docker ps: List Containers, Filters & Formatting
List containers - running by default, all of them with -a.
docker ps (alias docker container ls) lists containers. This page covers showing stopped containers, filtering, formatting, and reading exit codes.
What it does
docker ps lists running containers by default. With -a it includes stopped and exited containers, which is essential for debugging why a container died in CI.
Common usage
Terminal
docker ps
docker ps -a
docker ps --filter "status=exited"
docker ps -a --format "{{.Names}} {{.Status}}"
docker ps -q # IDs only (scripting)Common errors in CI
A common CI confusion is "my container is gone" - by default docker ps hides exited containers; add -a to see one that crashed, then docker logs it. The Status column shows "Exited (137)" for an OOM-killed container and "Exited (1)" for an app error. Use docker ps -aq to feed IDs into cleanup commands like docker rm.
Frequently asked questions
docker ps: List Containers, Filters & Formatting?
docker ps (alias docker container ls) lists containers. This page covers showing stopped containers, filtering, formatting, and reading exit codes.
What it does?
docker ps lists running containers by default. With -a it includes stopped and exited containers, which is essential for debugging why a container died in CI.
Common errors in CI?
A common CI confusion is "my container is gone" - by default docker ps hides exited containers; add -a to see one that crashed, then docker logs it. The Status column shows "Exited (137)" for an OOM-killed container and "Exited (1)" for an app error. Use docker ps -aq to feed IDs into cleanup commands like docker rm.
Related guides
docker logs: View Container Logs & Tail in CIHow docker logs works: viewing stdout/stderr from a container, following, tailing, timestamps, and using it
docker rm: Remove Containers & Force CleanupHow docker rm works: removing stopped containers, force-removing running ones, removing volumes, and CI
docker inspect: Low-Level Container & Image DetailHow docker inspect works: dumping JSON metadata for containers, images, volumes, and networks, with --format
docker stats: Live Container Resource UsageHow docker stats works: streaming CPU, memory, network, and I/O per container, the --no-stream flag, and