Create and start a container.

docker run nginx                          # run in foreground
docker run -d nginx                       # run in background (detached)
docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx            # map port 8080 → 80
docker run -d --name web nginx            # give it a name
docker run -it ubuntu bash                # interactive terminal
docker run --rm nginx                     # auto-remove when stopped
docker run -v ./data:/app/data nginx      # mount a volume
docker run -e DB_HOST=localhost nginx      # set environment variable
docker run --env-file .env nginx          # load env from file

List running containers.

docker ps                     # running containers
docker ps -a                  # all containers (including stopped)
docker ps -q                  # only IDs (useful for scripting)

Control container lifecycle.

docker stop web               # graceful stop
docker start web              # start a stopped container
docker restart web            # restart
docker kill web               # force stop
docker stop $(docker ps -q)   # stop ALL running containers

Remove containers.

docker rm web                         # remove stopped container
docker rm -f web                      # force remove (even if running)
docker rm $(docker ps -aq)            # remove ALL containers
docker container prune                # remove all stopped containers

View container output.

docker logs web               # all logs
docker logs -f web            # follow (like tail -f)
docker logs --tail 50 web     # last 50 lines
docker logs --since 1h web    # last hour

Run a command inside a running container.

docker exec web ls /app               # run a command
docker exec -it web bash              # open a shell
docker exec -it web sh                # if bash isn't available

Build an image from a Dockerfile.

docker build .                        # build from current directory
docker build -t myapp:latest .        # tag the image
docker build -t myapp:v1.0 .         # version tag
docker build -f Dockerfile.prod .     # use specific Dockerfile
docker build --no-cache .             # rebuild without cache

List local images.

docker images                 # list all images
docker images -q              # only IDs
docker image ls               # same thing

Download or upload images.

docker pull nginx                     # download from Docker Hub
docker pull nginx:1.25                # specific version
docker push myuser/myapp:latest       # push to registry

Remove images.

docker rmi nginx                      # remove an image
docker rmi $(docker images -q)        # remove ALL images
docker image prune                    # remove unused images
docker image prune -a                 # remove ALL unused images

Manage persistent data.

docker volume create mydata           # create a volume
docker volume ls                      # list volumes
docker volume inspect mydata          # details
docker volume rm mydata               # remove
docker volume prune                   # remove unused volumes
Use in run command
docker run -v mydata:/app/data nginx
docker run -v $(pwd):/app nginx       # bind mount current dir

Start all services defined in docker-compose.yml.

docker compose up                     # start (foreground)
docker compose up -d                  # start (background)
docker compose up --build             # rebuild images first
docker compose up -d --force-recreate # recreate containers

Stop and remove containers.

docker compose down                   # stop and remove
docker compose down -v                # also remove volumes
docker compose down --rmi all         # also remove images

Manage running services.

docker compose logs                   # all service logs
docker compose logs -f web            # follow specific service
docker compose exec web bash          # shell into a service
docker compose ps                     # list running services
docker compose restart web            # restart a service

The nuclear option — clean up everything unused.

docker system prune                   # remove unused containers, networks, images
docker system prune -a                # also remove unused images (not just dangling)
docker system prune -a --volumes      # remove EVERYTHING unused
docker system df                      # see disk usage

⚠️ prune -a --volumes will delete data. Make sure you don't need it.