Related

View Service Logs

docker

View output from containers

Execute Command

docker

Run a command in a running container.

Inspect Container

docker

Return low-level JSON details of Docker objects (containers, images, networks, volumes).

docker/logs

View Logs

Fetch logs from a container’s stdout and stderr.

container
debugging

Command

docker logs

Explanation

docker logs retrieves the standard output and error streams of containers. It’s critical for debugging issues. Use -f to follow output live and --tail for limiting the number of lines shown.

Common Use Cases

  • •Monitor application output
  • •Debug container startup failures
  • •Stream logs for observability tools

Best Practices

  • ✓Use -f for active monitoring
  • ✓Pipe logs to analysis tools

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • ⚠Running docker logs on non-existent or stopped containers without -a

Troubleshooting

Problem: No logs appear

Solution: Ensure container was started correctly; some base images log to files inside container instead of stdout.

Examples

Show container logs

docker logs my_container

Follow logs in real time

docker logs -f my_container

More

Run Container

docker

Create and start a new Docker container from an image, with options for interactive mode, port mapping, volume mounting, and environment configuration.

Remove Container

docker

Remove one or more containers from the system.

Disconnect Container from Network

docker

Disconnect a container from a network.