{"id":5076,"date":"2025-06-30T09:19:20","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T09:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.scmgalaxy.com\/tutorials\/?p=5076"},"modified":"2025-07-12T05:38:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-12T05:38:39","slug":"lifecycle-of-docker-containers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/lifecycle-of-docker-containers\/","title":{"rendered":"Docker Tutorials: Lifecycle of Docker Containers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Here\u2019s a ready-to-use Docker Lab<\/strong> in Markdown, including various parameters for each command so students can experiment and understand how each one works. You can copy this directly to your learning portal, documentation, or distribute as a lab handout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Docker Lab: Essential Container Commands<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

This hands-on lab introduces you to core Docker container lifecycle commands<\/strong>. Each section explains the command, gives variants with useful parameters, and provides practical exercises to try out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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1. Create a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

docker create --name ubuntu-cont ubuntu<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
Other Options to Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
# Create with environment variable<\/span>\ndocker create --name test-cont -e MYVAR=value ubuntu\n\n# Create and map a port<\/span>\ndocker create --name web-cont -p 8080<\/span>:80<\/span> nginx\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Change the container name, image, or add options (ports, volumes, environment variables).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n
    2. Run a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
    docker run -itd ubuntu<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
      \n
    • -i<\/code>: interactive<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -t<\/code>: terminal<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • -d<\/code>: detached (runs in background)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      Other Options to Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      # Run with a name<\/span>\ndocker run -itd --name ubuntu-cont ubuntu\n\n# Run and remove container after exit<\/span>\ndocker run -it --rm ubuntu\n\n# Run and override entrypoint<\/span>\ndocker run -it --entrypoint \/bin\/bash ubuntu\n\n# Run with port mapping<\/span>\ndocker run -d -p 8080<\/span>:80<\/span> nginx<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
      Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Change -itd<\/code> to just -it<\/code>, -d<\/code>, or remove -d<\/code> to see the difference.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Add --rm<\/code> to auto-remove the container.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n
        3. Pause a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
        docker pause <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
        Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Pause by container name or ID.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Observe with docker ps<\/code>\u2014container status shows Paused<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          \n\n\n\n
          4. Unpause a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
          docker unpause <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
          Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Unpause and confirm with docker ps<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
            \n\n\n\n
            5. Start a Stopped Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
            docker start <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
            Other Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
            # Start multiple containers<\/span>\ndocker start cont1 cont2 cont3<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
            Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Start a single or multiple stopped containers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \n\n\n\n
              6. Stop a Running Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
              docker stop <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
              Other Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
              # Stop multiple containers<\/span>\ndocker stop cont1 cont2 cont3\n\n# Wait 10 seconds before killing the container<\/span>\ndocker stop -t 10<\/span> <container-id\/name><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
              Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Stop with default (10s timeout), or set custom timeout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n
                7. Restart a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                docker restart <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Other Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                # Restart multiple containers<\/span>\ndocker restart cont1 cont2 cont3\n\n# Set restart timeout to 5 seconds<\/span>\ndocker restart -t 5<\/span> <container-id\/name><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n
                8. Kill a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                docker kill <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Other Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                # Send a specific signal (e.g., SIGKILL, SIGTERM)\ndocker kill --signal=SIGKILL <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span>\ndocker kill --signal=SIGTERM <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n
                9. Remove (Destroy) a Docker Container<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                Command:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                docker rm <container-id<\/span>\/name<\/span>><\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> HTML, XML<\/span> (<\/span>xml<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Other Options:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
                # Remove multiple containers<\/span>\ndocker rm cont1 cont2 cont3\n\n# Remove a running container (force)<\/span>\ndocker rm -f <container-id\/name><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                Try:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Remove stopped containers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Try to remove a running container without -f<\/code> (should fail).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                  \n\n\n\n
                  \ud83d\udcdd Lab Exercises<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Create three containers<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    • One with a name<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • One with a port mapping<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • One with a volume mount<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n
                      1. Run and experiment<\/strong> with different flags for docker run<\/code>:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                          \n
                        • Try interactive vs detached mode.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Try --rm<\/code> and observe container removal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                            \n
                          1. Pause and unpause<\/strong> a running container. Observe what happens to processes inside.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          2. Stop and start<\/strong> your containers, then restart<\/strong> one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          3. Kill<\/strong> a running container and note the difference vs stop<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          4. Destroy<\/strong> (remove) your containers. Try removing running containers with and without -f<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                            \n\n\n\n
                            \ud83e\uddf9 Cleanup<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
                            docker ps -a                   # List all containers<\/span>\ndocker stop $(docker ps -q)    # Stop all running containers<\/span>\ndocker rm $(docker ps -aq)     # Remove all containers<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
                            \n\n\n\n
                            <\/p>\n\n\n\n
                            \n\n\n\n
                            List of Commands<\/h2>\n\n\n
                                 1<\/span>  clear\n    2<\/span>  ls\n    3<\/span>  sudo apt-get update\n    4<\/span>  sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release\n    5<\/span>  sudo mkdir -p \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\n    6<\/span>  curl -fsSL https:\/\/download.docker.com\/linux\/ubuntu\/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/docker.gpg<\/span>\n    7<\/span>  echo<\/span>   \"deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=\/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/docker.gpg] https:\/\/download.docker.com\/linux\/ubuntu \\\n  $(lsb_release -cs) stable\"<\/span> | sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/sources.list<\/span>.d\/docker.list<\/span> > \/dev\/null<\/span>\n    8<\/span>  sudo apt-get update\n    9<\/span>  sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin\n   10<\/span>  clear\n   11<\/span>  dolcker version\n   12<\/span>  docker version\n   13<\/span>  which docker\n   14<\/span>  which dockerd\n   15<\/span>  which containerd\n   16<\/span>  ps -eaf\n   17<\/span>  lear\n   18<\/span>  clear\n   19<\/span>  docker info\n   20<\/span>  clear\n   21<\/span>  ls\n   22<\/span>  docker ps\n   23<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   24<\/span>  docker images\n   25<\/span>  docker pull httpd\n   26<\/span>  docker images\n   27<\/span>  clear\n   28<\/span>  ls\n   29<\/span>  docker create httpd\n   30<\/span>  docker ps\n   31<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   32<\/span>  docker create --name raj1 httpd\n   33<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   34<\/span>  docker create httpd\n   35<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   36<\/span>  docker start 9<\/span>b294ab57cba\n   37<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   38<\/span>  docker start raj1\n   39<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   40<\/span>  docker stop 9<\/span>b294ab57cba\n   41<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   42<\/span>  docker restart 05<\/span>f6c329193b\n   43<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   44<\/span>  clear\n   45<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   46<\/span>  docker start 9<\/span>b294ab57cba\n   47<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   48<\/span>  docker pause 05<\/span>f6c329193b\n   49<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   50<\/span>  docker stats\n   51<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   52<\/span>  docker unpause 05<\/span>f6c329193b\n   53<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   54<\/span>  docker kill 9<\/span>b294ab57cba\n   55<\/span>  docker stop 05<\/span>f6c329193b\n   56<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   57<\/span>  docker rm 9<\/span>b294ab57cba\n   58<\/span>  docker rm 05<\/span>f6c329193b\n   59<\/span>  docker ps\n   60<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   61<\/span>  clear\n   62<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   63<\/span>  docker start 96<\/span>a5327d4882\n   64<\/span>  clear\n   65<\/span>  ls\n   66<\/span>  docker ps -a\n   67<\/span>  ps -eaf | grep container\n   68<\/span>  ps -eaf | grep containerd\n   69<\/span>  clear\n   70<\/span>  docker ps\n   71<\/span>  docker exec 96<\/span>a5327d4882 ps -eaf\n   72<\/span>  docker inspect 96<\/span>a5327d4882\n   73<\/span>  docker inspect 96<\/span>a5327d4882 | grep -i user\n   74<\/span>  clear\n   75<\/span>  ls\n   76<\/span>  docker ps\n   77<\/span>  ps -eaf | grep containerd\n   78<\/span>  docker ps\n   79<\/span>  docker exec -it 96<\/span>a5327d4882\n   80<\/span>  docker exec -it 96<\/span>a5327d4882 \/bin\/bash\n   81<\/span>  ps -eaf\n   82<\/span>  clear\n   83<\/span>  docker ps\n   84<\/span>  docker inspect 96<\/span>a5327d4882\n   85<\/span>  clear\n   86<\/span>  docker exec -it 96<\/span>a5327d4882 \/bin\/bash\n   87<\/span>  df -kh\n   88<\/span>  docker exec -it 96<\/span>a5327d4882 \/bin\/bash\n   89<\/span>  ls \/\n   90<\/span>  df -kh\n   91<\/span>  cd \/var<\/span>\/lib\/docker\/overlay2\/b011c58e3530b49f359d0779fb60153e9622970b601034f035ec881cabbea92f\/merged\n   92<\/span>  ls\n   93<\/span>  clear\n   94<\/span>  ls\n   95<\/span>  cd\n   96<\/span>  ls\n   97<\/span>  docker ps\n   98<\/span>  history\n   99<\/span>  ip a\n  100<\/span>  history\n<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> PHP<\/span> (<\/span>php<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n