DevOps Shack

200 scenario-based Docker interview questions

1.​
What is Docker, and how does it differ from a
virtual machine?​

○​ Docker is a containerization platform that

packages applications with dependencies. Unlike
VMs, it shares the host OS kernel, making it
lightweight.​

2.​
What are the main components of Docker?​

○​ Docker Engine, Docker Daemon, Docker CLI,

Docker Images, Docker Containers, Docker
Registry.​

3.​
What is the difference between Docker Image and
Container?​

○​ Image: Blueprint of a container (read-only).

○​ Container: Running instance of an image
(read-write).​

4.​
What happens when you run docker run nginx?​

○​ Docker pulls the nginx image from the registry

(if not available locally), creates a
container, and runs it.​
​
 ​
​

5.​
How do you list all running and stopped containers?​

○​ docker ps (running), docker ps -a (all

containers).​

6.​
What is a Dockerfile, and why is it used?​

○​ A Dockerfile is a script containing

instructions to build a Docker image.​

7.​
What is the difference between COPY and ADD in
Dockerfile?​

○​ COPY copies files, while ADD can also extract

archives and fetch remote URLs.​

8.​
How do you build an image from a Dockerfile?​

○​ docker build -t myimage .​

9.​
How do you reduce the Docker image size?​

○​ Use Alpine base images, multi-stage builds, and

minimize unnecessary layers.​

10.​ What is a multi-stage build?​

○​ It allows using intermediate containers to keep

the final image lightweight.
​
​

11.​ How do you start, stop, and remove a container?​

○​ Start: docker start <container_id>

○​ Stop: docker stop <container_id>
○​ Remove: docker rm <container_id>​

12.​ How do you run a container in the background?​

○​ docker run -d nginx​

13.​ How do you restart a container automatically on

failure?​

○​ docker run --restart=always nginx​

14.​ How do you access a running container's shell?​

○​ docker exec -it <container_id> /bin/​

15.​ How do you check the logs of a running container?​

○​ docker logs <container_id>​

16.​ How do you list all Docker networks?​

○​ docker network ls​

17.​ How do you connect a container to a specific

network?​
​
​
 ​
​

○​ docker network connect <network_name>

<container_id>​

18.​ What is the difference between Bridge, Host, and

Overlay networks?​

○​ Bridge: Default network mode, used for

container-to-container communication.
○​ Host: Container shares the host network
directly.
○​ Overlay: Used for multi-host communication in
Docker Swarm.​

19.​ How do you expose a container port to the host?​

○​ docker run -p 8080:80 nginx​

20.​ How do you inspect the IP address of a running

container?​

○​ docker inspect <container_id> | grep

"IPAddress"​

21.​ How do you create and mount a Docker volume?​

○​ docker volume create myvolume

○​ docker run -v myvolume:/data nginx​

22.​ What is the difference between Bind Mounts and

Volumes?​
​
​
 ​
​

○​ Bind Mounts: Maps a host path directly.

○​ Volumes: Managed by Docker and stored
separately.​

23.​ How do you check all available volumes?​

○​ docker volume ls​

24.​ How do you remove unused volumes?​

○​ docker volume prune​

25.​ How do you share a volume between multiple

containers?​

○​ docker run -v myvolume:/data container1​

docker run -v myvolume:/data container2​

26.​ What is Docker Compose?​

○​ A tool to define and run multi-container Docker

applications using docker-compose.yml.​

27.​ How do you start and stop services in Docker

Compose?​

○​ docker-compose up -d (start)
○​ docker-compose down (stop)​

28.​ How do you scale services using Docker Compose?​

​
​
 ​
​

○​ docker-compose up --scale app=3​

29.​ How do you update a running service in Docker

Compose?​

○​ docker-compose up -d --build​

30.​ How do you specify environment variables in

Docker Compose?​

○​ Using an .env file or environment section in

docker-compose.yml.​

31.​ What is Docker Swarm?​

○​ A native Docker orchestration tool for

clustering and managing multiple Docker nodes.​

32.​ How do you initialize a Docker Swarm cluster?​

○​ docker swarm init​

33.​ How do you add a worker node to a Swarm?​

○​ docker swarm join --token <worker_token>

<manager_ip>:2377​

34.​ How do you deploy a service in Docker Swarm?​

○​ docker service create --name myservice nginx​

​
​
 ​
​

35.​ What is the difference between Docker Swarm and

Kubernetes?​

○​ Kubernetes is more feature-rich, supports

auto-scaling, and is widely adopted.​

36.​ How do you run a container with limited

privileges?​

○​ docker run --user 1000:1000 nginx​

37.​ What is the docker scan command used for?​

○​ To scan images for vulnerabilities.​

38.​ How do you prevent a container from running as

root?​

○​ Define a non-root user in the Dockerfile.​

39.​ How do you enforce security policies in Docker?​

○​ Use Docker Content Trust (DCT) and security

scanning.​

40.​ What is a rootless Docker installation?​

○​ Running Docker without root privileges for

security.

​
​
​
​

41.​ How do you debug a failed container?​

○​ Check logs (docker logs), inspect (docker

inspect), and run in interactive mode.​

42.​ How do you commit changes to an existing

container?​

○​ docker commit <container_id> new_image_name​

43.​ How do you push an image to Docker Hub?​

○​ docker login, docker tag, docker push​

44.​ How do you limit memory and CPU for a container?​

○​ docker run --memory="512m" --cpus="1.5" nginx​

45.​ How do you auto-remove a container after it

exits?​

○​ docker run --rm nginx​

46.​ How do you set environment variables in a Docker

container?​

○​ Using -e flag: docker run -e ENV_VAR=value

nginx
○​ Using an .env file in docker-compose.yml​
​
​
 ​
​

47.​ How do you copy files between a container and the

host?​

○​ docker cp mycontainer:/path/to/file /host/path​

48.​ How do you inspect the history of a Docker image?​

○​ docker history <image_name>​

49.​ How do you forcefully remove an image?​

○​ docker rmi -f <image_id>​

50.​ How do you check which files are taking up space

inside a container?​

○​ Use du -sh * inside the container​

51.​ How do you configure logging for a Docker

container?​

○​ docker run --log-driver=-file nginx

○​ Use external log drivers like syslog, fluentd,
awslogs, etc.​

52.​ How do you get real-time logs from a running

container?​

○​ docker logs -f <container_id>​

​
​
​
 ​
​

53.​ How do you change the log level in Docker?​

Modify daemon.:​
​
{

"log-level": "debug"

○​ Then restart Docker.​

54.​ How do you rotate logs to prevent excessive disk

usage?​

○​ docker run --log-opt max-size=10m --log-opt

max-file=5 nginx​

55.​ How do you monitor Docker container metrics?​

○​ docker stats for live resource usage​

56.​ How do you run a private Docker registry?​

○​ docker run -d -p 5000:5000 --name registry

registry:2​

57.​ How do you push an image to a private registry?​

○​ Tag the image: docker tag myimage

localhost:5000/myimage​
​
 ​
​

○​ Push the image: docker push

localhost:5000/myimage​

58.​ How do you pull an image from a private registry?​

○​ docker pull localhost:5000/myimage​

59.​ How do you list all images in a registry?​

○​ curl http://localhost:5000/v2/_catalog​

60.​ How do you delete an image from a Docker

registry?​

○​ Use DELETE API request (varies by registry

implementation).​

61.​ What do you do if a container keeps restarting?​

○​ Check logs: docker logs <container_id>

○​ Inspect: docker inspect <container_id>
○​ Verify restart policy: docker ps --filter
"status=restarting"​

62.​ How do you troubleshoot a container that is not

responding?​

○​ Check logs, inspect networking, exec into the

container for debugging.​
​
​
​
 ​
​

63.​ How do you check if a container is using too much

memory or CPU?​

○​ docker stats​

64.​ What happens if a container runs out of disk

space?​

○​ The container may stop working, logs might

fail, and operations requiring disk writes will
break.​

65.​ How do you clean up unused Docker resources?​

○​ docker system prune​

66.​ How do you prevent unauthorized image downloads?​

○​ Use private registries with authentication.​

67.​ How do you enforce least privilege for

containers?​

○​ Run with --user flag or set USER in Dockerfile.​

68.​ How do you scan a Docker image for

vulnerabilities?​

○​ docker scan <image_name>​

69.​ How do you prevent privileged mode in containers?​

​
 ​
​

○​ Avoid using --privileged, use --cap-drop=ALL​

70.​ How do you prevent container breakout attacks?​

○​ Enable AppArmor, Seccomp, and avoid running as

root.​

71.​ How do you check the status of a Docker Swarm

node?​

○​ docker node ls​

72.​ How do you create a replicated service in Swarm?​

○​ docker service create --replicas 3 nginx​

73.​ How do you update a running service in Swarm?​

○​ docker service update --image newimage:latest

<service_name>​

74.​ How do you rollback a service update in Swarm?​

○​ docker service rollback <service_name>​

75.​ How do you scale a Kubernetes Deployment with

Docker containers?​

○​ kubectl scale deployment my-deployment

--replicas=5
​
​

76.​ How do you create a user-defined bridge network?​

○​ docker network create mynetwork​

77.​ How do you assign a static IP to a container?​

○​ Use a custom network with docker network create

--subnet=192.168.1.0/24 mynetwork​

78.​ How do you block external network access for a

container?​

○​ Use --network=none​

79.​ How do you inspect the open ports of a running

container?​

○​ docker port <container_id>​

80.​ How do you run multiple containers on the same

port?​

○​ Use different host ports: -p 8080:80 for one,

-p 9090:80 for another.​

81.​ How do you integrate Docker with Jenkins?​

○​ Use the Jenkins Docker plugin or run Jenkins

inside a container.​
​
​
 ​
​
​

82.​ How do you use Docker in GitHub Actions?​

○​ Use the docker/build-push-action for building

and pushing images.​

83.​ How do you use Docker with AWS ECS?​

○​ Push images to ECR, then deploy them in ECS

tasks.​

84.​ How do you deploy a Dockerized app using GitLab

CI/CD?​

○​ Define a .gitlab-ci.yml pipeline with Docker

build & push stages.​

85.​ How do you implement Canary Deployment with

Docker containers?​

○​ Deploy multiple versions and gradually shift

traffic using a load balancer.​

86.​ What do you do if a Docker build is stuck at a

certain step?​

○​ Use --progress=plain to debug the issue.​

87.​ How do you handle large Docker image builds in

CI/CD?​
​
​
 ​
​

○​ Use caching, multi-stage builds, and avoid

unnecessary layers.​

88.​ How do you deploy a high-availability Dockerized

application?​

○​ Use Kubernetes or Docker Swarm with load

balancing.​

89.​ How do you debug a container that keeps exiting?​

○​ Check logs, run with --rm for temporary

debugging.​

90.​ How do you set up Docker in an air-gapped

environment?​

○​ Pre-download images, use an internal registry.​

91.​ How do you persist data across container

restarts?​

○​ Use Docker volumes: docker run -v

myvolume:/data nginx​

92.​ How do you mount a host directory inside a

container?​

○​ docker run -v /host/path:/container/path nginx​

​
​
​
 ​
​

93.​ How do you make a volume read-only?​

○​ docker run -v myvolume:/data:ro nginx​

94.​ What happens if you delete a volume while a

container is using it?​

○​ The volume will not be deleted until all

containers using it are stopped and removed.​

95.​ How do you move Docker volumes between servers?​

○​ Backup and restore using docker run --rm -v

myvolume:/data -v $(pwd):/backup busybox tar
cvf /backup/data.tar /data​

96.​ How do you optimize Docker image size?​

○​ Use alpine base images, multi-stage builds, and

minimize unnecessary layers.​

97.​ How do you analyze Docker container resource

usage?​

○​ docker stats​

98.​ How do you set resource limits for a container?​

○​ docker run --memory=512m --cpus=1 nginx​

​
​
​
 ​
​

99.​ How do you prioritize container CPU usage?​

○​ docker run --cpu-shares=1024 nginx​

100.​How do you avoid the “Docker cache busting”

issue?​
- Arrange Dockerfile layers efficiently, avoid
frequent ADD/COPY commands at the top.​

101.​How do you connect two containers in different

networks?​
- docker network connect <network_name>
<container_id>​

102.​What is Macvlan network, and when would you use

it?​
- Macvlan allows assigning unique MAC addresses to
containers, useful for integrating with physical
networks.​

103.​How do you create a multi-host network in Docker

Swarm?​
- docker network create --driver overlay
my-overlay-network​

104.​How do you check which network a container is

using?​
- docker inspect <container_id> | grep Network​

105.​How do you restrict external access to a ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
container?​
- Use an internal network (docker network create
--internal mynetwork).​

106.​How do you automatically rebuild a Docker image

when code changes?​
- Use a CI/CD pipeline with a webhook to trigger
docker build.​

107.​How do you store Docker secrets in a CI/CD

pipeline?​
- Use environment variables or a secrets
management tool like Vault.​

108.​How do you use Docker Multi-Stage Builds for

CI/CD?​
- Use separate build and final stages in
Dockerfile to reduce image size.​

109.​How do you implement zero-downtime deployment

with Docker?​
- Use rolling updates in Docker Swarm or
Kubernetes.​

110.​How do you automate Docker container cleanup in

CI/CD?​
- Use docker system prune -f in cleanup steps.​

111.​How do you prevent unauthorized containers from

running?​
​
​
 ​
​
​
- Use docker daemon. to restrict image sources.​

112.​How do you enable SELinux/AppArmor for

containers?​
- Use --security-opt apparmor=profile_name or
--security-opt label:type:container_t​

113.​How do you restrict system calls in a container?​

- Use Seccomp profiles: --security-opt
seccomp=unconfined​

114.​How do you prevent containers from accessing the

host filesystem?​
- Use --read-only mode.​

115.​How do you scan a running container for security

vulnerabilities?​
- Use tools like Trivy or Docker Scan.​

116.​How do you recover from a Docker Swarm leader

node failure?​
- Promote another node: docker node promote
<node_id>​

117.​How do you drain a Swarm worker node?​

- docker node update --availability drain
<node_id>​

118.​How do you rollback a failed Swarm service

update?​
​
​
 ​
​
​
- docker service rollback <service_name>​

119.​How do you persist Swarm service logs?​

- Use docker service logs --follow​

120.​How do you configure a Swarm service to use a

secret?​
- docker secret create my_secret secret_file and
mount it in docker service create​

121.​How do you deploy a Docker container in

Kubernetes?​
- Use a Deployment YAML file and kubectl apply -f
deployment.yaml​

122.​How do you expose a Docker container in

Kubernetes?​
- Create a Kubernetes Service resource.​

123.​How do you store Docker images in a private

Kubernetes cluster?​
- Push images to a private registry and use
imagePullSecrets.​

124.​How do you scale a Kubernetes Deployment with

Docker containers?​
- kubectl scale deployment my-deployment
--replicas=5​

125.​How do you set resource limits for a container in ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
Kubernetes?​
- Define limits and requests in the Pod
specification.​

126.​What happens if a Docker image layer is

corrupted?​
- The image fails to run. Fix by removing and
re-pulling the image.​

127.​What do you do if Docker Build is stuck at a

specific step?​
- Run with --no-cache and check Dockerfile for
inefficiencies.​

128.​How do you deal with DNS resolution failures in a

container?​
- Use --dns=8.8.8.8 or custom DNS settings.​

129.​How do you restart all running containers after a

system reboot?​
- Set --restart=always for containers.​

130.​What happens if you stop the Docker Daemon?​

- Running containers continue, but no new ones can
be started.​

131.​How do you use Docker with AWS ECS?​

- Deploy using ECS Task Definitions.​

132.​How do you store Docker images in AWS ECR?​

​
​
 ​
​
​
- Authenticate using aws ecr get-login-password
and push images.​

133.​How do you configure auto-scaling for Docker

containers in AWS?​
- Use ECS Service Auto Scaling.​

134.​How do you deploy Dockerized applications in

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE)?​
- Build and push to Google Container Registry
(GCR) and deploy with Kubernetes.​

135.​How do you use Azure Container Instances with

Docker?​
- Use az container create with an image from ACR.​

136.​How do you run a GUI application inside a Docker

container?​
- Use xhost + and mount the X11 socket.​

137.​How do you create a Windows container in Docker?​

- Use --platform windows flag.​

138.​How do you run multiple processes inside a single

container?​
- Use a process manager like supervisord.​

139.​How do you monitor container health in

production?​
- Use health checks (HEALTHCHECK) and external
monitoring tools.​
​
 ​
​
​

140.​How do you automate Docker image updates?​

- Use Watchtower or Kubernetes rolling updates.​

141.​How do you avoid caching issues when copying

files in Docker?​
- Place frequently changed files at the bottom of
the Dockerfile and use --no-cache during build.​

142.​How do you debug a failed docker build command?​

- Run with --progress=plain to get detailed logs.​

143.​How do you build a Docker image without using the

Docker daemon?​
- Use buildah or kaniko for rootless builds.​

144.​How do you pass build-time arguments in Docker?​

- Use ARG in Dockerfile and pass values with
--build-arg key=value.​

145.​How do you minimize the number of layers in a

Docker image?​
- Combine multiple RUN commands into a single
layer using && \.​

146.​1How do you set up a custom DNS resolver for

Docker containers?​
- Use --dns=8.8.8.8 when running a container.​

147.​How do you troubleshoot network connectivity ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
inside a Docker container?​
- Use ping, nslookup, traceroute, or curl inside
the container.​

148. How do you enable IPv6 in Docker networking?​

- Modify daemon.:​
​
{

"ipv6": true,

"fixed-cidr-v6": "2001:db8:1::/64"

149. How do you force a container to use a specific

network interface?​
- Assign it to a user-defined network:​
docker network create --subnet=192.168.1.0/24
mynetwork​

150. How do you allow two containers to communicate

without exposing ports?​
- Connect them to the same Docker network.​

151.​How do you filter logs for a specific Docker

container?​
- docker logs --tail 100 <container_id>​
​
​
​
 ​
​

152.​How do you monitor Docker logs in real-time?​

- docker logs -f <container_id>​

153.​How do you change the logging driver for a

running container?​
- Restart with --log-driver=-file or other
supported drivers like fluentd.​

154.​How do you store container logs in a centralized

system?​
- Use log aggregation tools like ELK stack,
Fluentd, or AWS CloudWatch.​

155.​How do you handle log rotation in Docker?​

- docker run --log-opt max-size=10m --log-opt
max-file=5 nginx​

156.​How do you rename a running Docker container?​

- Stop the container and rename it:​
docker rename old_name new_name​

157.​How do you pause and resume a container?​

- docker pause <container_id> and docker unpause
<container_id>​

158.​How do you export and import a container?​

- docker export <container_id> -o container.tar​
docker import container.tar​

159.​How do you check the exit code of a stopped ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
container?​
- docker inspect <container_id>
--format='{{.State.ExitCode}}'​

160.​What happens when you remove a running container?​

- You must force remove it using docker rm -f
<container_id>.​

161.​How do you ensure a container is running as a

non-root user?​
- Add USER nonroot in the Dockerfile.​

162.​How do you enable Docker Content Trust (DCT)?​

- export DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1​

163.​How do you block privileged mode in Docker?​

- Enforce policies to prevent --privileged flag
usage.​

164.​How do you scan a running container for security

vulnerabilities?​
- Use Trivy or Docker Scout.​

165.​How do you prevent sensitive data from being

stored in Docker images?​
- Use secrets instead of environment variables for
credentials.​

166.​How do you recover a lost Docker Swarm leader

node?​
​
​
 ​
​
​
- Promote another manager: docker node promote
<node_id>​

167.​How do you update a service in Docker Swarm

without downtime?​
- Use rolling updates:​
docker service update --image newimage:latest
<service_name>​

168. How do you manually schedule a container on a

specific Swarm node?​
- Use constraints:​
​
yaml​
​
deploy:

placement:

constraints: [node.hostname == worker1]

169. How do you restrict a service to a specific

network in Docker Swarm?​
- docker service create --network mynetwork nginx​

170. How do you scale a Swarm service dynamically?​

- docker service scale myservice=5​

171.​How do you restart a Kubernetes pod using Docker?​

​
​
 ​
​
​
- kubectl delete pod <pod_name>​

172.​How do you view Docker logs for a Kubernetes pod?​

- kubectl logs <pod_name>​

173.​How do you run a one-off command in a running

Kubernetes pod?​
- kubectl exec -it <pod_name> -- ​

174.​How do you expose a Docker container running in

Kubernetes?​
- Use a Service of type LoadBalancer or NodePort.​

175.​How do you set environment variables for a

container in Kubernetes?​
- Define them in a ConfigMap or Secret.​

176.​How do you authenticate with a private Docker

registry?​
- docker login myregistry.com​

177.​How do you list all images in a private registry?​

- curl http://myregistry.com/v2/_catalog​

178.​How do you delete an image from a private

registry?​
- Use the DELETE API method or remove the
manifest.​

179.​How do you configure Docker to use a proxy when ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
​
pulling images?​
- Set HTTP_PROXY and HTTPS_PROXY in
/etc/systemd/system/docker.service.d/http-proxy.con
f.​

180.​How do you force a Docker container to use a

specific image version?​
- Use a specific tag: docker run myimage:v1.2.3​

181.​How do you deploy Docker containers in AWS

Fargate?​
- Define an ECS Task Definition and run it without
managing infrastructure.​

182.​How do you use Docker with Azure Kubernetes

Service (AKS)?​
- Push images to Azure Container Registry (ACR)
and deploy them with Kubernetes.​

183.​How do you enable GPU acceleration for Docker

containers?​
- Use --gpus all flag with NVIDIA runtime.​

184.​How do you run a Docker container on Google Cloud

Run?​
- gcloud run deploy --image
gcr.io/my-project/myimage​

185.​How do you optimize Docker containers for IoT ​

​
​
 ​
​
​
devices?​
- Use alpine base images and multi-architecture
builds.​

186.​How do you attach a terminal to a detached

running container?​
- docker attach <container_id>​

187. How do you migrate containers between two Docker

hosts?​
- Save and load the container:​
​
​
​
docker save -o myimage.tar myimage

scp myimage.tar newhost:/path/

docker load -i myimage.tar

188. What do you do if Docker is not starting on a

Linux machine?​
- Check logs: sudo journalctl -u docker --no-pager​

189. How do you automatically restart a crashed

container?​
- Use --restart=always​

190. How do you run a Windows container on a Linux ​

​
​
​
​
​
machine?​
- Use Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) with Docker
Desktop.​

191.​How do you optimize Docker for running thousands

of containers on a single host?​
- Tune system limits (ulimits), optimize
networking (iptables and overlay networks), and use
cgroups for resource management.​

192.​How do you implement blue-green deployment with

Docker?​
- Run two versions of the application in separate
environments and switch traffic using a load
balancer.​

193.​How do you implement Canary deployments using

Docker?​
- Gradually shift traffic to a new version using
weighted load balancing with tools like Nginx,
Traefik, or Kubernetes Ingress.​

194.​How do you handle secrets securely in a Docker

Swarm cluster?​
- Use docker secret create my_secret secret_file
and mount secrets into Swarm services.​

195.​How do you enforce security compliance in a

Docker-based environment?​
​
​
 ​
​
​
- Use tools like Docker Bench for Security, Pod
Security Policies (Kubernetes), and apply RBAC for
access control.​

196.​How do you ensure high availability of Docker

containers?​
- Use Docker Swarm or Kubernetes for cluster
management and automated failover.​

197. How do you back up and restore Docker volumes?​

- Use tar to back up:​
​
docker run --rm -v myvolume:/data -v $(pwd):/backup
busybox tar cvf /backup/data.tar /data

Restore with:​
​
docker run --rm -v myvolume:/data -v $(pwd):/backup
busybox tar xvf /backup/data.tar -C /data

198. How do you failover a Dockerized application

running on multiple hosts?​
- Use floating IPs, DNS failover, or service discovery
mechanisms like Consul or Kubernetes.​

199. What strategies can you use to migrate containers

between cloud providers?​
- Use multi-cloud container registries (Docker Hub,
AWS ECR, GCP Artifact Registry) and Kubernetes
federation.​
​
​
​

200. How do you reduce downtime when upgrading

Dockerized applications?​
- Use rolling updates, blue-green deployment, Canary
releases, and traffic routing strategies to ensure a
smooth transition.