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Docker Cheatsheet

A concise reference for Docker commands and concepts, ideal for quick lookups and efficient Docker workflows.

Basic Commands

Image Management

docker pull <image>

Download an image from Docker Hub.

docker images

List available images locally.

docker rmi <image>

Remove an image.

docker build -t <image> .

Build an image from a Dockerfile in the current directory.

docker tag <source_image> <target_image>

Tag an image.

docker push <image>

Push image to Docker Hub or registry.

Container Management

docker run <image>

Create and start a container.

docker ps

List running containers.

docker ps -a

List all containers (running and stopped).

docker stop <container>

Stop a running container.

docker start <container>

Start a stopped container.

docker restart <container>

Restart a container.

docker rm <container>

Remove a stopped container.

docker exec -it <container> <command>

Execute a command inside a container.

Networking

docker network create <network>

Create a new network.

docker network ls

List available networks.

docker network connect <network> <container>

Connect a container to a network.

docker port <container>

List port mappings for a container.

Dockerfile Instructions

Essential Instructions

FROM <image>

Specifies the base image for the Dockerfile.

RUN <command>

Executes commands during the image build process.

CMD <command>

Specifies the default command to run when the container starts.

EXPOSE <port>

Declares the port the container listens on.

ENV <key> <value>

Sets environment variables.

COPY <src> <dest>

Copies files/directories from the host to the container.

ADD <src> <dest>

Similar to COPY, but can also extract archives and fetch URLs.

WORKDIR <path>

Sets the working directory for subsequent instructions.

User and Volume Management

USER <user>

Sets the user for subsequent RUN, CMD, and ENTRYPOINT instructions.

VOLUME <path>

Creates a mount point for persistent storage.

STOPSIGNAL <signal>

Signal to be used to stop the container

ARG <name>[=<default value>]

Defines a build argument.

Docker Compose

Compose File Structure

A docker-compose.yml file defines services, networks, and volumes for a multi-container Docker application.

Key elements include:

  • version: Specifies the Compose file version.
  • services: Defines individual containers.
  • networks: Defines networks used by the services.
  • volumes: Defines persistent data volumes.

Common Compose Commands

docker-compose up

Builds, (re)creates, starts, and attaches to containers defined in a docker-compose.yml file.

docker-compose up -d

Runs the containers in detached mode (background).

docker-compose down

Stops and removes containers, networks, and volumes defined in the Compose file.

docker-compose ps

Lists the containers defined in the Compose file.

docker-compose logs

View the logs of the containers.

docker-compose stop

Stop services

docker-compose start

Start services

docker-compose restart

Restart services

Service Configuration

image

Specifies the image to use for the service.

build

Specifies the path to the Dockerfile to build the image.

ports

Exposes ports from the container to the host.

volumes

Mounts volumes to the container.

environment

Sets environment variables for the service.

depends_on

Defines service dependencies.

networks

Attaches the service to a network.

Docker Swarm

Swarm Initialization and Management

docker swarm init

Initializes a new Swarm cluster. Run this on the manager node.

docker swarm join

Joins a node to an existing Swarm cluster. Use the token provided by docker swarm init.

docker swarm leave

Leaves the Swarm cluster. Use --force if the node is unreachable.

docker node ls

Lists the nodes in the Swarm cluster.

docker node inspect <node_id>

Inspect a specific node.

docker node update <node_id>

Update node’s role and availability.

Service Deployment and Scaling

docker service create

Creates a new service in the Swarm cluster.

docker service ls

Lists the services running in the Swarm cluster.

docker service update

Updates an existing service (e.g., scale, update image).

docker service scale <service_id>=<number_of_replicas>

Scales a service to the specified number of replicas.

docker service inspect <service_id>

Inspect a specific service.

docker service logs <service_id>

View logs for a specific service.

docker service rm <service_id>

Removes a service from the Swarm cluster.

Stack Deployment

docker stack deploy -c <compose_file>.yml <stack_name>

Deploy a stack based on a compose file.

docker stack ls

List deployed stacks.

docker stack rm <stack_name>

Remove a deployed stack.

docker stack ps <stack_name>

List the tasks in the stack.
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