Essential Commands for Listing Docker Containers

If you don’t know what’s running in your Docker environment, you’re not running it — it’s running you.

Whether you’re babysitting a dev laptop with three containers or wrangling a prod swarm that never sleeps, listing containers is the first move in any troubleshooting dance. And yet, too many engineers treat docker ps like some dusty man page trick instead of what it is: a daily-use diagnostic scalpel.

Let’s fix that.

Why Listing Containers Actually Matters#

Here’s the deal: containers are cheap, disposable, and everywhere. That’s the whole point. But when you’ve got 47 of them doing who-knows-what at 3AM during an incident, you better be able to see exactly what’s up — fast.

Here’s what container listings tell you (if you know how to read them):

What’s running — or more importantly, what’s not
Which ports are exposed (and why Jenkins is talking to the wrong service)
Which ones just crashed five times in a row
Who deployed that random PostgreSQL container last week
How much disk space your zombie containers are chewing up

You want operational clarity? It starts with docker ps.

Core Commands: No Fluff, Just Output#

Let’s walk through the container listing commands that matter — the ones I actually use when things break.

List Running Containers#

1
docker ps

This is the default. It shows only running containers — none of your sad, exited ghosts.

Fields you’ll see:

CONTAINER ID
IMAGE
COMMAND
CREATED
STATUS
PORTS
NAMES

If all you need is to check what’s up and listening on port 8080, this is your guy.

See All Containers (Even the Dead Ones)#

1
docker ps -a

Want to know why that database backup failed overnight? This is where your exited containers live.

Useful for:

Postmortems
Audits
Catching misfired docker run commands your CI forgot to clean up

Show the Last N Containers#

1
docker ps -n 5

Shows the latest 5 containers, regardless of whether they’re running or not. Great when you’re trying to track down what just happened.

Just the IDs (For Scripting)#

1
docker ps -q

Only container IDs. No fluff. Perfect for feeding into other commands:

1
docker stop $(docker ps -q)

Pro tip: pair with -a if you want all container IDs, not just running ones.

Show Container Sizes#

1
docker ps -s

Ever wonder why your CI agents are eating 20GB of disk? This command shows both the actual size and the virtual size of each container.

1
CONTAINER ID   IMAGE     SIZE      ...
2
1a2b3c4d5e6f   redis     30MB (virtual 150MB)

Good for pruning. Better for avoiding the next disk outage.

Custom Output with `--format`#

1
docker ps --format "{{.ID}} {{.Image}} {{.Status}}"

When you’re piping into tools or just hate staring at wide terminal tables, --format gives you control.

Use this with:

--no-trunc to avoid chopped-off IDs and commands
JSON outputs if you’re feeding this into monitoring scripts

Filter Like a Pro#

1
docker ps --filter "status=exited"
2
docker ps --filter "health=unhealthy"
3
docker ps --filter "ancestor=nginx"

This is where docker ps turns into grep on steroids. Use it to:

Track misbehaving containers by health status
Find all containers started from a specific image
List containers tied to a specific label

Docker Compose? Same Game, Different Commands#

If you’re living in docker-compose land (you rebel), the commands shift a bit:

1
docker compose ps

Lists containers in the current Compose project. Basically docker ps, but scoped to the docker-compose.yml in your cwd.

1
docker compose ls

Shows all Compose projects on the machine — their names, status, and whether they’re still running.

Great when your team has 12 different Compose stacks lying around like forgotten pizza boxes.

Real-World Example: CI Agent Gone Rogue#

I once walked into a client’s Jenkins server that was throwing disk full errors. A quick docker ps -s revealed that a dozen dangling build agents had ballooned up to 18GB each. They weren’t running. No one was watching. docker ps -a plus a --filter and -q combo gave me the container IDs, and in seconds, they were gone:

1
docker rm $(docker ps -a -q --filter "status=exited")

Moral of the story: Knowing how to see containers is the first step to controlling them.

Takeaway: Don’t Just Run Containers — Own Them#

Listing containers isn’t a junior-level checkbox. It’s foundational. If you can’t tell what’s running, what’s dead, and what’s unhealthy in under 30 seconds, you’re one stray docker run away from production chaos.

So burn these into your muscle memory. Pipe them into your scripts. Alias the long ones. Teach them to your juniors.

And next time you SSH into a box and run docker ps, do it with confidence. You’re not just checking containers — you’re asserting control.

Patreon Exclusives#

🏆 Join my Patreon and dive deep into the world of Docker and DevOps with exclusive content tailored for IT enthusiasts and professionals. As your experienced guide, I offer a range of membership tiers designed to suit everyone from newbies to IT experts.

Tools I Personally Trust#

If you’re building things, breaking things, and trying to keep your digital life a little saner (like every good DevOps engineer), these are two tools that I trust and use daily:

🛸 Proton VPN - My shield on the internet. It keeps your Wi-Fi secure, hides your IP, and blocks those creepy trackers. Even if I’m hacking away on free café Wi-Fi, I know I’m safe.

🔑 Proton Pass - My password vault. Proper on-device encryption, 2FA codes, logins, secrets - all mine and only mine. No compromises.

These are partner links - you won’t pay a cent more, but you’ll be supporting DevOps Compass. Thanks a ton - it helps me keep this compass pointing the right way 💜

Gear & Books I Trust#

📕 Essential DevOps books
🖥️ Studio streaming & recording kit
📡 Streaming starter kit

🎬 YouTube
🐦 X (Twitter)
🎨 Instagram
🐘 Mastodon
🧵 Threads
🎸 Facebook
🦋 Bluesky
🎥 TikTok
💻 LinkedIn
📣 daily.dev Squad
✈️ Telegram
🐈 GitHub

Community of IT Experts#

👾 Discord

Refill My Coffee Supplies#

💖 PayPal
🏆 Patreon
🥤 BuyMeaCoffee
🍪 Ko-fi
💎 GitHub
⚡ Telegram Boost

🌟 Bitcoin (BTC): bc1q2fq0k2lvdythdrj4ep20metjwnjuf7wccpckxc
🔹 Ethereum (ETH): 0x76C936F9366Fad39769CA5285b0Af1d975adacB8
🪙 Binance Coin (BNB): bnb1xnn6gg63lr2dgufngfr0lkq39kz8qltjt2v2g6
💠 Litecoin (LTC): LMGrhx8Jsx73h1pWY9FE8GB46nBytjvz8g

Is this content AI-generated?

No. Every article on this blog is written by me personally, drawing on decades of hands-on IT experience and a genuine passion for technology.

I use AI tools exclusively to help polish grammar and ensure my technical guidance is as clear as possible. However, the core ideas, strategic insights, and step-by-step solutions are entirely my own, born from real-world work.

Because of this human-and-AI partnership, some detection tools might flag this content. You can be confident, though, that the expertise is authentic. My goal is to share road-tested knowledge you can trust.