docker-images

View documentation for the original command

$ tldr docker image ls

docker images [OPTIONS] [REPOSITORY[:TAG]]
(alias: docker image ls)

-a, --all
    Show all images, including intermediate and dangling ones

--digests
    Show digests of images

-f, --filter filter
    Filter output by reference, dangling=true/false, label, or before/ID

--format string
    Pretty-print using Go template (e.g., '{{.Repository}}:{{.Tag}}')

--no-trunc
    Display full image IDs and digests without truncation

-q, --quiet
    Only show numeric image IDs

The docker images command (also aliased as docker image ls) displays a list of all Docker images stored on the local system. It provides essential information for each image, including the repository name, tag, unique image ID, creation date, virtual size, and whether it's dangling (untagged).

By default, it shows only top-level images, hiding intermediate layers and dangling ones to keep output concise. The output is formatted in a table with columns: REPOSITORY, TAG, IMAGE ID, CREATED, and SIZE. Image IDs are truncated for readability unless --no-trunc is used.

This command is crucial for managing images: identifying what's installed, checking sizes for disk usage, or selecting images for removal. Filters allow narrowing results by reference, dangling status, or label. Custom formatting via Go templates enables scripted parsing. Quiet mode outputs only IDs, ideal for piping to other commands like docker rmi.

Requires Docker daemon running and appropriate permissions.

REPOSITORY: Image name
TAG: Version tag (<none> for untagged)
IMAGE ID: Unique SHA256 hash (truncated)
CREATED: Time since creation
SIZE: Compressed/virtual size

docker images → lists all
docker images -q | xargs docker rmi → remove all (caution!)
docker images --filter dangling=true → untagged images

Introduced in Docker 1.0 (2014), evolved with Moby project; core CLI tool since Docker's inception in 2013.

docker image ls(1), docker rmi(1), docker image prune(1), docker system df(1)