---
title: "Use the Docker command line"
description: "Docker's CLI command description and usage"
keywords: "Docker, Docker documentation, CLI, command line, config.json, CLI configuration file"
redirect_from:
  - /reference/commandline/cli/
  - /engine/reference/commandline/engine/
  - /engine/reference/commandline/engine_activate/
  - /engine/reference/commandline/engine_check/
  - /engine/reference/commandline/engine_update/
---

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# docker

To list available commands, either run `docker` with no parameters
or execute `docker help`:

```console
$ docker
Usage: docker [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARG...]
       docker [ --help | -v | --version ]

A self-sufficient runtime for containers.

Options:
      --config string      Location of client config files (default "/root/.docker")
  -c, --context string     Name of the context to use to connect to the daemon (overrides DOCKER_HOST env var and default context set with "docker context use")
  -D, --debug              Enable debug mode
      --help               Print usage
  -H, --host value         Daemon socket(s) to connect to (default [])
  -l, --log-level string   Set the logging level ("debug"|"info"|"warn"|"error"|"fatal") (default "info")
      --tls                Use TLS; implied by --tlsverify
      --tlscacert string   Trust certs signed only by this CA (default "/root/.docker/ca.pem")
      --tlscert string     Path to TLS certificate file (default "/root/.docker/cert.pem")
      --tlskey string      Path to TLS key file (default "/root/.docker/key.pem")
      --tlsverify          Use TLS and verify the remote
  -v, --version            Print version information and quit

Commands:
    attach    Attach to a running container
    # […]
```

## Description

Depending on your Docker system configuration, you may be required to preface
each `docker` command with `sudo`. To avoid having to use `sudo` with the
`docker` command, your system administrator can create a Unix group called
`docker` and add users to it.

For more information about installing Docker or `sudo` configuration, refer to
the [installation](https://docs.docker.com/install/) instructions for your operating system.

## Environment variables

The following list of environment variables are supported by the `docker` command
line:

| Variable                      | Description                                                                                                                           |
|:------------------------------|:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `DOCKER_API_VERSION`          | Override the negotiated API version to use for debugging (e.g. `1.19`)                                                                |
| `DOCKER_CERT_PATH`            | Location of your authentication keys. This variable is used both by the `docker` CLI and the [`dockerd` daemon](dockerd.md)             |
| `DOCKER_CONFIG`               | The location of your client configuration files.                                                                                      |
| `DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST_SERVER` | The URL of the Notary server to use. Defaults to the same URL as the registry.                                                        |
| `DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST`        | When set Docker uses notary to sign and verify images. Equates to `--disable-content-trust=false` for build, create, pull, push, run. |
| `DOCKER_CONTEXT`              | Name of the `docker context` to use (overrides `DOCKER_HOST` env var and default context set with `docker context use`)               |
| `DOCKER_DEFAULT_PLATFORM`     | Default platform for commands that take the `--platform` flag.                                                                        |
| `DOCKER_HIDE_LEGACY_COMMANDS` | When set, Docker hides "legacy" top-level commands (such as `docker rm`, and `docker pull`) in `docker help` output, and only `Management commands` per object-type (e.g., `docker container`) are printed. This may become the default in a future release, at which point this environment-variable is removed. |
| `DOCKER_HOST`                 | Daemon socket to connect to.                                                                                                          |
| `DOCKER_STACK_ORCHESTRATOR`   | Configure the default orchestrator to use when using `docker stack` management commands.                                              |
| `DOCKER_TLS_VERIFY`           | When set Docker uses TLS and verifies the remote. This variable is used both by the `docker` CLI and the [`dockerd` daemon](dockerd.md) |
| `BUILDKIT_PROGRESS`           | Set type of progress output (`auto`, `plain`, `tty`) when [building](build.md) with [BuildKit backend](https://docs.docker.com/build/buildkit/). Use plain to show container output (default `auto`). |

Because Docker is developed using Go, you can also use any environment
variables used by the Go runtime. In particular, you may find these useful:

* `HTTP_PROXY`
* `HTTPS_PROXY`
* `NO_PROXY`

These Go environment variables are case-insensitive. See the
[Go specification](https://golang.org/pkg/net/http/) for details on these
variables.

## Configuration files

By default, the Docker command line stores its configuration files in a
directory called `.docker` within your `$HOME` directory.

Docker manages most of the files in the configuration directory
and you should not modify them. However, you *can* modify the
`config.json` file to control certain aspects of how the `docker`
command behaves.

You can modify the `docker` command behavior using environment
variables or command-line options. You can also use options within
`config.json` to modify some of the same behavior. If an environment variable
and the `--config` flag are set, the flag takes precedent over the environment
variable. Command line options override environment variables and environment
variables override properties you specify in a `config.json` file.


### Change the `.docker` directory

To specify a different directory, use the `DOCKER_CONFIG`
environment variable or the `--config` command line option. If both are
specified, then the `--config` option overrides the `DOCKER_CONFIG` environment
variable. The example below overrides the `docker ps` command using a
`config.json` file located in the `~/testconfigs/` directory.

```console
$ docker --config ~/testconfigs/ ps
```

This flag only applies to whatever command is being ran. For persistent
configuration, you can set the `DOCKER_CONFIG` environment variable in your
shell (e.g. `~/.profile` or `~/.bashrc`). The example below sets the new
directory to be `HOME/newdir/.docker`.

```console
$ echo export DOCKER_CONFIG=$HOME/newdir/.docker > ~/.profile
```

## Docker CLI configuration file (`config.json`) properties

<a name="configjson-properties"><!-- included for deep-links to old section --></a>

Use the Docker CLI configuration to customize settings for the `docker` CLI. The
configuration file uses JSON formatting, and properties:

By default, configuration file is stored in `~/.docker/config.json`. Refer to the
[change the `.docker` directory](#change-the-docker-directory) section to use a
different location.

> **Warning**
> 
> The configuration file and other files inside the `~/.docker` configuration
> directory may contain sensitive information, such as authentication information
> for proxies or, depending on your credential store, credentials for your image
> registries. Review your configuration file's content before sharing with others,
> and prevent committing the file to version control.

### Customize the default output format for commands

These fields allow you to customize the default output format for some commands
if no `--format` flag is provided.

| Property               | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
|:-----------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `configFormat`         | Custom default format for `docker config ls` output. Refer to the [**format the output** section in the `docker config ls` documentation](config_ls.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.            |
| `imagesFormat`         | Custom default format for `docker images` / `docker image ls` output. Refer to the [**format the output** section in the `docker images` documentation](images.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives. |
| `nodesFormat`          | Custom default format for `docker node ls` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker node ls` documentation](node_ls.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.                         |
| `pluginsFormat`        | Custom default format for `docker plugin ls` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker plugin ls` documentation](plugin_ls.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.                   |
| `psFormat`             | Custom default format for `docker ps` / `docker container ps` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker ps` documentation](ps.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.                |
| `secretFormat`         | Custom default format for `docker secret ls` output. Refer to the [**format the output** section in the `docker secret ls` documentation](secret_ls.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.            |
| `serviceInspectFormat` | Custom default format for `docker service inspect` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker service inspect` documentation](service_inspect.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives. |
| `servicesFormat`       | Custom default format for `docker service ls` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker service ls` documentation](service_ls.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.                |
| `statsFormat`          | Custom default format for `docker stats` output. Refer to the [**formatting** section in the `docker stats` documentation](stats.md#format) for a list of supported formatting directives.                               |


### Custom HTTP headers

The property `HttpHeaders` specifies a set of headers to include in all messages
sent from the Docker client to the daemon. Docker does not try to interpret or
understand these headers; it simply puts them into the messages. Docker does
not allow these headers to change any headers it sets for itself.


### Credential store options

The property `credsStore` specifies an external binary to serve as the default
credential store. When this property is set, `docker login` will attempt to
store credentials in the binary specified by `docker-credential-<value>` which
is visible on `$PATH`. If this property is not set, credentials will be stored
in the `auths` property of the config. For more information, see the
[**Credentials store** section in the `docker login` documentation](login.md#credentials-store)

The property `credHelpers` specifies a set of credential helpers to use
preferentially over `credsStore` or `auths` when storing and retrieving
credentials for specific registries. If this property is set, the binary
`docker-credential-<value>` will be used when storing or retrieving credentials
for a specific registry. For more information, see the
[**Credential helpers** section in the `docker login` documentation](login.md#credential-helpers)


### Orchestrator options for docker stacks

The property `stackOrchestrator` specifies the default orchestrator to use when
running `docker stack` management commands. Valid values are `"swarm"`,
`"kubernetes"`, and `"all"`. This property can be overridden with the
`DOCKER_STACK_ORCHESTRATOR` environment variable, or the `--orchestrator` flag.


### Automatic proxy configuration for containers

The property `proxies` specifies proxy environment variables to be automatically
set on containers, and set as `--build-arg` on containers used during `docker build`.
A `"default"` set of proxies can be configured, and will be used for any docker
daemon that the client connects to, or a configuration per host (docker daemon),
for example, "https://docker-daemon1.example.com". The following properties can
be set for each environment:

| Property       | Description                                                                                             |
|:---------------|:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| `httpProxy`    | Default value of `HTTP_PROXY` and `http_proxy` for containers, and as `--build-arg` on `docker build`   |
| `httpsProxy`   | Default value of `HTTPS_PROXY` and `https_proxy` for containers, and as `--build-arg` on `docker build` |
| `ftpProxy`     | Default value of `FTP_PROXY` and `ftp_proxy` for containers, and as `--build-arg` on `docker build`     |
| `noProxy`      | Default value of `NO_PROXY` and `no_proxy` for containers, and as `--build-arg` on `docker build`       |

These settings are used to configure proxy settings for containers only, and not
used as proxy settings for the `docker` CLI or the `dockerd` daemon. Refer to the
[environment variables](#environment-variables) and [HTTP/HTTPS proxy](https://docs.docker.com/config/daemon/systemd/#httphttps-proxy)
sections for configuring proxy settings for the cli and daemon.

> **Warning**
> 
> Proxy settings may contain sensitive information (for example, if the proxy
> requires authentication). Environment variables are stored as plain text in
> the container's configuration, and as such can be inspected through the remote
> API or committed to an image when using `docker commit`.

### Default key-sequence to detach from containers

Once attached to a container, users detach from it and leave it running using
the using `CTRL-p CTRL-q` key sequence. This detach key sequence is customizable
using the `detachKeys` property. Specify a `<sequence>` value for the
property. The format of the `<sequence>` is a comma-separated list of either
a letter [a-Z], or the `ctrl-` combined with any of the following:

* `a-z` (a single lowercase alpha character )
* `@` (at sign)
* `[` (left bracket)
* `\\` (two backward slashes)
*  `_` (underscore)
* `^` (caret)

Your customization applies to all containers started in with your Docker client.
Users can override your custom or the default key sequence on a per-container
basis. To do this, the user specifies the `--detach-keys` flag with the `docker
attach`, `docker exec`, `docker run` or `docker start` command.

### CLI Plugin options

The property `plugins` contains settings specific to CLI plugins. The
key is the plugin name, while the value is a further map of options,
which are specific to that plugin.


### Sample configuration file

Following is a sample `config.json` file to illustrate the format used for
various fields:

```json
{% raw %}
{
  "HttpHeaders": {
    "MyHeader": "MyValue"
  },
  "psFormat": "table {{.ID}}\\t{{.Image}}\\t{{.Command}}\\t{{.Labels}}",
  "imagesFormat": "table {{.ID}}\\t{{.Repository}}\\t{{.Tag}}\\t{{.CreatedAt}}",
  "pluginsFormat": "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Enabled}}",
  "statsFormat": "table {{.Container}}\t{{.CPUPerc}}\t{{.MemUsage}}",
  "servicesFormat": "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.Mode}}",
  "secretFormat": "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.CreatedAt}}\t{{.UpdatedAt}}",
  "configFormat": "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Name}}\t{{.CreatedAt}}\t{{.UpdatedAt}}",
  "serviceInspectFormat": "pretty",
  "nodesFormat": "table {{.ID}}\t{{.Hostname}}\t{{.Availability}}",
  "detachKeys": "ctrl-e,e",
  "credsStore": "secretservice",
  "credHelpers": {
    "awesomereg.example.org": "hip-star",
    "unicorn.example.com": "vcbait"
  },
  "stackOrchestrator": "kubernetes",
  "plugins": {
    "plugin1": {
      "option": "value"
    },
    "plugin2": {
      "anotheroption": "anothervalue",
      "athirdoption": "athirdvalue"
    }
  },
  "proxies": {
    "default": {
      "httpProxy":  "http://user:pass@example.com:3128",
      "httpsProxy": "https://my-proxy.example.com:3129",
      "noProxy":    "intra.mycorp.example.com",
      "ftpProxy":   "http://user:pass@example.com:3128"
    },
    "https://manager1.mycorp.example.com:2377": {
      "httpProxy":  "http://user:pass@example.com:3128",
      "httpsProxy": "https://my-proxy.example.com:3129"
    }
  }
}
{% endraw %}
```

### Experimental features

Experimental features provide early access to future product functionality.
These features are intended for testing and feedback, and they may change
between releases without warning or can be removed from a future release.

Starting with Docker 20.10, experimental CLI features are enabled by default,
and require no configuration to enable them.

### Notary

If using your own notary server and a self-signed certificate or an internal
Certificate Authority, you need to place the certificate at
`tls/<registry_url>/ca.crt` in your docker config directory.

Alternatively you can trust the certificate globally by adding it to your system's
list of root Certificate Authorities.

## Examples

### Display help text

To list the help on any command just execute the command, followed by the
`--help` option.

```console
$ docker run --help

Usage: docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...]

Run a command in a new container

Options:
      --add-host value             Add a custom host-to-IP mapping (host:ip) (default [])
  -a, --attach value               Attach to STDIN, STDOUT or STDERR (default [])
<...>
```

### Option types

Single character command line options can be combined, so rather than
typing `docker run -i -t --name test busybox sh`,
you can write `docker run -it --name test busybox sh`.

#### Boolean

Boolean options take the form `-d=false`. The value you see in the help text is
the default value which is set if you do **not** specify that flag. If you
specify a Boolean flag without a value, this will set the flag to `true`,
irrespective of the default value.

For example, running `docker run -d` will set the value to `true`, so your
container **will** run in "detached" mode, in the background.

Options which default to `true` (e.g., `docker build --rm=true`) can only be
set to the non-default value by explicitly setting them to `false`:

```console
$ docker build --rm=false .
```

#### Multi

You can specify options like `-a=[]` multiple times in a single command line,
for example in these commands:

```console
$ docker run -a stdin -a stdout -i -t ubuntu /bin/bash

$ docker run -a stdin -a stdout -a stderr ubuntu /bin/ls
```

Sometimes, multiple options can call for a more complex value string as for
`-v`:

```console
$ docker run -v /host:/container example/mysql
```

> **Note**
>
> Do not use the `-t` and `-a stderr` options together due to
> limitations in the `pty` implementation. All `stderr` in `pty` mode
> simply goes to `stdout`.

#### Strings and Integers

Options like `--name=""` expect a string, and they
can only be specified once. Options like `-c=0`
expect an integer, and they can only be specified once.
