Docker Cheat Sheet - Every Command for Development (2026)

Docker Cheat Sheet (2026)

Every Docker command you need for development. Bookmark this.

Containers

docker run <image>                    # Run container
docker run -d <image>                  # Run in background
docker run -p 3000:3000 <image>        # Map port
docker run -v /host:/container <image> # Mount volume
docker run -e KEY=value <image>        # Set env var
docker run --name myapp <image>        # Name container
docker ps                              # List running
docker ps -a                           # List all
docker stop <id>                       # Stop
docker rm <id>                         # Remove
docker logs <id>                       # View logs
docker exec -it <id> /bin/bash         # Shell into container

Images

docker build -t myapp .               # Build image
docker images                          # List images
docker rmi <image>                     # Remove image
docker pull <image>                    # Pull from registry
docker push myapp:latest               # Push to registry

Docker Compose

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  web:
    build: .
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgres://db:5432/myapp
    depends_on:
      - db
  db:
    image: postgres:16
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=myapp
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=secret
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  pgdata:

Compose Commands

docker compose up -d          # Start services
docker compose down            # Stop services
docker compose logs -f         # Follow logs
docker compose build           # Rebuild
docker compose exec web bash   # Shell into service

Dockerfile Best Practices

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --only=production
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

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