How to Use Docker Stats: Monitor Container Resource Usage

Use the docker stats command to see real-time resource usage statistics like CPU, memory, and network for running containers. Run docker stats [container_name_or_id] to monitor specific containers or just docker stats to see all running containers.

Syntax

The basic syntax of the docker stats command is:

• docker stats [OPTIONS] [CONTAINER...]

Here:

• OPTIONS are optional flags to customize output.
• CONTAINER is one or more container names or IDs to monitor. If omitted, stats for all running containers are shown.

bash

docker stats [OPTIONS] [CONTAINER...]

Example

This example shows how to monitor all running containers' resource usage in real time. It displays CPU %, memory usage, network I/O, and more.

bash

docker stats

Output

CONTAINER ID   NAME          CPU %     MEM USAGE / LIMIT     MEM %     NET I/O           BLOCK I/O         PIDS
f3c1a1b2c3d4   my_container  0.07%     12.34MiB / 1GiB       1.21%     1.2kB / 2.3kB     0B / 0B           5

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using docker stats include:

• Running the command without any running containers, which shows no output.
• Using container names or IDs incorrectly, causing errors.
• Expecting docker stats to show historical data; it only shows live stats.

Always ensure containers are running before monitoring.

bash

docker stats wrong_container_name
# Error: No such container: wrong_container_name

# Correct usage:
docker stats my_container

Output

Error: No such container: wrong_container_name

Quick Reference

Option	Description
--no-stream	Show stats once and exit instead of continuous updates
--format	Format output using a Go template for custom display
[CONTAINER...]	Specify one or more containers to monitor

Key Takeaways

Use docker stats to monitor live resource usage of running containers.

Specify container names or IDs to focus on specific containers.

The command shows CPU, memory, network, block I/O, and process count.

Use --no-stream to get a single snapshot instead of continuous updates.

Ensure containers are running before using docker stats to see output.