How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of listing all Docker containers, including those that are hidden from plain sight. By the end, you will have a comprehensive understanding of Docker container management and be able to maintain full visibility over your container environment.

Skills Graph

%%%%{init: {'theme':'neutral'}}%%%% flowchart RL docker(("`Docker`")) -.-> docker/ContainerOperationsGroup(["`Container Operations`"]) docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/attach("`Attach to Container`") docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/exec("`Execute Command in Container`") docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/ps("`List Running Containers`") docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/start("`Start Container`") docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/stop("`Stop Container`") docker/ContainerOperationsGroup -.-> docker/ls("`List Containers`") subgraph Lab Skills docker/attach -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} docker/exec -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} docker/ps -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} docker/start -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} docker/stop -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} docker/ls -.-> lab-417658{{"`How to list all Docker containers, including hidden ones`"}} end

Understanding Docker Containers

Docker is a popular containerization platform that allows developers to package and deploy applications in a consistent and reproducible way. Containers are lightweight, standalone, and executable software packages that include everything needed to run an application, including the code, runtime, system tools, and libraries.

What are Docker Containers?

Docker containers are a way to package and distribute applications. They encapsulate an application and all its dependencies, such as libraries and other binaries, and provide a consistent runtime environment. This ensures that the application will run the same way, regardless of the underlying operating system or infrastructure.

Benefits of Docker Containers

Consistency: Docker containers provide a consistent and predictable runtime environment, ensuring that the application will behave the same way across different environments.
Portability: Docker containers can be easily moved between different systems, including development, testing, and production environments, without the need for complex configuration changes.
Scalability: Docker containers can be easily scaled up or down, depending on the application's resource requirements, making it easier to manage and deploy applications.
Efficiency: Docker containers are lightweight and use fewer resources than traditional virtual machines, as they share the host operating system's kernel.

Docker Container Lifecycle

The lifecycle of a Docker container can be divided into the following stages:

Create: A new container is created from a Docker image.
Run: The container is started and the application inside it begins executing.
Stop: The container is stopped, but its state is preserved.
Start: The stopped container is restarted, and the application resumes execution.
Remove: The container is permanently deleted from the system.

graph LR Create --> Run Run --> Stop Stop --> Start Start --> Run Run --> Remove

Docker Container Networking

Docker containers can be connected to one or more networks, allowing them to communicate with each other and with the host system. Docker provides several network drivers, such as bridge, host, and overlay, to suit different networking requirements.

Network Driver	Description
`bridge`	The default network driver, which connects containers to a virtual bridge network on the host system.
`host`	Allows the container to use the host system's network stack, bypassing the virtual bridge network.
`overlay`	Enables communication between containers across multiple Docker hosts, creating a distributed network.

By understanding the basics of Docker containers, you'll be better equipped to manage and deploy your applications using this powerful containerization technology.

Listing Docker Containers

Once you have Docker containers running, you'll need to be able to list and manage them. Docker provides several commands to list and inspect containers, allowing you to understand their current state and interact with them.

Listing All Containers

To list all running Docker containers, you can use the docker container ls command:

docker container ls

This will display a table with information about the running containers, including the container ID, image, command, creation time, status, and ports.

If you want to list all containers, including those that are not running, you can use the -a or --all flag:

docker container ls -a

This will show you all the containers that have been created, regardless of their current state.

Listing Container Details

To get more detailed information about a specific container, you can use the docker container inspect command:

docker container inspect <container_id>

This will output a JSON object containing detailed information about the container, such as its configuration, network settings, and resource usage.

You can also use the docker container stats command to get real-time performance metrics for one or more containers:

docker container stats <container_id>

This will display a live stream of CPU, memory, network, and disk I/O usage for the specified container(s).

By mastering the various commands for listing and inspecting Docker containers, you'll be able to effectively manage and troubleshoot your containerized applications.

Revealing Hidden Containers

In some cases, you may need to list Docker containers that are not visible using the standard docker container ls command. These "hidden" containers can be containers that have been stopped, removed, or are in a non-running state.

Listing All Containers, Including Hidden Ones

To list all Docker containers, including those that are not running, you can use the docker container ls --all command:

docker container ls --all

This will display a list of all containers, regardless of their current state.

Listing Stopped Containers

If you want to specifically list only the stopped containers, you can use the following command:

docker container ls --all --filter "status=exited"

This will show you all the containers that have a status of "exited", meaning they are no longer running.

Listing Dangling Containers

Dangling containers are containers that are not associated with any image and have no references. These containers can be listed using the following command:

docker container ls --all --filter "status=created"

This will display all the containers that have a status of "created", which are typically dangling containers.

By understanding how to list all Docker containers, including hidden or non-running ones, you'll be able to better manage and maintain your containerized applications.

Summary

In this Docker tutorial, you have learned how to list all containers, including hidden ones, to gain complete visibility over your Docker environment. By understanding the different commands and techniques, you can effectively manage and monitor your Docker containers, ensuring optimal performance and troubleshooting capabilities.