Streamline your local AI model workflow with the Ollama CLI. If you have experience with Docker, many of these commands will feel instantly familiar.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.
Most Ollama commands mirror Docker syntax for running, listing, and managing images—making it easy to get started if you’ve used Docker before.
Quick Reference
| Command | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ollama run | Pull (if needed) and start a model | ollama run MODEL_NAME |
| ollama stop | Terminate a background model | ollama stop MODEL_NAME |
| ollama list | Display all local models | ollama list |
| ollama rm | Remove a model to free disk space | ollama rm MODEL_NAME |
| ollama pull | Download a model without launching it | ollama pull MODEL_NAME |
| ollama show | Inspect model metadata (quantization, etc.) | ollama show MODEL_NAME |
| ollama ps | List currently running models | ollama ps |
ollama run
Start a model session. If the specified model isn’t on your machine, Ollama will:- Download its manifest and layers
- Verify the SHA-256 digests
- Save the manifest locally
- Launch an interactive chat interface
ollama stop
When you run a model in the background (e.g., via& on Unix), stop it gracefully with:
ollama list
List all models stored on your local host, along with their IDs, sizes, and last modification times. Use this to identify large or outdated models:ollama rm
Remove a model from your system to reclaim disk space. You can always re-pull it later.ollama pull
If you want to prefetch a model without starting it immediately, use:ollama run MODEL_NAME will skip downloads.
ollama show
Inspect model metadata—such as license details and quantization format—without running it:/show command.
ollama ps
Similar todocker ps, this command lists all active model processes, their resource consumption, and remaining runtime:
Keep an eye on running models. Stopping unused ones prevents unnecessary GPU/CPU usage and conserves system memory.
These core commands will help you manage Ollama models effectively. Happy modeling!