10 Essential Docker Commands Every Developer Should Bookmark

Docker is a core component of modern large‑scale architectures. Below is a practical reference of the most commonly used Docker commands for developers.

1. docker run – Start a container (core command)

Command syntax: docker run [options] IMAGE Example – launch a Redis container: docker run -d --name redis -p 6379:6379 redis Parameter table: -d – run in background (detached) --name – assign a container name -p – map host port to container port

After execution the host port 6379 maps to the Redis container.

2. Start a Spring Boot service

docker run -d --name user-service -p 8080:8080 user-service:v1

The service becomes reachable at http://localhost:8080.

3. docker ps – List running containers

docker ps

Example output:

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE
a12345         redis
b67890         mysql

Use docker ps -a to include stopped containers.

4. docker images – List local images

docker images

Example output:

REPOSITORY      TAG
user-service    v1
mysql           8.0

Common operations: docker images to view, docker rmi IMAGE_ID to delete unused images.

5. docker build – Build an image from a Dockerfile

Sample Dockerfile:

FROM openjdk:17
COPY app.jar .
ENTRYPOINT ["java","-jar","app.jar"]

Build command: docker build -t user-service:v1 . Parameters: -t – tag the image name . – use the current directory as build context

6. docker logs – View container logs

Basic usage: docker logs CONTAINER_NAME Example – view recent 100 lines of the user-service logs: docker logs --tail 100 user-service Use -f to follow logs in real time.

7. docker exec – Execute a command inside a running container

Enter a Redis container: docker exec -it redis bash Inside you can run ls, ps -ef, or test the service with curl localhost:6379.

8. docker stop and docker start – Stop and restart containers

docker stop redis
docker start redis

Stopping changes the container state to stopped; starting restores it.

9. docker rm – Remove containers

Remove a container: docker rm redis Force removal (even if running): docker rm -f redis Note: removing a container does not delete its image.

10. docker cp – Copy files between host and container

Copy a configuration file from host to container:

docker cp config.yml user-service:/app/config.yml

Copy a log file from container to host: docker cp user-service:/app/log.txt ./log.txt Typical uses: modify config files, export logs, retrieve build artifacts.

11. docker network – Manage container networks

List networks: docker network ls Create a custom network: docker network create app-net Run a container attached to the network:

docker run --network app-net -d --name redis redis

Other services (e.g., user-service, MySQL) can join the same network and communicate via container names, e.g., redis:6379.

These commands cover the essential Docker workflow for development, debugging, and deployment in microservice environments.