Saturday 23 Aug 2025

Docker Commands You Should Know

I have been working with Docker for a while now. I use it to manage my home-lab services. When working with Docker, having the right commands on hand can save you a lot of time and headaches. Whether you're managing containers or accessing them for debugging, here’s a quick guide to some essential Docker commands I have found useful.

1. Get Names of Containers

To see all your running containers and their names, use:

docker ps --format "{{.Names}}"

2. Start Your App Using Docker Compose

Before you fire up your app, make sure you're in the right directory. Once you're there, simply run:

docker compose up -d

If you've updated your config file and want to reapply the changes, just run the up command again.

3. Stop the Containers

To stop all running containers, use:

docker compose down -d

Or, if you only want to stop a single container, run:

docker stop [container_name]

4. Accessing a Running Container

Need to get into a running container to troubleshoot or run commands? Here's how you do it:

First, list the running containers:

docker container ls

Get the container ID you need and then:

docker exec -it [container_id] bash

5. Show All Docker Images

Want to see a list of all the images you have locally? Run:

docker images

or to get a more detailed list:

docker image ls