Free DevOps Tutorials Docker Management Cheat Sheet

This tutorial is a part of our Free DevOps Tutorial Series which describes docker management commands cheat sheet. If you are looking for DevOps Training in Kolkata you can contact us for detailed DevOps Course Modules and available DevOps Projects.

What is Docker?

Docker is a platform and toolset that allows you to develop, deploy, and run applications in lightweight, portable containers. These containers are isolated environments that package an application and its dependencies, including libraries and configuration files, into a single, consistent unit.

Here are some key aspects of Docker:

1. Containerization: Docker uses containerization technology to create containers, which are instances of isolated, lightweight environments. These containers share the same OS kernel but run independently of one another. This makes it possible to run multiple applications or services on the same host without conflicts.
2. Portability: Docker containers are highly portable and can run consistently across different environments, such as development laptops, testing servers, and production servers. This eliminates the “it works on my machine” problem and streamlines application deployment.
3. Version Control: Docker uses images as a template for containers. Images are versioned and can be stored in repositories, similar to version control for source code. This enables teams to manage and distribute application images with ease.
4. Efficiency: Containers are lightweight and have a minimal overhead compared to traditional virtual machines (VMs). They start quickly, use fewer resources, and allow for efficient resource utilization on the host system.
5. Isolation: Containers provide process and file system isolation, which enhances security and ensures that applications and services do not interfere with each other.
6. Orchestration: Docker can be used in conjunction with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes and Docker Swarm to manage and scale containerized applications across clusters of machines.

Docker has become a popular choice for DevOps and software development teams because it simplifies application deployment, improves collaboration between developers and operations teams, and enhances the overall development and deployment workflow. It has revolutionized the way software is packaged and delivered, making it easier to build, ship, and run applications in various computing environments.

Docker Management Cheat Sheet:

 

Docker Basics:

Command	Description	Example
docker --version	Check Docker version	docker --version
docker pull <image>	Pull an image from Docker Hub	docker pull ubuntu:latest
docker images	List locally available images	docker images
docker rmi <image>	Remove an image	docker rmi my_image:1.0
docker run <options> <image>	Create and start a container from an image	docker run -d --name my_container ubuntu:latest
docker ps	List running containers	docker ps
docker ps -a	List all containers (including stopped ones)	docker ps -a
docker start <container>	Start a stopped container	docker start my_container
docker stop <container>	Stop a running container	docker stop my_container
docker restart <container>	Restart a container	docker restart my_container
docker rm <container>	Remove a stopped container	docker rm my_container
docker exec -it <container> <command>	Execute a command in a running container	docker exec -it my_container bash
docker logs <container>	View container logs	docker logs my_container

Image Management:

Command	Description	Example
docker build -t <tag> <path>	Build an image from a Dockerfile	docker build -t my_image:1.0 ./my_app
docker push <image>	Push an image to Docker Hub	docker push my_image:1.0
docker tag <source-image> <target-image>	Create a new tag for an image	docker tag my_image:1.0 my_image:latest
docker login	Log in to a Docker registry	docker login docker.io
docker logout	Log out from a Docker registry	docker logout docker.io

Container Interaction:

Command	Description	Example
docker exec -it <container> <command>	Execute a command in a running container	docker exec -it my_container bash
docker logs <container>	View container logs	docker logs my_container

Network and Volume Management:

Command	Description	Example
docker network ls	List Docker networks	docker network ls
docker volume ls	List Docker volumes	docker volume ls
docker network create <network>	Create a custom Docker network	docker network create my_network
docker volume create <volume>	Create a named Docker volume	docker volume create my_volume

Docker Compose:

Command	Description	Example
docker-compose --version	Check Docker Compose version	docker-compose --version
docker-compose up	Start services defined in a Compose file	docker-compose up -d
docker-compose down	Stop and remove services defined in a Compose file	docker-compose down
docker-compose logs <service>	View logs for a specific service in Compose file	docker-compose logs web_service

Docker Swarm:

Command	Description	Example
docker swarm init	Initialize a Docker Swarm	docker swarm init
docker swarm join-token <worker/manager>	Generate token for worker/manager to join Swarm	docker swarm join-token worker
docker service ls	List services in a Docker Swarm	docker service ls
docker service create <options> <image>	Create a service in a Docker Swarm	docker service create --replicas 3 --name my_service my_image:1.0
docker service scale <service>=<replicas>	Scale a service in a Docker Swarm	docker service scale my_service=5
docker stack deploy -c <compose-file>	Deploy a stack in a Docker Swarm	docker stack deploy -c my_stack.yml my_stack
docker stack ls	List stacks in a Docker Swarm	docker stack ls
docker stack rm <stack>	Remove a stack in a Docker Swarm	docker stack rm my_stack

System Maintenance:

Command	Description	Example
docker info	Display Docker system information	docker info
docker system prune	Remove all stopped containers and unused data	docker system prune -a
docker-compose -f <file> config	Validate a Compose file	docker-compose -f my-compose.yml config

Feel free to use these sections for easier reference to Docker commands and their purposes.