{"id":48375,"date":"2025-02-08T08:16:46","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T08:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=48375"},"modified":"2025-07-12T05:38:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:38:45","slug":"docker-ps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/docker-ps\/","title":{"rendered":"Docker commands Guide – docker ps with examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here\u2019s a complete tutorial<\/strong> on docker ps<\/code>, covering how it works<\/strong>, common options<\/strong>, examples<\/strong>, and a list of use cases<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

What is docker ps<\/code>?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

docker ps<\/code> is a Docker command used to list containers<\/strong>. By default, it shows only the running containers<\/strong>, but with additional options, you can view stopped<\/strong>, exited<\/strong>, or all containers<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • List all running containers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Filter by status, name, image, and ports<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Helps in monitoring and managing<\/strong> containers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Use it to find container IDs<\/strong> for subsequent commands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    Basic Syntax<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
    docker<\/span> ps<\/span> [OPTIONS]<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> CSS<\/span> (<\/span>css<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
    Common Options:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • -a<\/code> \u2192 Show all containers<\/strong> (including stopped and exited ones).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -q<\/code> \u2192 Show only container IDs<\/strong> (useful for scripting).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -l<\/code> \u2192 Show the last created<\/strong> container (even if stopped).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -n <number><\/code> \u2192 Show n most recent containers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --filter<\/code> \u2192 Filter containers based on criteria (status, name, label, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --format<\/code> \u2192 Format the output using Go templates.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • --no-trunc<\/code> \u2192 Don\u2019t truncate the container\u2019s output (show full IDs and names).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      Examples of docker ps<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      1. List All Running Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This shows only the containers that are currently running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Example Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      CONTAINER ID   IMAGE       COMMAND      CREATED       STATUS       PORTS       NAMES\na1b2c3d4e5f6   nginx       \"nginx -g\u2026\"<\/span>  5<\/span> minutes ago Up 5<\/span> minutes 80<\/span>\/tcp     my_nginx\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      2. List All Containers (Running, Stopped, and Exited)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps -a\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This shows all containers, including those that are stopped or exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      3. Show Only Container IDs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps -q\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Example Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      a1b2c3d4e5f6\nb2c3d4e5f678\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This is useful in scripts to perform operations on multiple containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      4. Show the Last Created Container<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps -l\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Displays the most recently created container, even if it has exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      5. Show the 3 Most Recently Created Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps -n 3\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Lists the last three created containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      \n\n\n\n
      6. Filter Containers by Status<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
      docker ps --filter \"status=exited\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      This shows only containers that have exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
      Other possible status values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • running<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • paused<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • restarting<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • exited<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        7. Filter Containers by Name<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --filter \"name=my_nginx\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        Lists containers with names that match my_nginx<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        8. Filter Containers by Image<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --filter \"ancestor=nginx\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        Lists all containers created from the nginx<\/code> image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        9. Display Containers with Specific Ports<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --filter \"publish=8080\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        Lists containers that expose port 8080<\/code> on the host.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        10. Show Full Container IDs and Names<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --no-trunc\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
        Prevents truncation, showing full container IDs and names.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        11. Format the Output (--format<\/code>)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --format \"table {{.ID}}\\t{{.Names}}\\t{{.Status}}\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        This customizes the output to show only container ID, name, and status in a table format.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        Example Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
        CONTAINER ID   NAMES       STATUS\na1b2c3d4e5f6   my_nginx    Up 5 minutes\n<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        12. List Containers Created in the Last 24 Hours<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --filter \"since=24h\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        13. Combine Filters<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker ps --filter \"status=exited\"<\/span> --filter \"ancestor=nginx\"<\/span>\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        This lists exited containers created from the nginx<\/code> image.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        14. Use docker ps<\/code> in a Script to Stop All Running Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker stop $(docker ps -q)\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        This stops all currently running containers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        15. Use docker ps<\/code> to Remove All Exited Containers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
        docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter \"status=exited\"<\/span>)\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> JavaScript<\/span> (<\/span>javascript<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        This removes all containers that have exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        Use Cases for docker ps<\/code><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        1. Monitoring Container Status<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Check which containers are running and their uptime<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Ensure that critical services<\/strong> are active.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          2. Managing Resources<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Find stopped containers<\/strong> and remove them to free up disk space.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Identify paused or stuck containers<\/strong> for debugging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            3. Automation and Scripting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Combine docker ps<\/code> with other Docker commands (stop<\/code>, rm<\/code>, logs<\/code>, etc.) to automate maintenance tasks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              4. Debugging and Troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Filter by exited containers<\/strong> to find failed services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Use --no-trunc<\/code> to get detailed information about containers for in-depth analysis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                5. Security and Auditing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Audit all running containers<\/strong> to ensure they are up-to-date and secure.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Monitor containers for unauthorized or unexpected behavior.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  6. Multi-Service Applications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  • Quickly check the status of multiple services running in containers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Use docker ps<\/code> to verify that each service is running on its assigned port.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n
                    List of Common docker ps<\/code> Commands<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    Command<\/strong><\/th>Description<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                    docker ps<\/code><\/td>List running containers<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps -a<\/code><\/td>List all containers<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps -q<\/code><\/td>Show only container IDs<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps -l<\/code><\/td>Show the last created container<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps -n 5<\/code><\/td>Show the last 5 created containers<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps --filter \"status=running\"<\/code><\/td>Show only running containers<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps --filter \"ancestor=nginx\"<\/code><\/td>List containers created from the nginx<\/code> image<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps --no-trunc<\/code><\/td>Show full container IDs and names<\/td><\/tr>
                    docker ps --format \"table {{.ID}}\\t{{.Names}}\"<\/code><\/td>Customize the output format<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                    \n\n\n\n
                    Best Practices for Using docker ps<\/code>:<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    1. Filter and format output<\/strong> for better readability and automation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    2. Monitor container status regularly<\/strong> to ensure services are healthy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    3. Use docker ps -q<\/code><\/strong> for scripting and batch operations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    4. Combine with docker logs<\/code><\/strong> and docker inspect<\/code> for detailed troubleshooting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    5. Clean up unused containers<\/strong> (docker ps -a<\/code> helps identify them).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n\n\n\n
                      Common Errors and Solutions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. “No such container”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 The container may have stopped. Use docker ps -a<\/code> to find it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      2. “Error response from daemon: Invalid filter”<\/strong>
                        \u2192 Ensure the filter is valid. Check available filters with docker ps --help<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      3. Command returns no output<\/strong>
                        \u2192 There may be no running containers. Use docker ps -a<\/code> to see stopped ones.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n
                        <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
                        Here\u2019s a complete tutorial on docker ps, covering how it works, common options, examples, and a list of use cases. What is docker ps? docker ps is a Docker command… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4862],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-48375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-docker"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48375"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":48377,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48375\/revisions\/48377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}