Docker container commands

Here’s a comprehensive guide to Docker container commands with explanations and examples. I’ll organize them by category so it’s easy to reference.

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1. Running Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker run <image>	Run a container from an image	docker run nginx
docker run -d <image>	Run container in detached mode (background)	docker run -d nginx
docker run -it <image>	Run container interactively with terminal	docker run -it ubuntu bash
docker run --name <name> <image>	Assign a custom name	docker run --name mynginx -d nginx
docker run -p <host>:<container> <image>	Map ports from host to container	docker run -p 8080:80 nginx
docker run -v <host>:<container> <image>	Mount a volume	docker run -v $(pwd):/app -it ubuntu bash
docker run --rm <image>	Remove container after exit	docker run --rm ubuntu echo "Hello"
docker run --env <VAR>=<value> <image>	Set environment variables	docker run -e ENV=dev ubuntu env

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2. Listing Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker ps	List running containers	docker ps
docker ps -a	List all containers (running + stopped)	docker ps -a
docker ps -q	List only container IDs	docker ps -q

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3. Managing Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker start <container>	Start a stopped container	docker start mynginx
docker stop <container>	Stop a running container	docker stop mynginx
docker restart <container>	Restart container	docker restart mynginx
docker pause <container>	Pause container processes	docker pause mynginx
docker unpause <container>	Resume paused container	docker unpause mynginx
docker kill <container>	Kill container immediately	docker kill mynginx
docker rm <container>	Remove container	docker rm mynginx
docker rm -f <container>	Force remove running container	docker rm -f mynginx
docker rename <old> <new>	Rename a container	docker rename mynginx nginx1

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4. Accessing & Executing in Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker exec -it <container> <command>	Run a command in a running container	docker exec -it mynginx bash
docker attach <container>	Attach terminal to a running container	docker attach mynginx
docker logs <container>	View logs of a container	docker logs mynginx
docker logs -f <container>	Stream logs in real-time	docker logs -f mynginx
docker top <container>	Show running processes inside container	docker top mynginx
docker stats <container>	Real-time resource usage	docker stats mynginx

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5. Inspecting Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker inspect <container>	Detailed JSON info	docker inspect mynginx
docker diff <container>	Show changes in filesystem	docker diff mynginx
docker port <container>	Show port mappings	docker port mynginx

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6. Copying Files

Command	Purpose	Example
docker cp <src> <container>:<dest>	Copy from host to container	docker cp index.html mynginx:/usr/share/nginx/html/
docker cp <container>:<src> <dest>	Copy from container to host	docker cp mynginx:/usr/share/nginx/html/index.html ./

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7. Committing & Exporting Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker commit <container> <image>	Save container state as new image	docker commit mynginx mynginx:v1
docker export <container> -o file.tar	Export container filesystem as tar	docker export mynginx -o nginx.tar
docker import <file.tar> <image>	Import tar as image	docker import nginx.tar mynginx:imported

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8. Cleaning Up Containers

Command	Purpose	Example
docker container prune	Remove all stopped containers	docker container prune
docker rm $(docker ps -aq)	Remove all containers	docker rm $(docker ps -aq)

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✅ Tips for Working with Containers

1. Use --name for easy reference instead of container ID.
2. Always clean stopped containers (docker container prune) to save space.
3. Use docker exec -it to debug running containers instead of starting a new one.
4. Map host ports carefully to avoid conflicts (-p).
5. For dev, use --rm to automatically remove containers when done.