docker-system

Show Docker disk usage

$ docker system df

$ docker system df [[-v|--verbose]]

$ docker system prune

$ docker system prune --filter "until=[hours]h[minutes]m"

$ docker system events

$ docker system events [[-f|--filter]] 'type=container' --format '[json .]'

$ docker system info

$ docker system

docker system COMMAND [OPTIONS] [ARG...]

df [OPTIONS]
    Display Docker disk usage by images, containers, volumes, and build cache

events [OPTIONS]
    Stream real-time events from the Docker daemon

info [OPTIONS]
    Show system-wide information about Docker installation and configuration

prune [OPTIONS]
    Remove unused containers, networks, images, and optionally volumes or build cache

--help
    Show help for docker system

docker system is a Docker CLI command used to inspect and manage the Docker daemon's resource consumption, primarily focusing on disk space, system events, and overall status. It helps administrators monitor storage used by images, containers, volumes, and build cache, preventing disk exhaustion on the host.

Common use cases include checking disk usage with df, retrieving real-time events via events, viewing comprehensive system details with info, and cleaning up unused resources using prune. The prune subcommand is particularly powerful, allowing selective or aggressive removal of dangling images, stopped containers, unused networks, and optionally all unused objects to free significant space.

This command requires the Docker daemon to be running and typically needs root or docker group privileges. It's essential for production environments where Docker workloads generate substantial data over time. Output is human-readable by default but supports JSON formatting for scripting. Regular use ensures efficient resource management and optimal performance.

Requires Docker daemon running; prune operations are irreversible and may delete important data if not filtered carefully. Use -f or --filter for precision.

docker system df - View disk usage summary.
docker system prune -a - Aggressively remove all unused objects.
docker system info - Detailed Docker host info.

Prune subcommands accept --filter flag, e.g., --filter until=24h to remove objects older than 24 hours.

Introduced in Docker 1.13 (2017) to consolidate system management; evolved with Docker Engine releases, adding filters and force options in later versions like 17.06+ for safer pruning.

docker(1), docker-image-prune(1), docker-container-prune(1), docker-volume-prune(1)