How to remove old Docker containers ?

To remove old Docker containers, you can use Docker commands to target stopped, exited, or unused containers. Below are multiple methods with examples for different scenarios:

1. Remove All Stopped Containers

Delete containers that have exited or stopped:

docker container prune
# Or
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "status=exited")

Output:

Deleted Containers: 3a1b2c3d4e...
Total reclaimed space: 120MB

2. Remove Containers Older Than a Specific Time

Delete containers created more than 24 hours ago:

docker ps -a --format "{{.ID}} {{.CreatedAt}}" | \
awk '$2 <= "'$(date -d '24 hours ago' +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')'" {print $1}' | \
xargs docker rm

Explanation:

docker ps -a lists all containers.
--format customizes the output to show container ID and creation time.
awk filters containers older than 24 hours.
xargs docker rm removes the identified containers.

3. Remove Containers by Status

Delete exited or created containers:

# Remove all exited containers:
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "status=exited")

# Remove all created containers (never started):
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "status=created")

4. Force-Remove All Containers (Including Running Ones)

Caution: This stops and removes all containers:

docker rm -f $(docker ps -aq)

5. Remove Containers by Label or Name

Delete containers with a specific label or name pattern:

# By label:
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "label=experimental")

# By name (e.g., "old-*"):
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "name=old-*")

6. Clean Up with `docker system prune`

Remove all stopped containers, unused networks, dangling images, and build cache:

docker system prune

Add -a to remove all unused images (not just dangling ones):

docker system prune -a

7. Automate Cleanup with a Script

Save this script as docker-cleanup.sh and run it periodically:

#!/bin/bash
# Remove containers older than 7 days
docker ps -a --format "{{.ID}} {{.CreatedAt}}" | \
awk '$2 <= "'$(date -d '7 days ago' +'%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S')'" {print $1}' | \
xargs docker rm -f

# Remove unused volumes
docker volume prune -f

# Remove dangling images
docker image prune -f

Summary Table

Command	Use Case
`docker container prune`	Quick removal of all stopped containers.
`docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "...")`	Targeted removal by status/label.
`docker system prune`	Full system cleanup (containers, networks, images).
`docker rm -f $(docker ps -aq)`	Force-remove all containers (use with caution!).

Key Notes

Safety: Always verify containers with docker ps -a before deletion.
Filters: Use --filter with status, label, or name for precision.
Automation: Schedule cleanup scripts with cron (Linux) or Task Scheduler (Windows).

By combining these methods, you can efficiently manage Docker container lifecycle!