Managing Docker Containers

A practical reference for day-to-day Docker container management.

Run a Container

docker run nginx                        # Run in foreground
docker run -d nginx                     # Run in background (detached)
docker run -d --name webserver nginx    # Give it a name
docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx         # Map host port 8080 to container port 80
docker run -d --restart=always nginx   # Auto-restart on crash or reboot

List Containers

docker ps           # Running containers
docker ps -a        # All containers (including stopped)

Start / Stop / Restart

docker start webserver
docker stop webserver
docker restart webserver

Enter a Running Container

docker exec -it webserver bash    # Open a shell
docker exec -it webserver sh      # For Alpine-based images

View Container Logs

docker logs webserver
docker logs -f webserver          # Follow live logs
docker logs --tail 100 webserver  # Last 100 lines

Inspect a Container

docker inspect webserver          # Full JSON details
docker stats webserver            # Live CPU/memory usage

Remove Containers

docker stop webserver && docker rm webserver
docker rm -f webserver            # Force-remove a running container

Clean Up Everything Unused

docker system prune               # Remove stopped containers, unused networks/images
docker system prune -a            # Also remove unused images
docker system prune --volumes     # Also remove unused volumes