Ultimate Docker Cheat Sheet for Developers

Installation & Setup#

Install Docker (Official Method)#

bash

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2
3
4
5
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7
        sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
echo   "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg]   https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu   $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start & Enable Docker Service#

bash

        1
2
        sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Run Without sudo#

bash

        1
2
        sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Verify Installation#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker version
docker info
docker run hello-world

Docker Images#

List Images#

bash

        1
        docker images

Pull Image#

bash

        1
        docker pull node:20-alpine

Build Image from Dockerfile#

bash

        1
        docker build -t my-nest-app .

Tag Image#

bash

        1
        docker tag my-nest-app myrepo/my-nest-app:latest

Push Image to Registry#

bash

        1
        docker push myrepo/my-nest-app:latest

Remove Image#

bash

        1
        docker rmi <image-id>

Docker Containers#

List Running Containers#

bash

        1
        docker ps

List All Containers (Including Stopped)#

bash

        1
        docker ps -a

Run a Container#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name nest-api my-nest-app

Run with Interactive Shell#

bash

        1
        docker run -it ubuntu bash

Start / Stop / Restart#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker start <container-id>
docker stop <container-id>
docker restart <container-id>

Attach to a Running Container#

bash

        1
        docker exec -it <container-id> bash

View Logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f <container-id>

Copy Files To/From Container#

bash

        1
2
        docker cp localfile.txt <container-id>:/app/
docker cp <container-id>:/app/logs ./logs

Remove Containers#

bash

        1
2
        docker rm <container-id>
docker container prune

Volumes (Persistent Data)#

List Volumes#

bash

        1
        docker volume ls

Create a Volume#

bash

        1
        docker volume create nest-data

Use Volume in Container#

bash

        1
        docker run -v nest-data:/usr/src/app/data my-nest-app

Remove Volume#

bash

        1
2
        docker volume rm <volume-name>
docker volume prune

Docker Networks#

List Networks#

bash

        1
        docker network ls

Create Network#

bash

        1
        docker network create backend-network

Connect Container to Network#

bash

        1
        docker network connect backend-network <container-id>

Disconnect or Remove Network#

bash

        1
2
        docker network disconnect backend-network <container-id>
docker network rm backend-network

Docker Compose#

Run Multi-Service Stack#

bash

        1
        docker compose up

Run in Detached Mode#

bash

        1
        docker compose up -d

Stop and Remove Containers#

bash

        1
        docker compose down

Build and Rebuild Images#

bash

        1
2
        docker compose build
docker compose up --build

View Logs#

bash

        1
        docker compose logs -f

Restart or Stop Individual Services#

bash

        1
2
        docker compose restart nest
docker compose stop postgres

Useful System Commands#

Show Disk Usage#

bash

        1
        docker system df

Clean Up Unused Resources#

bash

        1
2
        docker system prune
docker system prune -a

Inspect Details#

bash

        1
2
        docker inspect <container-id>
docker inspect <image-id>

Show Resource Usage (CPU, Memory)#

bash

        1
        docker stats

##Debugging & Maintenance

Shell Access into Running Container#

bash

        1
        docker exec -it <container-id> sh

Check Container Logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f <container-id>

Monitor Events in Real-Time#

bash

        1
        docker events

Export & Import Containers#

bash

        1
2
        docker export <container-id> > backup.tar
docker import backup.tar

Advanced Operations#

Build & Push to Docker Hub#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker login
docker build -t username/my-nest-app:latest .
docker push username/my-nest-app:latest

Save & Load Images Locally#

bash

        1
2
        docker save my-nest-app > nest-app.tar
docker load < nest-app.tar

Limit Resources (CPU/RAM)#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --cpus="1.0" --memory="512m" my-nest-app

Auto-Restart Policy#

bash

        1
        docker run -d --restart unless-stopped my-nest-app

Docker Lifecycle Summary#

Action	Command
Build image	`docker build -t my-app .`
List images	`docker images`
Run container	`docker run -d -p 3000:3000 my-app`
List containers	`docker ps -a`
Stop container	`docker stop <id>`
Remove container	`docker rm <id>`
Remove image	`docker rmi <id>`
Clean all	`docker system prune -a`

Permissions & Security#

Add User to Docker Group#

bash

        1
        sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Check Socket Permissions#

bash

        1
        ls -l /var/run/docker.sock

Restart Docker Daemon#

bash

        1
        sudo systemctl restart docker

Quick Test Workflow (NestJS Example)#

Build your image#

bash

        1
        docker build -t nest-api .

Run your container#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 nest-api

Check logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f $(docker ps -q)

Stop everything#

bash

        1
2
        docker stop $(docker ps -q)
docker system prune -a

Cleanup Essentials#

Task	Command
Remove stopped containers	`docker container prune`
Remove unused images	`docker image prune`
Remove unused volumes	`docker volume prune`
Remove all unused objects	`docker system prune -a`

Pro Tip: Always test new Docker commands in a disposable environment before using them in production. Use Compose to isolate your entire NestJS + Database + Redis stack for easy replication.

Installation & Setup#

Install Docker (Official Method)#

bash

        1
2
3
4
5
6
7
        sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
echo   "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg]   https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu   $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Start & Enable Docker Service#

bash

        1
2
        sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Run Without sudo#

bash

        1
2
        sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker

Verify Installation#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker version
docker info
docker run hello-world

Docker Images#

List Images#

bash

        1
        docker images

Pull Image#

bash

        1
        docker pull node:20-alpine

Build Image from Dockerfile#

bash

        1
        docker build -t my-nest-app .

Tag Image#

bash

        1
        docker tag my-nest-app myrepo/my-nest-app:latest

Push Image to Registry#

bash

        1
        docker push myrepo/my-nest-app:latest

Remove Image#

bash

        1
        docker rmi <image-id>

Docker Containers#

List Running Containers#

bash

        1
        docker ps

List All Containers (Including Stopped)#

bash

        1
        docker ps -a

Run a Container#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name nest-api my-nest-app

Run with Interactive Shell#

bash

        1
        docker run -it ubuntu bash

Start / Stop / Restart#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker start <container-id>
docker stop <container-id>
docker restart <container-id>

Attach to a Running Container#

bash

        1
        docker exec -it <container-id> bash

View Logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f <container-id>

Copy Files To/From Container#

bash

        1
2
        docker cp localfile.txt <container-id>:/app/
docker cp <container-id>:/app/logs ./logs

Remove Containers#

bash

        1
2
        docker rm <container-id>
docker container prune

Volumes (Persistent Data)#

List Volumes#

bash

        1
        docker volume ls

Create a Volume#

bash

        1
        docker volume create nest-data

Use Volume in Container#

bash

        1
        docker run -v nest-data:/usr/src/app/data my-nest-app

Remove Volume#

bash

        1
2
        docker volume rm <volume-name>
docker volume prune

Docker Networks#

List Networks#

bash

        1
        docker network ls

Create Network#

bash

        1
        docker network create backend-network

Connect Container to Network#

bash

        1
        docker network connect backend-network <container-id>

Disconnect or Remove Network#

bash

        1
2
        docker network disconnect backend-network <container-id>
docker network rm backend-network

Docker Compose#

Run Multi-Service Stack#

bash

        1
        docker compose up

Run in Detached Mode#

bash

        1
        docker compose up -d

Stop and Remove Containers#

bash

        1
        docker compose down

Build and Rebuild Images#

bash

        1
2
        docker compose build
docker compose up --build

View Logs#

bash

        1
        docker compose logs -f

Restart or Stop Individual Services#

bash

        1
2
        docker compose restart nest
docker compose stop postgres

Useful System Commands#

Show Disk Usage#

bash

        1
        docker system df

Clean Up Unused Resources#

bash

        1
2
        docker system prune
docker system prune -a

Inspect Details#

bash

        1
2
        docker inspect <container-id>
docker inspect <image-id>

Show Resource Usage (CPU, Memory)#

bash

        1
        docker stats

##Debugging & Maintenance

Shell Access into Running Container#

bash

        1
        docker exec -it <container-id> sh

Check Container Logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f <container-id>

Monitor Events in Real-Time#

bash

        1
        docker events

Export & Import Containers#

bash

        1
2
        docker export <container-id> > backup.tar
docker import backup.tar

Advanced Operations#

Build & Push to Docker Hub#

bash

        1
2
3
        docker login
docker build -t username/my-nest-app:latest .
docker push username/my-nest-app:latest

Save & Load Images Locally#

bash

        1
2
        docker save my-nest-app > nest-app.tar
docker load < nest-app.tar

Limit Resources (CPU/RAM)#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --cpus="1.0" --memory="512m" my-nest-app

Auto-Restart Policy#

bash

        1
        docker run -d --restart unless-stopped my-nest-app

Docker Lifecycle Summary#

Action	Command
Build image	`docker build -t my-app .`
List images	`docker images`
Run container	`docker run -d -p 3000:3000 my-app`
List containers	`docker ps -a`
Stop container	`docker stop <id>`
Remove container	`docker rm <id>`
Remove image	`docker rmi <id>`
Clean all	`docker system prune -a`

Permissions & Security#

Add User to Docker Group#

bash

        1
        sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Check Socket Permissions#

bash

        1
        ls -l /var/run/docker.sock

Restart Docker Daemon#

bash

        1
        sudo systemctl restart docker

Quick Test Workflow (NestJS Example)#

Build your image#

bash

        1
        docker build -t nest-api .

Run your container#

bash

        1
        docker run -d -p 3000:3000 nest-api

Check logs#

bash

        1
        docker logs -f $(docker ps -q)

Stop everything#

bash

        1
2
        docker stop $(docker ps -q)
docker system prune -a

Cleanup Essentials#

Task	Command
Remove stopped containers	`docker container prune`
Remove unused images	`docker image prune`
Remove unused volumes	`docker volume prune`
Remove all unused objects	`docker system prune -a`

Pro Tip: Always test new Docker commands in a disposable environment before using them in production. Use Compose to isolate your entire NestJS + Database + Redis stack for easy replication.

Ultimate Docker Cheat Sheet for Developers

Installation & Setup#

Install Docker (Official Method)#

Start & Enable Docker Service#

Run Without sudo#

Verify Installation#

Docker Images#

List Images#

Pull Image#

Build Image from Dockerfile#

Tag Image#

Push Image to Registry#

Remove Image#

Docker Containers#

List Running Containers#

List All Containers (Including Stopped)#

Run a Container#

Run with Interactive Shell#

Start / Stop / Restart#

Attach to a Running Container#

View Logs#

Copy Files To/From Container#

Remove Containers#

Volumes (Persistent Data)#

List Volumes#

Create a Volume#

Use Volume in Container#

Remove Volume#

Docker Networks#

List Networks#

Create Network#

Connect Container to Network#

Disconnect or Remove Network#

Docker Compose#

Run Multi-Service Stack#

Run in Detached Mode#

Stop and Remove Containers#

Build and Rebuild Images#

View Logs#

Restart or Stop Individual Services#

Useful System Commands#

Show Disk Usage#

Clean Up Unused Resources#

Inspect Details#

Show Resource Usage (CPU, Memory)#

Shell Access into Running Container#

Check Container Logs#

Monitor Events in Real-Time#

Export & Import Containers#

Advanced Operations#

Build & Push to Docker Hub#

Save & Load Images Locally#

Limit Resources (CPU/RAM)#

Auto-Restart Policy#

Docker Lifecycle Summary#

Permissions & Security#

Add User to Docker Group#

Check Socket Permissions#

Restart Docker Daemon#

Quick Test Workflow (NestJS Example)#

Build your image#

Run your container#

Check logs#

Stop everything#

Cleanup Essentials#

Related Articles

Ultimate Docker Cheat Sheet for Developers

Installation & Setup#

Install Docker (Official Method)#

Start & Enable Docker Service#

Run Without sudo#

Verify Installation#

Docker Images#

List Images#

Pull Image#

Build Image from Dockerfile#

Tag Image#

Push Image to Registry#

Remove Image#

Docker Containers#