🐳 Docker Cheat Sheet

💡 Why This Cheat Sheet is Your Must-Read Are you tired of constantly searching for that one Docker command you used last month? This cheat sheet is designed to be your single source of truth for day-to-day and production-grade Docker operations.

This guide provides practical, real-world commands for:

• Rapid Development: Speed up your local development with efficient image and container management.

• Production Deployment: Learn the commands for advanced operations like Docker Compose, Volumes, and Networking.

• Troubleshooting: Quickly debug running containers and manage resources effectively with logs and cleanup commands.

• Structured Learning: Every command is broken down into a clear Command, Description, and Use Case to maximize your understanding.

Stop Googling, Start Shipping!

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⭐ Features

• ✔️ Well-organized command categories
• ✔️ Real production use-cases
• ✔️ Clean tables for quick lookup
• ✔️ Beginner-friendly but powerful
• ✔️ Includes Compose, Networks, Volumes, Plugins & Maintenance

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📘 Table of Contents

1. Docker Basics & System Info
2. Container Lifecycle
3. Images
4. Docker Compose
5. Volumes
6. Registry & Hub
7. Networks
8. Logs & Debugging
9. Cleanup & Maintenance
10. Plugin Management
11. Useful Resources

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1. Docker Basics & System Information

Command	Description	Production Use Case	Example
docker --version	Shows installed Docker version.	Verify environment before deployment.	docker -v
docker info	Displays system-wide details (containers, images, drivers).	Debugging host-level issues.	docker info
docker pull <image>	Downloads an image from registry.	Retrieve base images for deployment.	docker pull nginx:latest
docker images	Lists all local images.	Audit and cleanup.	docker image ls
docker ps	Shows running containers.	Check active services quickly.	docker container ls
docker ps -a	Shows all containers (including stopped).	Debug recently failed services.	docker container ls -a
docker run <options> <image>	Creates + starts container.	Deploying a service.	docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx

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2. Container Lifecycle

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker start <id>	Starts a stopped container.	Restart service after maintenance.	docker start web_app
docker stop <id>	Gracefully stops container.	Controlled shutdown.	docker stop db_service
docker kill <id>	Force-stops container.	Kill unresponsive container.	docker kill web_app
docker restart <id>	Restarts container.	Apply config changes.	docker restart api_server
docker rm <id>	Removes stopped container.	Cleanup.	docker rm old_api

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3. Images

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker build -t <name> .	Builds image from Dockerfile.	Create custom application image.	docker build -t my-api:v1 .
docker rmi <image>	Removes an image.	Free disk space.	docker rmi my-api:v1
docker image prune	Removes unused images.	Routine cleanup.	docker image prune -a

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4. Docker Compose (Multi-container Apps)

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker-compose up -d	Starts services.	Bring up full stack.	docker-compose up -d
docker-compose down	Stops + removes services.	Reset environment.	docker-compose down
docker-compose ps	Shows service status.	Check stack health.	docker-compose ps
docker-compose logs <service>	View logs.	Debug app.	docker-compose logs -f web
docker-compose exec <service> <cmd>	Run command in container.	DB shell, migrations.	docker-compose exec db psql

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5. Volumes (Data Persistence)

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker volume create <name>	Creates volume.	Setup DB storage.	docker volume create pg_data
docker run -v <vol>:<path>	Mounts a volume.	Persist DB/files.	docker run -v pg:/var/lib/postgresql/data
docker volume ls	Lists volumes.	Storage audit.	docker volume ls
docker volume rm <name>	Removes volume.	Cleanup.	docker volume rm old_vol
docker volume prune	Removes unused volumes.	Maintenance.	docker volume prune

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6. Docker Registry & Hub

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker login	Login to registry.	Push private images.	docker login
docker push <image>	Push image to registry.	Publish production images.	docker push myrepo/api:v1
docker pull <image>	Pull image.	Deploy specific version.	docker pull myrepo/api:latest

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7. Networks

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker network create <name>	Creates network.	Isolated backend network.	docker network create backend
docker network ls	Lists networks.	Network audit.	docker network ls
docker network connect <net> <container>	Connects container to network.	Add new service to stack.	docker network connect backend api
docker network disconnect <net> <container>	Disconnects container.	Debug isolation.	docker network disconnect backend api

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8. Logs, Debugging & Monitoring

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker logs <id>	View logs.	Debug failures.	docker logs -f web
docker exec -it <id> /bin/bash	Shell into container.	Inspect, debug.	docker exec -it api bash
docker stats	Real-time resource usage.	Monitor performance.	docker stats

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9. Cleanup & Maintenance

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker system prune	Remove unused containers, networks, images.	Full cleanup.	docker system prune -f
docker container prune	Remove stopped containers.	Dev/test cleanup.	docker container prune
docker image prune -a	Remove unused images.	Free disk space.	docker image prune -a
docker volume prune	Remove unused volumes.	Storage maintenance.	docker volume prune

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10. Plugin Management

Command	Description	Use Case	Example
docker plugin enable <name>	Enable plugin.	Activate drivers.	docker plugin enable my-driver
docker plugin disable <name>	Disable plugin.	Troubleshooting.	docker plugin disable my-driver
docker plugin create <name>	Create plugin.	Custom extensions.	docker plugin create custom-driver
docker plugin inspect <name>	View plugin info.	Validate config.	docker plugin inspect custom-driver
docker plugin rm <name>	Remove plugin.	Uninstall.	docker plugin rm custom-driver

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11. Useful Resources

📚 Official Documentation

• Docker Docs: https://docs.docker.com
• Docker Compose Docs: https://docs.docker.com/compose

🎥 Videos (Search on YouTube)

• “Docker Explained in 100 Seconds”
• “Docker Volumes Tutorial”
• “Docker Networking Explained”

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🔗 Repository

GitHub Repo: 👉 https://github.com/alok-kumar8765/docker_cheatcode

If you found this helpful, don’t forget to ⭐ star the repo!

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