> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://notes.kodekloud.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Basic Container Operations > Master the essentials of Docker CLI to create, manage, and troubleshoot containers efficiently. Master the essentials of Docker CLI to create, manage, and troubleshoot containers efficiently. This guide covers key commands, options, and best practices for container operations. ## Table of Contents * [Quick Syntax Reference](#quick-syntax-reference) * [Command Syntax Styles](#command-syntax-styles) * [Creating a Container](#creating-a-container) * [Listing Containers](#listing-containers) * [Starting a Container](#starting-a-container) * [Create & Start in One Step](#create--start-in-one-step) * [Ephemeral Containers](#ephemeral-containers) * [Interactive Shells](#interactive-shells) * [Exiting Containers](#exiting-containers) * [Naming Containers](#naming-containers) * [Detached Mode](#detached-mode) * [Links and References](#links-and-references) *** ## Quick Syntax Reference Use this general pattern for Docker commands: ```bash theme={null} docker [object] [command] [options] [arguments] ``` Examples: ```bash theme={null} docker image ls docker container run -it ubuntu docker image build . docker container attach docker container kill ``` *** ## Command Syntax Styles Docker supports both legacy and grouped syntax. We’ll use the **grouped** style throughout this guide. | Syntax Type | Example | | ------------- | --------------------------------- | | Grouped (new) | `docker container run -it ubuntu` | | Legacy (old) | `docker run -it ubuntu` | *** ## Creating a Container To create (but not start) a container: ```bash theme={null} docker container create httpd ``` Sample output: ```Docker theme={null} Unable to find image 'httpd:latest' locally latest: Pulling from library/httpd … Status: Downloaded newer image for httpd:latest 36a391532e10d45f772f2c9430c2cc38dad4b441aa7a1c444d59f6fa3d78c6b6 ``` On Linux, Docker stores images and container metadata under `/var/lib/docker/`: ```bash theme={null} ls /var/lib/docker/ # builder buildkit containers image network overlay2 plugins runtimes swarm tmp trust volumes ``` Each container’s data lives in `containers//`. *** ## Listing Containers Use `docker container ls` with options to filter the output: | Command | Description | | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | `docker container ls` | Show running containers | | `docker container ls -a` | Show all containers (running & stopped) | | `docker container ls -l` | Show the most recently created container | | `docker container ls -q` | Display only container IDs (running) | | `docker container ls -aq` | Display all container IDs | ```bash theme={null} docker container ls -a ``` Sample output: ```text theme={null} CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS NAMES 36a391532e10 httpd "httpd-foreground" 2 minutes ago Created charming_wiles ``` Docker assigns a random human-readable name if you don’t provide one. *** ## Starting a Container Start an existing container by its ID or name: ```bash theme={null} docker container start 36a391532e10 docker container ls ``` *** ## Create & Start in One Step Pull the image, create, and start the container: ```bash theme={null} docker container run httpd ``` *** ## Ephemeral Containers Some images (like `ubuntu`) don’t run a persistent process: ```bash theme={null} docker container run ubuntu docker container ls -a ``` Output: ```text theme={null} CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS NAMES d969ecdb44ea ubuntu "/bin/bash" 2 minutes ago Exited (0) 2 minutes ago intelligent_almeida ``` Once the primary process exits, the container stops. *** ## Interactive Shells Keep STDIN open and allocate a pseudo-TTY with `-it`: ```bash theme={null} docker container run -it ubuntu ``` Inside the container: ```text theme={null} root@6caba272c8f5:/# hostname 6caba272c8f5 ``` On the host: ```bash theme={null} docker container ls ``` Shows: ```text theme={null} CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS NAMES 6caba272c8f5 ubuntu "/bin/bash" About a minute Up About a minute quizzical_austin ``` Always place options (`-i`, `-t`, `-d`, `--name`) **before** the image name. Anything after the image name is interpreted as the container’s command. *** ## Exiting Containers Running `exit` inside an interactive shell stops the container: ```bash theme={null} docker container run -it ubuntu root@6caba272c8f5:/# exit exit docker container ls -a ``` *** ## Naming Containers Assign a custom name at creation: ```bash theme={null} docker container run -itd --name webapp ubuntu docker container ls -l ``` Output: ```text theme={null} CONTAINER ID IMAGE COMMAND CREATED STATUS NAMES 59aa5eacd88c ubuntu "/bin/bash" 20 seconds ago Up 19 seconds webapp ``` Rename an existing container: ```bash theme={null} docker container rename intelligent_almeida webapp2 ``` *** ## Detached Mode Run containers in the background with `-d`: ```bash theme={null} docker container run -d httpd ``` Sample output: ```text theme={null} 11cbd7fe7e65a9da453e159ed0fe163592dcc8a7845abc91b8305c78f50ac70 ``` To reattach: ```bash theme={null} docker container attach 11cbd7fe7e65 ``` A unique ID prefix is sufficient if it’s unambiguous. *** ## Links and References * [Docker CLI Reference][Docker CLI Reference] * [Docker Container Commands][Docker Container Commands] * [Docker Official Documentation](https://docs.docker.com/) [Docker CLI Reference]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/cli/ [Docker Container Commands]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/container/