Open a shell in a running container

Starts an interactive shell inside the running container without restarting it.

docker exec -it container sh

Edit the highlighted values, then copy. They are inserted as typed, without shell escaping.

Tool
docker
Category
Containers
Tags

Report an issue wrong command, wrong danger level, typo… (on GitHub)

Adapted from tldr-pages (common/docker-container-exec.md), licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Copy a destructive command?

This command can permanently delete data. Check every value before running it.

Keyboard shortcuts

/ or Ctrl K or ⌘ K
Focus the search
↓ or ↑
Move through the results
Enter
Copy the selected command
Tab
Edit the values of the selected command
o
Open the selected command page
f
Add or remove the selected command from favorites
Esc
Clear the search, or leave the list
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Values you edit carry over to the same value of the other commands, except on destructive commands, where they are always typed by hand.