CoreIntermediate

Docker Networking Cheatsheet

Connect containers with bridge, overlay, and host networks. Expose ports and manage DNS.

What it is

Docker networking allows containers to communicate with each other and the outside world. Docker provides multiple network drivers: bridge (default), host, overlay (Swarm), macvlan, and none.

Installation

Built into Docker Engine. No additional installation needed.

Quick start

docker network create mynet

Create a custom bridge network.

docker run --network mynet myimage

Connect a container to a network.

docker network ls

List all networks.

docker network inspect mynet

Show network details and connected containers.

Common commands

Task	Command	Description
Create network	`docker network create <name>`	Create a new bridge network.
List networks	`docker network ls`	Show all Docker networks.
Inspect network	`docker network inspect <name>`	Show containers, IPAM config, drivers.
Connect container	`docker network connect <net> <container>`	Attach a running container to a network.
Disconnect	`docker network disconnect <net> <container>`	Remove a container from a network.
Remove network	`docker network rm <name>`	Delete a network (no active containers).
Prune networks	`docker network prune`	Remove all unused networks.
Publish port	`docker run -p 8080:80 nginx`	Map host port 8080 to container port 80.

Real-world examples

Create an isolated network for a multi-container app

docker network create appnet
docker run -d --name db --network appnet postgres:16
docker run -d --name api --network appnet -p 3000:3000 myapi

Inspect which containers are on a network

docker network inspect appnet --format "{{json .Containers}}"

Override DNS search in Compose

services:
  api:
    networks:
      - appnet
    dns:
      - 8.8.8.8
networks:
  appnet:

Best practices

Always create custom networks for multi-container apps instead of using the default bridge.
Use container names as hostnames within the same network — Docker provides automatic DNS.
Use --network host only when needed (Linux only); it removes network isolation.
Remove unused networks with docker network prune to keep the host tidy.

Related cheatsheets

Last reviewed: 2026-06-15