A one-page summary of the most frequent Docker commands for quick reference. See the other pages in this section for full usage.
Images
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker pull <img>:<tag> | Pull an image |
docker images | List local images |
docker build -t <name>:<tag> . | Build an image |
docker tag <src> <dst> | Tag an image |
docker save -o <file>.tar <img> | Export an image |
docker load -i <file>.tar | Import an image |
docker rmi <img> | Remove an image |
docker image prune | Clean dangling images |
Containers
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker run -d -p <h>:<c> --name <n> <img> | Start a container in background |
docker ps / docker ps -a | List running / all containers |
docker exec -it <n> bash | Enter a container |
docker logs -f <n> | Follow logs |
docker stop <n> / docker kill <n> | Graceful / force stop |
docker rm <n> | Remove a container |
docker stats | Live resource usage |
Volumes
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker volume create <name> | Create a volume |
docker volume ls | List volumes |
docker volume prune | Clean unused volumes |
Networks
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker network create <name> | Create a network |
docker network ls | List networks |
docker network inspect <name> | Inspect network details |
Compose
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker compose up -d | Start all services in background |
docker compose ps | Show service status |
docker compose logs -f [svc] | View logs |
docker compose exec <svc> bash | Enter a service container |
docker compose down | Stop and remove containers/networks |
docker compose down -v | Also remove volumes |
System cleanup
| Command | Description |
|---|
docker system df | Show disk usage |
docker system prune -a | Clean all unused resources |
⚠️ docker system prune -a and docker compose down -v permanently delete data and images — run them only when you don't need to keep them.