Docker Cheatsheet and Reference

A comprehensive command reference for Docker, organized by task. Use this module as a quick-lookup guide during daily operations.

Container Lifecycle

Command	Description
docker run -d --name app IMAGE	Start container in background
docker run --rm -it IMAGE sh	Start temporary interactive container
docker ps	List running containers
docker ps -a	List all containers (including stopped)
docker stop CONTAINER	Gracefully stop (SIGTERM → SIGKILL after timeout)
docker kill CONTAINER	Force stop immediately (SIGKILL)
docker rm CONTAINER	Remove a stopped container
docker rm -f CONTAINER	Force remove a running container
docker restart CONTAINER	Stop and start a container
docker rename OLD NEW	Rename a container

Images

Command	Description
docker build -t NAME:TAG .	Build image from Dockerfile
docker build --no-cache -t NAME .	Build without layer cache
docker images	List local images
docker pull NAME:TAG	Download image from registry
docker push NAME:TAG	Upload image to registry
docker tag SOURCE TARGET	Create a new tag for an image
docker rmi IMAGE	Delete a local image
docker image prune	Delete dangling images (<none>)
docker image prune -a	Delete all unused images
docker history IMAGE	Show image layer history
docker image inspect IMAGE	Show image metadata as JSON

Inspect & Debug

Command	Description
docker logs CONTAINER	View container logs
docker logs -f --tail=100 CONTAINER	Follow last 100 lines live
docker logs --since=15m CONTAINER	Logs from last 15 minutes
docker exec -it CONTAINER sh	Open a shell inside a container
docker exec CONTAINER CMD	Run a single command inside container
docker inspect CONTAINER	Full JSON metadata
docker stats	Live CPU/memory/network usage
docker top CONTAINER	Show running processes
docker cp CONTAINER:SRC DEST	Copy files from container
docker cp SRC CONTAINER:DEST	Copy files into container
docker diff CONTAINER	Show filesystem changes

Network & Volumes

Command	Description
docker network ls	List networks
docker network create NAME	Create a user-defined network
docker network inspect NAME	View network details and members
docker network connect NET CONTAINER	Attach container to network
docker network disconnect NET CONTAINER	Detach container from network
docker network rm NAME	Remove a network
docker volume ls	List all volumes
docker volume create NAME	Create a named volume
docker volume inspect NAME	View volume details
docker volume rm NAME	Remove a volume (data loss!)
docker port CONTAINER	Show port mappings

Compose

Command	Description
docker compose up -d	Start stack in background
docker compose down	Stop and remove stack
docker compose down -v	Stop, remove stack AND volumes
docker compose ps	List stack services
docker compose logs -f	Follow all service logs
docker compose logs -f SERVICE	Follow one service's logs
docker compose pull	Pull latest images for all services
docker compose build	Rebuild service images
docker compose restart SERVICE	Restart a service
docker compose config	Validate and render merged config
docker compose exec SERVICE sh	Shell into a running service

Cleanup

Command	Description	Risk
docker image prune	Remove dangling images	Safe
docker container prune	Remove stopped containers	Safe
docker network prune	Remove unused networks	Safe
docker builder prune	Remove build cache	Safe
docker volume prune	Remove unused volumes	⚠ Data loss
docker system prune	Remove containers, images, networks, cache	⚠ Check first
docker system prune -a --volumes	Remove everything unused	❌ Dangerous
docker system df	Check what's using disk space	Read-only
docker system df -v	Detailed disk usage breakdown	Read-only

Detailed References

For expanded command explanations with examples:

Reference Page	What It Covers
Core Engine Commands	docker version, info, system df, events, diagnostics
Image and Build Commands	docker build, tag, push, multi-stage, .dockerignore
Container Ops Commands	docker run, exec, logs, inspect, debugging workflows
Network and Volume Commands	Network creation, DNS testing, volume management, backup
Compose Commands	docker compose lifecycle, multi-file, production workflows