Cleaning Up Safely
See what is using space
Docker stores images, containers, volumes, and build cache. Check usage before deleting.
docker system dfRemove stopped containers
Safe first step: delete containers that already exited.
docker container prunePrune unused images and cache
Dangling images and build cache can grow large. Read the confirmation prompt carefully.
docker image prune
docker builder pruneBe careful with volumes
docker volume prune deletes unused volumes—and unused can still mean "data from a database you stopped." Prefer named volumes you recognize, and avoid pruning volumes unless you are sure.
# Broad cleanup of unused data EXCEPT volumes:
docker system prune
# Only when you accept deleting unused volumes too:
# docker system prune --volumes
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