Basic Docker Commands | Perfect for beginners

Basic docker commands for beginners

Practice these commands yourself, get your hands dirty check out this Hands On YouTube video demonstrating these commands -

1. Check Docker Version

docker version

2.Check the detailed information of Docker installed

docker info

Docker commands — Images

3. Search an image in Docker hub

docker search <<imagename>> | head -20
docker search ubuntu | head -20
#  will search ubuntu images in the dockerhub and limit the search result to only 20

Note: head command works on bash terminal, for PowerShell terminal in windows use select -first 10

docker search ubuntu | select -first 10

4. Pull and Image from Docker hub

docker pull <<imagename>>
docker pull nginx

5. Check image history (layers in an image)

docker history <<imagename>>
docker history nginx

6. Pull a specific version of an image

docker pull <<imagename>>:<<versiontag>>
docker pull busybox:1.24

7. Verify Downloaded docker images

docker images

8. Remove Docker images

docker rmi <<imagename>>
docker rmi nginx

9. Download and run an image in docker container using run command

docker run <<imagename>>
docker run --name cntnginx -d nginx
# --name to specify a name for the running container. In this example, it is cntnginx
# -d to run the container in background (detached mode)

Docker Commands — Containers

10. List running containers

docker ps

11. List all containers (This includes containers in all state)

docker ps -a

12. Inspect container object

docker inspect <<containername/containerid>>
docker inspect cntnginx

13. Print the stats for a running container

docker stats <<containername/containerid>>
docker stats cntnginx

14. Pause a running container

docker pause <<containername/containerid>>
docker pause cntnginx

15. Unpause a paused container

docker unpause <<containername/containerid>>
docker unpause cntnginx

16. Kill a running container

docker kill <<containername/containerid>>
docker kill cntnginx

17. Start a killed container

docker start <<containername/containerid>>
docker start cntnginx

18. Stop a running container

docker stop <<containername/containerid>>
docker stop cntnginx

19. Delete a container

docker rm <<containername/containerid>>
docker rm cntnginx

20. To remove all stopped containers

docker container prune

21. Export a container as an image (.tar file)

docker export <<containername/contianerid>> -o <<filename>>.tar
docker run --name newnginxcontainer -d nginx
docker export newnginxcontainer -o test.tar

# Note: You must have permissions on the folder where you are saving the test.tar
# use `chmod 777 ./` for permissions in case if you are facing an permission denied error.

22. Import an exported container image (.tar file)

docker import <<remoteurl/imagename.tar>>
docker import test.tar