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title: “rm” description: “The rm command description and usage” keywords: “remove, Docker, container”

rm

Usage:  docker rm [OPTIONS] CONTAINER [CONTAINER...]

Remove one or more containers

Options:
  -f, --force     Force the removal of a running container (uses SIGKILL)
      --help      Print usage
  -l, --link      Remove the specified link
  -v, --volumes   Remove anonymous volumes associated with the container

Examples

Remove a container

This removes the container referenced under the link /redis.

$ docker rm /redis

/redis

Remove a link specified with --link on the default bridge network

This removes the underlying link between /webapp and the /redis containers on the default bridge network, removing all network communication between the two containers. This does not apply when --link is used with user-specified networks.

$ docker rm --link /webapp/redis

/webapp/redis

Force-remove a running container

This command force-removes a running container.

$ docker rm --force redis

redis

The main process inside the container referenced under the link redis will receive SIGKILL, then the container will be removed.

Remove all stopped containers

$ docker rm $(docker ps -a -q)

This command deletes all stopped containers. The command docker ps -a -q above returns all existing container IDs and passes them to the rm command which deletes them. Running containers are not deleted.

Remove a container and its volumes

$ docker rm -v redis
redis

This command removes the container and any volumes associated with it. Note that if a volume was specified with a name, it will not be removed.

Remove a container and selectively remove volumes

$ docker create -v awesome:/foo -v /bar --name hello redis
hello

$ docker rm -v hello

In this example, the volume for /foo remains intact, but the volume for /bar is removed. The same behavior holds for volumes inherited with --volumes-from.