Inspecting container details in Docker - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What command shows detailed information about a specific Docker container?

The command docker inspect <container_id_or_name> shows detailed JSON-formatted information about the container's configuration and state.

beginner

What kind of information can you find using docker inspect?

You can find container ID, image used, network settings, mount points, environment variables, state (running, exited), ports, and more.

intermediate

How do you get just the IP address of a running container using Docker commands?

Use docker inspect -f '{{ .NetworkSettings.Networks.<network>.IPAddress }}' <container_id_or_name> to get only the container's IP address.

intermediate

What does the -f or --format option do in docker inspect?

It allows you to format the output using a Go template to extract specific fields instead of the full JSON output.

beginner

Why is inspecting container details useful in troubleshooting?

Inspecting helps you understand the container's setup, network, volumes, and state, which can reveal misconfigurations or issues causing failures.

Which command shows detailed JSON info about a Docker container?

A docker inspect <container>

B docker ps

C docker logs <container>

D docker run <container>

docker inspect shows detailed JSON info about the container's configuration and state.

How to get only the IP address of a container?

A docker logs <container>

B docker inspect -f '{{ .NetworkSettings.Networks.<network>.IPAddress }}' <container>

C docker ps -a

D docker exec <container> ip addr

The -f option formats output to show just the IP address.

What does docker inspect NOT show?

A Container mount points

B Container network settings

C Container environment variables

D Container logs

Container logs are shown by docker logs, not docker inspect.

Which option formats the output of docker inspect?

A -f or --format

B -q or --quiet

C -a or --all

D -l or --latest

The -f or --format option formats the output using templates.

Why inspect container details?

A To delete a container

B To start a new container

C To understand container setup and troubleshoot issues

D To build a Docker image

Inspecting helps understand setup and find problems.

Explain how to use docker inspect to find the IP address of a container.

Think about formatting output to get just the IP.

Describe what kind of information you can learn by inspecting a Docker container.

Consider what helps in troubleshooting container issues.