In the last post, we ran our very first container with docker run hello-world.
But how do we see which containers are running? And how do we manage them?
That’s where docker ps comes in.
👀 List containers with docker ps
Run:
docker ps
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This shows all running containers.
You’ll see columns like:
- CONTAINER ID → unique ID for the container
- IMAGE → which image it came from
- STATUS → running time
- PORTS → which ports are exposed
- NAMES → an auto-generated (or custom) name
📜 Show all containers (including stopped)
By default, docker ps only shows running containers.
To see all, use:
bash
docker ps -a
This will list containers that have already exited too.
🛑 Stop a container
If you want to stop a running container:
bash
docker stop <container_id_or_name>
Example:
bash
docker stop funny_panda
❌ Remove a container
Stopped containers still take up space.
To remove them:
bash
docker rm <container_id_or_name>
Example:
bash
docker rm funny_panda
🧹 Clean up all stopped containers
To remove all stopped containers at once:
bash
docker container prune
Docker will ask for confirmation before deleting.
🚀 Summary
-
docker ps→ list running containers -
docker ps -a→ list all containers (running + stopped) -
docker stop→ stop a container -
docker rm→ remove a container -
docker container prune→ clean up everything stopped
💡 Next: we’ll explore Docker Images — how to list, pull, and remove them.
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