Docker

Container management with style

Managing containers shouldn't require memorizing 16-character hexadecimal IDs. These utilities make Docker feel intuitive.

Aliases

Core Commands

Alias	Command	Description
d	docker	Because 6 letters...
dc	docker compose	Compose CLI
dps	docker ps	List running
dpsa	docker ps -a	List all containers
di	docker images	List images

Container Operations

Alias	Command	Description
dex	docker exec -it	Interactive exec
dlogs	docker logs	View logs
dstop	docker stop	Stop container
drm	docker rm	Remove container
drmi	docker rmi	Remove image

Cleanup

Alias	Command	Description
dprune	docker system prune -f	Prune everything
dcp	Container prune	Remove stopped
dip	Image prune	Remove dangling images
dvp	Volume prune	Remove unused volumes
dnp	Network prune	Remove unused networks

Run dprune weekly to reclaim disk space. Docker accumulates cruft fast.

Interactive Functions

All these leverage fzf for container/service selection. No more copying container IDs.

dexec — Interactive Exec

Shell into a running container:

dexec
# fzf list of running containers
# Select one, hit Enter
# Tries bash, falls back to sh if unavailable

The most-used Docker command, now friction-free.

dlf — Interactive Logs Follow

Tail logs from any container:

dlf
# Select container
# Shows logs with -f (follow mode)
# Ctrl-C to exit

dstopi — Interactive Stop

Stop containers with multi-select:

dstopi
# Multi-select containers with Tab
# Enter to stop all selected
# Also removes them after stopping

drmi — Interactive Remove

Clean up exited containers:

drmi
# Shows only exited containers
# Multi-select with Tab
# Enter to remove

Note: This is the function drmi, not the alias. The alias removes images, the function removes containers. Yeah, it's confusing. Use the function.

dip — Get Container IP

Find a container's IP address:

dip              # Interactive selection
dip my-container # Direct lookup

Useful for debugging networking or connecting to services.

dcr — Docker Compose Restart

Restart a service from your docker-compose.yml:

dcr
# Shows all services from compose file
# Select one to restart

Only works if there's a docker-compose.yml in the current directory.

Utility Functions

dstats — Container Stats

Live resource usage for all running containers:

dstats
# Shows: Name, CPU%, Memory Usage, Network I/O, Block I/O
# Updates continuously (like `docker stats`)

Press Ctrl-C to exit.

dclean — Full Cleanup

Nuclear option for disk space:

dclean
# Runs:
#   docker system prune -f
#   docker volume prune -f
#   docker network prune -f
# Removes all unused data

Use when you need to reclaim serious space. Be careful—this is destructive.

Compose Workflows

Common docker-compose patterns:

Starting Services

dc up -d              # Start in background
dc up -d --build      # Rebuild and start

Viewing Logs

dc logs -f            # All services, follow mode
dc logs -f api        # Specific service
dc logs --tail=100 api # Last 100 lines

Restarting Services

dcr                   # Interactive selection
dc restart api        # Direct restart

Stopping Everything

dc down               # Stop all services
dc down -v            # Stop and remove volumes (destructive!)

Common Patterns

Quick Container Shell

# Direct approach (if you know the name)
dex my-container bash

# Interactive (if you don't)
dexec

Follow Logs

# Direct
dlogs -f my-container

# Interactive
dlf

Cleanup After Development

# Stop compose services
dc down

# Remove all unused resources
dclean

Free up 10GB instantly.

Debug a Container

# Check if it's running
dps

# Shell into it
dexec
# or: dex <container> bash

# Inside the container:
ps aux              # Check processes
env                 # Check environment
cat /etc/os-release # Check base image

Port Mapping Check

dps
# Look at PORTS column
# Or get detailed info:
d inspect <container> | grep -A 10 Ports

Image Cleanup

# List images
di

# Remove specific image
drmi <image-id>

# Remove dangling images
dip

# Remove all unused images
docker image prune -a

Compose Multi-Environment

If you use multiple compose files:

# Development
dc -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml up -d

# Production
dc -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

# Alias these in your ~/.rc.local
alias dcdev='dc -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.dev.yml'
alias dcprod='dc -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml'

Pro Tips

Use dexec liberally: Shell into containers to debug. It's faster than reading logs alone.

dstats for performance issues: If something's slow, run dstats first. Often reveals CPU/memory hogs immediately.

Prune regularly: Run dprune weekly. Docker accumulates stopped containers and dangling images fast.

Name your containers: Use container_name in compose files. Makes dps output readable.

Check logs first: 90% of container issues are in the logs. dlf makes this painless.

Compose down vs stop: Use down to clean up properly. stop leaves containers around.