My personal Docker / Docker Compose cheat sheet. This is just for quick reference.

Core Docker commands

Command Description
docker ps List running containers. Add -a to show stopped containers.
docker images List local images.
docker pull <image> Download an image from a registry.
docker run <image> Run a new container from an image. (Use flags like -d, -p, --name, -v.)
docker exec -it <container> <command> Run an interactive command inside a running container.
docker logs <container> Print container logs. Add -f to follow.
docker stop <container> Gracefully stop a running container.
docker kill <container> Force-stop a running container.
docker start <container> Start an existing (stopped) container.
docker restart <container> Restart a container.
docker rm <container> Remove a stopped container. Add -f to force removal.
docker rmi <image> Remove a local image.
docker stats Live resource usage statistics for containers.
docker system prune -a Clean unused containers, images, networks (use carefully).

Docker image management

Command Description
docker build -t <name>:<tag> . Build an image from a Dockerfile in current directory.
docker tag <image> <repo>:<tag> Tag an image for pushing to a registry.
docker push <repo>:<tag> Push a tagged image to a registry.
docker save -o <file>.tar <image> Export an image to a tar archive.
docker load -i <file>.tar Import an image from a tar archive.

Docker Compose essentials

Command What it does
docker compose up Create and start all services defined in docker-compose.yml.
docker compose up -d Run services in detached mode.
docker compose down Stop and remove containers, networks, and default volumes created by up.
docker compose build Build or rebuild services defined in the Compose file.
docker compose ps List containers for the Compose project.
docker compose logs Show logs for all services. Add -f to follow.
docker compose exec <service> <command> Run a command in a running service container.
docker compose run <service> <command> Run a one-off command in a new container for that service (useful for migrations, tests, shells).
docker compose restart Restart services.
docker compose pull Pull updated images for services.
docker compose config Validate and view the combined Compose configuration.

Some examples

# Run nginx in detached mode, map port 8080 -> 80, name the container
docker run -d -p 8080:80 --name my-nginx nginx

# Get an interactive shell inside a running container
docker exec -it my-container bash

# Build an image from Dockerfile and tag it
docker build -t myapp:latest .

# One-off interactive shell for the "web" service (temporary container removed with --rm)
docker-compose run --rm web bash

# Start compose services in background
docker-compose up -d

# Follow logs for a specific compose service
docker-compose logs -f db

# Remove stopped containers and unused images/networks
docker system prune -a

Common flags

Flag Description Example
-d Run the container in the background (detached mode), so your terminal isn’t blocked. docker run -d nginx
-p Map a host port to a container port - enables access from outside. Format: host:container. docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx → access via http://localhost:8080
--name Assign a custom name to the container (otherwise Docker gives it a random name). docker run -d --name my-nginx nginx
-v Mount a local directory or file into the container (for persistent data or code sharing). Format: host_path:container_path. docker run -d -v $(pwd)/site:/usr/share/nginx/html nginx
-e Set environment variables inside the container. docker run -e ENV=production myapp
--rm Automatically remove the container after it exits. docker run --rm ubuntu echo "Hello"
-it Interactive + TTY (useful for shells). docker run -it ubuntu bash
--network Connect to a specific Docker network. docker run --network my-network myapp
-q List only image IDs (useful for piping into other commands). docker images -q

Cleanup

Remove containers

Command Description
docker rm <container> Remove a specific container (must be stopped).
docker rm -f <container> Force-remove a running container.
docker container prune Remove all stopped containers.

Remove images

Command Description
docker rmi <image> Remove a specific image.
docker rmi $(docker images -q) Remove all images.
docker image prune Remove dangling (unused) images.
docker image prune -a Remove all unused images, not just dangling ones.

Remove volumes

Command Description
docker volume rm <volume> Delete a specific volume.
docker volume prune Remove all unused volumes.

Remove networks

Command Description
docker network rm <network> Delete a specific network.
docker network prune Remove all unused networks.

Global cleanup

Command Description
docker system prune Remove stopped containers, unused networks, and dangling images.
docker system prune -a Remove everything not currently in use, including unused images.
docker system prune -a --volumes Remove everything, including volumes (maximum cleanup).

Ultimate cleanup

docker system prune -af --volumes

alias docker-clean='docker system prune -af --volumes'

Others

Command Description
docker ps -a List all containers (running and stopped).
docker images -q List only image IDs (useful for piping into other commands).
docker stop $(docker ps -aq) Stop all running containers.
docker rm $(docker ps -aq) Remove all containers.