Commands Overview¶

docker-kotlin provides type-safe wrappers for Docker CLI commands. Each command uses a builder pattern with both Kotlin DSL and Java-friendly APIs.

Command Categories¶

Container Lifecycle¶

Container Inspection¶

Container Operations¶

Images¶

Networks¶

Volumes¶

System¶

Command Pattern¶

All commands follow a consistent pattern:

// 1. Create command with required parameters
val cmd = RunCommand("nginx:alpine")

// 2. Configure with builder methods
    .name("web-server")
    .port(8080, 80)
    .detach()

// 3. Execute (async or blocking)
    .execute()        // suspend fun
    .executeBlocking() // blocking fun

Using Commands Directly vs Docker Class¶

You can use commands directly or through the Docker class:

val containerId = RunCommand("nginx:alpine")
    .name("web")
    .port(8080, 80)
    .detach()
    .execute()

val docker = Docker()

val containerId = docker.run("nginx:alpine") {
    name("web")
    port(8080, 80)
    detach()
}

The Docker class provides:

• Shared configuration (timeouts, platform detection)
• Cleaner Kotlin DSL syntax
• Consistent executor reuse

Common Builder Methods¶

All commands support these methods:

Escape Hatches¶

For unmapped CLI options:

RunCommand("nginx:alpine")
    .name("web")
    .arg("--cgroupns=host")           // New Docker flag
    .args("--ulimit", "nofile=1024")  // Multiple args
    .execute()

Return Types¶

Commands return typed results: