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Essential Docker Commands You Must Learn

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12th Jan, 2024
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    Essential Docker Commands You Must Learn

    DevOps is a natural evolution of software development. DevOps is not just a tool, a framework, or just automation. It is a combination of all these. DevOps aimed to align the Dev and Ops team with shared goals.

    A developer builds an application and sends it to the tester. But, the environments of development and testing systems are different; thus, the code does not work. There are two solutions to this: Docker and Virtual Machines, but Docker is far better in terms of performance, scaling, and efficiency.

    Docker is a platform that has eased application development for both developers and system managers. Dockers have been used widely in many DevOps toolchains. Docker provides flexibility for the operational team thereby reducing the risk overhead. Dockers platform provides numerous features which make them popular among developers. Some features include application isolation, portable, security management, Ease of software delivery, scalability, etc. Let's discuss the basic docker commands in more detail along with examples! You can refer to the best Docker courses for training related to docker and docker commands. 

    What is Docker?

    Docker is a platform that enables creating, deploying, and running applications with the help of containers. A Container is a unit of software that packages the code and all its dependencies together such that the application becomes runnable irrespective of the environment. The container isolates the application and its dependencies into a self-contained unit that can run anywhere. Container removes the need for physical hardware allowing for more efficient use of computing resources. Containers provide operating-system-level virtualization. Moreover, developers can collaborate faster without worrying about which software dependency they need to install. 

    A container is a runnable instance of an image. An image is a read-only template with instructions for creating a Docker container. You can create, start, stop, move, or delete a container using the Docker API or CLI. One can connect a single container to one or more networks and can also attach storage to it. A new image can also be created based on the current state of the container. Containers can be shared thereby ensuring that everyone who communicates with it will get the same container and that works in the same way. Here is the list of 50+ basic docker commands:

    List of 57 Essential Docker Commands

    Here are the top 57 essential/ basic docker commands with descriptions to learn and use.

    CommandUsage
    docker attachAttach local standard input, output, and error streams to a running container
    docker buildBuild an image from a Dockerfile
    docker builderManage builds
    docker checkpointManage checkpoints
    docker commitCreate a new image from a container’s changes
    docker configManage Docker configs
    docker containerManage containers
    docker contextManage contexts
    docker cpCopy files/folders between a container and the local filesystem
    docker createCreate a new container
    docker diffInspect changes to files or directories on a container’s filesystem
    docker eventsGet real time events from the server
    docker execRun a command in a running container
    docker exportExport a container’s filesystem as a tar archive
    docker historyShow the history of an image
    docker imageManage images
    docker imagesList images
    docker importImport the contents from a tarball to create a filesystem image
    docker infoDisplay system-wide information
    docker inspectReturn low-level information on Docker objects
    docker killKill one or more running containers
    docker loadLoad an image from a tar archive or STDIN
    docker loginLog in to a Docker registry
    docker logoutLog out from a Docker registry
    docker logsFetch the logs of a container
    docker manifestManage Docker image manifests and manifest lists
    docker networkManage networks
    docker nodeManage Swarm nodes
    docker pausePause all processes within one or more containers
    docker pluginManage plugins
    docker portList port mappings or a specific mapping for the container
    docker psList containers
    docker pullPull an image or a repository from a registry
    docker pushPush an image or a repository to a registry
    docker renameRename a container
    docker restartRestart one or more containers
    docker rmRemove one or more containers
    docker rmiRemove one or more images
    docker runRun a command in a new container
    docker saveSave one or more images to a tar archive (streamed to STDOUT by default)
    docker searchSearch the Docker Hub for images
    docker secretManage Docker secrets
    docker serviceManage services
    docker stackManage Docker stacks
    docker startStart one or more stopped containers
    docker statsDisplay a live stream of container(s) resource usage statistics
    docker stopStop one or more running containers
    docker swarmManage Swarm
    docker systemManage Docker
    docker tagCreate a tag TARGET_IMAGE that refers to SOURCE_IMAGE
    docker topDisplay the running processes of a container
    docker trustManage trust on Docker images
    docker unpauseUnpause all processes within one or more containers
    docker updateUpdate configuration of one or more containers
    docker versionShow the Docker version information
    docker volumeManage volumes
    docker waitBlock until one or more containers stop, then print their exit codes

    Let's understand a few of the above commands along with their usage in detail. The following are the most used docker basic commands for beginners and experienced docker professionals.

    1. docker –version

    This command is used to get the current version of the docker 

    Syntax

    docker - -version [OPTIONS] 

    By default, this will render all version information in an easy-to-read layout. 

    2. docker pull

    Pull an image or a repository from a registry 

    Syntax

    docker pull [OPTIONS] NAME[: TAG|@DIGEST] 

    To download an image or set of images (i.e. A Repository) , Once can use docker pull command 

    Example:

    $ docker pull dockerimage 

    3. docker run

    This command is used to create a container from an image 

    Syntax

    docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...]

    The docker run command creates a writeable container layer over the specified image and then starts it using the specified command.

    The docker run command can be used with many variations, One can refer to the following documentation docker run. 

    4. docker ps

    This command is used to list all the containers 

    Syntax

    docker ps [OPTIONS]

    The above command can be used with other options like - all or –a 

    docker ps -all: Lists all containers 

    Example:

    $ docker ps 
    $ docker ps -a 

    5. docker exec

    This command is used to run a command in a running container 

    Syntax

    docker exec [OPTIONS] CONTAINER COMMAND [ARG...] 

    Docker exec command runs a new command in a running container.

    Refer to the following article for more detail regarding the usage of the docker exec command docker exec

    6. docker stop

    This command is used to stop one or more running containers. 

    Syntax: 

    docker stop [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...] 

    The main process inside the container will receive SIGTERM, and after a grace period, SIGKILL. The first signal can be changed with the STOPSIGNAL instruction in the container’s Dockerfile, or the --stop-signal option to docker run. 

    Example:

    $ docker stop my_container 

    7. docker restart

    This command is used to restart one or more containers. 

    Syntax: docker restart [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...] 

    Example:

    $ docker restart my_container 

    8. docker kill

    This command is used to kill one or more containers. 

    Syntax: docker kill [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...] 

    Example:

    $ docker kill my_container 

    9. docker commit

    This command is used to create a new image from the container image. 

    Syntax: docker commit [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [REPOSITORY[:TAG]] 

    Docker commit command allows users to take an existing running container and save its current state as an image 

    There are certain steps to be followed before running the command

    • First , Pull the image from docker hub 
    • Deploy the container using the image id from first step 
    • Modify the container (Any changes ,if needed) 
    • Commit the changes 

    Example:

    $ docker commit c3f279d17e0a dev/testimage:version3. 

    10. docker push

    This command is used to push an image or repository to a registry. 

    Syntax: docker push [OPTIONS] NAME[: TAG] 

    Use docker image push to share your images to the Docker Hub registry or to a self-hosted one. 

    Example:

    $ docker image push registry-host:5000/myadmin/rhel-httpd:lates 

    Apart from the above commands, we have other commands for which the detailing can be found in the following link Docker reference

    One can become DevOps certified by referring to DevOps Certification courses

    Docker Use Cases

    Let's understand a few of the docker use cases: 

    Use case 1: Developers write their code locally and can share it using docker containers. 

    Use case 2: Fixing the bugs and deploying them into the respective environments is as simple as pushing the image to the respective environment. 

    Use case 3: Using docker one can push their application to the test environment and execute automated and manual tests 

    Use case 4: One can make their deployment responsive and scalable by using docker since docker can handle dynamic workloads feasibility. 

    Let us take an example of an application, 

    When a company wants to develop a web application they need an environment where they have a tomcat server installed. Once the tester set up a tomcat environment and test the application, it is deployed into a production environment. Once again the tomcat has to be setup in production environment to host the java web application There are some issues with this approach: 

    • Loss of time and effort. 
    • Developer and tester might use a different tomcat versions. 

    Now, let's see how the Docker container can be used to prevent this loss.

    In order to overcome the issues, docker will be used by a developer to create a docker image using a base image which is already existing in Docker hub. Docker hub has some base images available for free. Now this image can be used by developer, tester and the system admin to deploy a tomcat environment. In this way, Docker container solves the problem. 

    Docker Architecture

    Docker architecture generally consists of a Docker Engine which is a client-server application with three major components: 

    1. Generally, docker follows a client-server architecture 
    2. The client communicates with the daemon, which generally takes up the task of building,running, and shipping the docker containers. 
    3. The client and daemon communicate using REST API calls. These calls act as an interface between the client and daemon 
    4. A command-line interface, Docker CLI runs docker commands. Some basic docker commands with examples are listed in the next section. 
    5. Registry stores the docker images 

    Conclusion

    DevOps (development + operations) is an evolution born between developers and system administrators. One of the main tasks of DevOps is the automation and centralization of software development and deployment. One of the most popular tools that help in solving this task is Docker. To get a better understanding of docker enroll in Docker Kubernetes training

    Three main features of Docker products are the most distinguishing: 

    • Quick deployment in a variety of environments 
    • Greatly facilitated testing 
    • Possibility of using Docker as a development environment.

    Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

    1What do you mean by Docker command line?

    Docker CLI (command line interface) is a command-line tool that is used to interact with the docker daemon. To get the list of commands either run docker with no parameters or execute the docker help command. 

    2How many commands are there in Docker?

    Docker has 13 Management commands and 41 general commands. One can run the docker command using the docker CLI tool. To list available commands, either run docker with no parameters or execute docker help. 

    3What is an image in Docker?

    An image is a read-only template with instructions for creating a Docker container. The container is a runnable instance, while image is a read only template of it. Using the command docker pull one can get the images from the docker registry. 

    4How can I run a docker command?

    One can run a docker command using the Docker CLI tool. Docker command line interface tool is preferably used to run docker commands Docker CLI tool can be installed along with docker.

    Profile

    Lakshmi Sushmitha V

    Author

    I am an ambitious software professional with 5 years of experience in the industry working with various tech  gaints. I am an inquisitive person who always interested to explore the things and takeup challenges.Apart from profession , I love travelling,reading books,blogging and editing.

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