How do I open a shell inside a running container?

Use docker exec -it sh to attach an interactive shell to a running container. If the image ships bash, you can use bash instead of sh.

How do I run a container in the background and map a port?

Use docker run -d -p 8080:80 . The -d flag runs it detached (in the background), and -p 8080:80 maps host port 8080 to the container's port 80 so you can reach the service in a browser.

How do I free up disk space used by Docker?

docker system prune removes stopped containers, unused networks and dangling images. Add -a to also remove all unused images, which frees the most space.

How do I see a container's logs?

Use docker logs -f to follow a container's output in real time. Drop the -f flag to print the existing logs once without streaming.

What is the difference between docker stop and docker rm?

docker stop gracefully stops a running container but keeps it on disk, so it can be started again. docker rm permanently removes a stopped container. You usually stop first, then rm to delete it.

How do I start everything in a Compose project?

Run docker compose up -d in the folder with your compose.yaml to build and start all services in the background. Use docker compose down to stop and remove them.

Is anything I search or copy uploaded?

No. The entire cheatsheet and search run in your browser, so nothing you type or copy is sent anywhere.

Docker Commands Cheatsheet

Docker commands cheatsheet — searchable reference

The everyday Docker commands, grouped so you can find them fast: images, container lifecycle, inspect & debug, volumes & networks, Compose and cleanup. Each command has a short plain-English description and a one-click copy button — handy whether you are learning Docker or just need a quick reminder.

How it works

Commands are organised into six topic sections so related tasks sit together. Type a command name or a task — run, logs, compose, prune — into the search box, and the list filters to matching commands and descriptions as you type. Click Copy next to any command to put it on your clipboard, ready to paste into your terminal. Everything runs locally in your browser; nothing you search or copy is sent anywhere.

Example

Looking to run a web server in the background, then check on it:

Task	Command
Run detached, map port 8080→80	`docker run -d -p 8080:80 nginx`
List running containers	`docker ps`
Follow the logs	`docker logs -f <container>`
Open a shell inside it	`docker exec -it <container> sh`
Stop it	`docker stop <container>`
Reclaim disk space	`docker system prune -a`

Search “prune” and you will surface the cleanup commands like docker system prune (remove stopped containers, unused networks and dangling images) and docker volume prune (remove unused volumes). Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.