Essential Docker Commands Cheat Sheet: 20+ Must‑Know Commands

Docker Essential Commands Cheat Sheet

Docker has become the de‑facto standard for containerising applications. Whether you are a developer, DevOps engineer or system administrator, mastering the most frequently used Docker commands is essential for efficient deployment and management of modern, portable applications.

1. General Docker Commands

docker info

– Display system‑wide information. docker --help – Show help for Docker and its sub‑commands.

2. Docker Registry

docker login

– Log in to a Docker registry (default if no server specified). docker logout – Log out and remove stored credentials.

3. Docker Images

docker build -t <your_image_name> [options] <dockerfile_path>

– Build a custom image from a Dockerfile. docker tag <source_image> <target_image> – Create a new tag for an existing image. docker images – List all images on the host (add -a to include intermediate images). docker pull <image_name> – Download an image from a registry. docker push <image_name> – Upload an image to a registry. docker save -o <output_file> <image_name> – Export an image to a .tar file. docker load -i <image_archive.tar> – Import an image from a .tar file. docker rmi <image_name[:tag]> – Remove one or more images.

4. Docker Containers

docker run [options] <image>

– Create and start a new container (options for naming, port mapping, environment variables, volume mounts, network mode, privileged mode, interactive shell, etc.). docker ps – List running containers (add -a to include stopped ones). docker stop/start/restart <container_name> – Manage container lifecycle. docker rm <container_name> – Remove a stopped container (add -f to force removal of a running container). docker logs [options] <container_name> – Retrieve container logs. docker exec [options] <container_name> <command> – Run a command inside a running container (e.g., docker exec -it mycontainer /bin/bash). docker cp <container>:/path/to/file /host/path – Copy files between a container and the host.

5. Docker Cleanup

docker system prune

– Remove all stopped containers, unused images and networks. docker system prune -a – Same as above but also removes all unused images.

These commands cover the most common tasks for building, distributing, running, and maintaining Docker containers and images.