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Docker Essentials

Version: 24.xPublished: 2026-01-16docker/core

Essential Docker commands for container management.

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Images

ExampleDescription
docker pull nginx:latest
Pull image
Download an image from a registry.
docker images
List images
Show all local images.
docker build -t myapp:1.0 .
Build image
Build image from Dockerfile in current directory.
docker rmi nginx:latest
Remove image
Delete a local image.
docker image prune -a
Prune unused
Remove all unused images.

Containers

ExampleDescription
docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx
Run
Start a container in detached mode with port mapping.
docker ps
List running
Show running containers.
docker ps -a
List all
Show all containers including stopped.
docker stop my-container
Stop
Gracefully stop a running container.
docker rm my-container
Remove
Delete a stopped container.
docker logs -f my-container
Logs
Follow container logs in real-time.

Exec & Debug

ExampleDescription
docker exec -it my-container /bin/sh
Shell into container
Open interactive shell in running container.
docker exec my-container cat /etc/hosts
Run command
Execute a command in a running container.
docker inspect my-container
Inspect
View detailed container configuration as JSON.
docker stats
Stats
Live resource usage for all containers.

Volumes

ExampleDescription
docker volume create mydata
Create volume
Create a named volume for persistent data.
docker volume ls
List volumes
Show all volumes.
docker run -v mydata:/app/data nginx
Mount volume
Attach a volume to a container.
docker run -v $(pwd):/app nginx
Bind mount
Mount host directory into container.

Networks

ExampleDescription
docker network ls
List networks
Show all Docker networks.
docker network create mynet
Create network
Create a custom bridge network.
docker network connect mynet my-container
Connect container
Add a container to a network.

Cleanup

ExampleDescription
docker container prune
Remove stopped containers
Delete all stopped containers.
docker system prune -a --volumes
System prune
Remove all unused data (images, containers, volumes).
docker system df
Disk usage
Show Docker disk usage summary.