docker-ps

List running containers

$ docker ps

$ docker ps -a

$ docker ps --format "{{.ID}}: {{.Names}}"

$ docker ps -q

$ docker ps -f name=[pattern]

$ docker ps -f status=[running|exited|paused]

$ docker ps -s

$ docker ps -l

docker ps [options]

docker ps lists Docker containers. By default, it shows only running containers with their ID, image, command, creation time, status, ports, and names.
The command provides filtering capabilities to find specific containers by various criteria. Custom formatting allows displaying exactly the information needed, useful for scripting and automation.
Container IDs are shown truncated by default; use --no-trunc for full IDs. The -q option outputs only IDs, convenient for passing to other commands.

-a, --all

Show all containers (default shows running only).

Only display container IDs.

Show latest created container.

Show n last created containers.

Display total file sizes.

Filter output based on conditions.

Format output using Go template.

Don't truncate output.

id: Container ID
name: Container name
label: Label key or key=value
status: created, restarting, running, paused, exited, dead
ancestor: Image name or ID
network: Network name or ID
publish / expose: Port number
health: healthy, unhealthy, starting, none

{{.ID}}: Container ID
{{.Names}}: Container names
{{.Image}}: Image name
{{.Status}}: Container status
{{.Ports}}: Published ports
{{.State}}: Container state
{{.CreatedAt}}: Creation time
{{.RunningFor}}: Time since start

Stopped containers are hidden by default; use -a to see them. Size calculation (-s) can be slow on systems with many containers. Format strings use Go template syntax. Some filters may behave unexpectedly with wildcards.

docker ps has been part of Docker since its initial release in 2013, modeled after the Unix ps command for processes. The filtering and formatting options were added over time to support container management at scale. The command remains the primary way to inspect running containers.

docker(1), docker-inspect(1), docker-logs(1), docker-stats(1)