Docker Cli Essential Commands

Explore Docker CLI with essential commands for listing, running, inspecting, and managing containers.

Table of Contents

• Listing Docker Containers
• List all containers (including exited ones) without truncating names
• List all containers (running and stopped)
• List only container IDs
• List containers with detailed information
• List containers based on filters (example: –filter status=running)
• Running a Container
• Run a single instance of centos:7 image and execute ping command
• Viewing Container Information
• List all running containers
• List all containers (running and stopped) with ps
• Starting and Stopping Containers
• Run a container in detached mode (background)
• Verify the container is running (after running in detached mode)
• Inspecting Container Logs
• View logs of a specific container (replace [containerid] with actual ID)
• View only the most recent logs of a container (replace [containerid] with actual ID)
• Follow container logs in real-time (replace [containerid] with actual ID)
• Additional Commands
• Conclusion

Docker has become a cornerstone of modern application development. By containerizing applications, Docker streamlines deployment, simplifies collaboration, and promotes portability. This blog post delves into some fundamental Docker commands you’ll encounter frequently.

Listing Docker Containers

sudo docker container ls -a --no-trunc        

List all containers (including exited ones) without truncating names

sudo docker container ls -a --no-trunc
sudo docker container ls -a        

List all containers (running and stopped)

sudo docker container ls -a
sudo docker container ls -a -q        

List only container IDs

sudo docker container ls -a -q
sudo docker container ls -l        

List containers with detailed information

sudo docker container ls -l
sudo docker container ls -a --filter ""        

List containers based on filters (example: –filter status=running)

sudo docker container ls -a --filter ""        

Running a Container

sudo docker container run centos:7 ping 127.0.0.1 -c 10        

Run a single instance of centos:7 image and execute ping command

sudo docker container run centos:7 ping 127.0.0.1 -c 10        

Viewing Container Information

sudo docker ps        

List all running containers

sudo docker ps
sudo docker ps -a        

List all containers (running and stopped) with ps

sudo docker ps -a        

Starting and Stopping Containers

sudo docker container run -d centos:7 ping 127.0.0.1        

Run a container in detached mode (background)

sudo docker container run -d centos:7 ping 127.0.0.1
sudo docker ps        

Verify the container is running (after running in detached mode)

sudo docker ps        

Inspecting Container Logs

sudo docker container logs [containerid]        

View logs of a specific container (replace [containerid] with actual ID)

sudo docker container logs [containerid]
sudo docker container logs --tail [containerid]        

View only the most recent logs of a container (replace [containerid] with actual ID)

sudo docker container logs --tail [containerid]
sudo docker container logs --tail 10 [containerid]
sudo docker container logs -f [containerid]        

Follow container logs in real-time (replace [containerid] with actual ID)

sudo docker container logs -f [containerid]        

Additional Commands

sudo docker container start [containerid]: Starts a stopped container.
sudo docker container stop [containerid]: Stops a running container.
sudo docker container rm [containerid]: Removes a container.
        

Conclusion

This blog post provides a brief overview of essential Docker commands. By mastering these commands, you’ll be well on your way to effectively managing containers and building robust applications with Docker. Note: Replace [containerid] with the actual ID of the container whenever applicable in the commands.