stopped containers, all networks not used by
docker system prune
containers, all dangling images, and all build cache

docker image rm image Removes an image

docker rm container Removes a running container

docker swarm leave Leaves a swarm

docker stack rm stackname Removes a swarm

docker volume rm $(docker volume

Removes all dangling volumes
ls -f dangling=true -q)

docker rm $(docker ps -a -q) Removes all stopped containers

docker kill $ (docker ps -q) Stops all running containers

Container Interaction Commands

Interact with your Docker container with the following common
commands:
Command Explanation

docker start container Starts a new container

docker stop container Stops a container

docker pause container Pauses a container

docker unpause container Unpauses a container

docker restart container Restarts a container

docker wait container Blocks a container

Exports container contents to a tar

docker export container
archive

docker attach container Attaches to a running container

Waits until the container is

docker wait container
terminated and shows the exit code
docker commit -m “commit message” -a “author” Saves a running container as an
container username/image_name: tag image

docker logs -ft container Follows container logs

docker exec -ti container script.sh Runs a command in a container

docker commit container image Creates a new image from a container

Creates a new container from an

docker create image
image

Container Inspection Commands

Sometimes, you need to inspect your containers for quality assurance or
troubleshooting purposes. These commands help you get an overview of
what different containers are doing:
Command Explanation

docker ps Lists all running containers

docker -ps -a Lists all containers

docker diff container Inspects changes to directories and files in the container filesystem

docker top container Shows all running processes in an existing container

docker inspect container Displays low-level information about a container

docker logs container Gathers the logs for a container

docker stats container Shows container resource usage statistics

Manage Images Commands

Some of the most common image management commands include:
Command Explanation

docker image ls Lists images

 docker image rm mysql Removes an image

docker tag image tag Tags an image

docker history image Displays the image history

docker inspect image Displays low-level information about an image

Run Commands
Docker uses the run command to create containers from provided
images. The default syntax for this command looks like this:
docker run (options) image (command) (arg...)
After the default syntax, use one of the following flags:
Flag Explanation

--detach , -d Runs a container in the background and prints the container ID

--env , -e Sets environment variables

--hostname , -h Sets a hostname to a container

--label , -l Creates a meta data label for a container

--name Assigns a name to a container

--network Connects a container to a network

--rm Removes container when it stops

--read-only Sets the container filesystem as read-only

--workdir , -w Sets a working directory in a container

Registry Commands
If you need to interact with Docker Hub, use the following commands:
Command Explanation

docker login Logs in to a registry

 docker logout Logs out from a registry

docker pull mysql Pulls an image from a registry

docker push repo/ rhel-httpd:latest Pushes an image to a registry

docker search term Searches Docker Hub for images with the specified term

Service Commands
Manage all Docker services with these basic commands:
Command Explanation

docker service ls Lists all services running in a swarm

docker stack services stackname Lists all running services

docker service ps servicename Lists the tasks of a service

docker service update servicename Updates a service

docker service create image Creates a new service

docker service scale servicename=10 Scales one or more replicated services

docker service logs stackname servicename Lists all service logs

Network Commands
If you need to interact with the Docker network, use one of the following
commands:
Command Explanation

docker network create networkname Creates a new network

docker network rm networkname Removes a specified network

docker network ls Lists all networks

docker network connect networkname container Connects a container to a network

docker network disconnect networkname container Disconnects a container from a network

Displays detailed information about a

docker network inspect networkname
network

Suggested Readings
Check out our other Docker tutorials
How to Install Docker on Ubuntu
How to Remove All Docker Images
How to Install WordPress on Docker
How to Create a Docker Container

Conclusion
Docker is a great tool for anyone willing to try out containers. The
learning curve can be steep if you’re unfamiliar with container-based
development. Luckily, having a cheat sheet at hand can speed up the
process, as all common commands are easily reachable, and you don’t
need to look them up on the internet.
In this tutorial, we’ve covered the basics of Docker architecture and
gone through all the basic Docker commands, all of which can be found
in our downloadable Docker cheat sheet.
We hope that you found this Docker tutorial useful. If you have any
questions, leave them in the comments section below.