Docker Cheat Sheet Series (1/5): Daily Basics

Short scenarios. Copy/paste commands. Minimal notes.

Run a container

Goal: Verify Docker works by running something simple.

docker run --rm hello-world

Notes

• --rm removes the container automatically after it exits.

Pull an image + list local images

Goal: Download an image and confirm it exists locally.

docker pull nginx:latest
docker images

Notes

• Prefer explicit tags in real work (avoid surprises).

List containers + view logs

Goal: See what’s running and inspect output.

docker ps
docker ps -a

docker logs <container_name_or_id>
# follow logs:
docker logs -f <container_name_or_id>

Notes

• Use docker ps -a to find exited containers.

Exec into a running container

Goal: Open a shell (or run a command) inside a container.

docker exec -it <container_name_or_id> sh
# if bash exists:
docker exec -it <container_name_or_id> bash

# run a single command:
docker exec <container_name_or_id> ls -la

Notes

• Many minimal images only have sh, not bash.

Stop/remove containers (cleanup)

Goal: Stop running containers and remove unused ones.

# stop
docker stop <container_name_or_id>

# remove a container (must be stopped)
docker rm <container_name_or_id>

# remove a running container (force)
docker rm -f <container_name_or_id>

Notes

• If you used --rm, you often won’t need docker rm.