---
title: Get started with the Docker API
keywords: developing, api, sdk, developers, rest, curl, python, go
redirect_from:
- /engine/api/getting-started/
---
After you
[install Docker](/engine/installation.md), you can try out the Docker API.
Optionally, install an SDK for the language you are using. Official SDKs are
available for Python and Go, and a number of community maintained
libraries for other languages.
[Learn more about installing and using Docker SDKs](sdks.md).
These examples show how to perform the same operation using Python, Go, or
by using `curl` directly.
## Versioned API
The Python and Go examples used here do not specify the API version to use,
because they use features that have been part of Docker for a long time. The
Docker API is fully backward compatible.
To see the highest version of the API your Docker daemon and client support, use
`docker version`:
```bash
$ docker version
Client:
Version: 17.04.0-ce
API version: 1.28
Go version: go1.7.5
Git commit: 4845c56
Built: Wed Apr 5 06:06:36 2017
OS/Arch: darwin/amd64
Server:
Version: 17.04.0-ce
API version: 1.28 (minimum version 1.12)
Go version: go1.7.5
Git commit: 4845c56
Built: Tue Apr 4 00:37:25 2017
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Experimental: true
```
You can specify the API version to use, in one of the following ways:
- When using `curl` directly, specify the version as the first part of the URL.
For instance, if the endpoint is `/containers/`, you can use
`/v1.27/containers/`.
- For the SDKs, or to force the Docker CLI to use a specific version of the API,
set the environment variable `DOCKER_API_VERSION` to the correct version.
This works on Linux, Windows, or macOS clients.
```bash
DOCKER_API_VERSION='1.27'
```
While the environment variable is set, that version of the API is used, even
if the Docker daemon supports a newer version.
- For the SDKs, you can also specify the API version programmatically, as a
parameter to the `client` object. See the
[Go constructor](https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/client/client.go#L136){: target="_blank" class="_"}
or the
[Python SDK documentation for `client`](https://docker-py.readthedocs.io/en/stable/client.html).
## API Examples
### Run a container
This first example shows how to run a container using the Docker API. On the
command line, you would use the `docker run` command, but this is just as easy
to do from your own apps too.
This is the equivalent of typing `docker run alpine echo hello world` at the
command prompt:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
print client.containers.run("alpine", ["echo", "hello", "world"])
```
```go
package main
import (
"io"
"os"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
_, err = cli.ImagePull(ctx, "docker.io/library/alpine", types.ImagePullOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
resp, err := cli.ContainerCreate(ctx, &container.Config{
Image: "alpine",
Cmd: []string{"echo", "hello world"},
}, nil, nil, "")
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
if err := cli.ContainerStart(ctx, resp.ID, types.ContainerStartOptions{}); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
if _, err = cli.ContainerWait(ctx, resp.ID); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
out, err := cli.ContainerLogs(ctx, resp.ID, types.ContainerLogsOptions{ShowStdout: true})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
io.Copy(os.Stdout, out)
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"Image": "alpine", "Cmd": ["echo", "hello world"]}' \
-X POST http:/v1.24/containers/create
{"Id":"1c6594faf5","Warnings":null}
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock -X POST http:/v1.24/containers/1c6594faf5/start
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock -X POST http:/v1.24/containers/1c6594faf5/wait
{"StatusCode":0}
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock "http:/v1.24/containers/1c6594faf5/logs?stdout=1"
hello world
```
### Run a container in the background
You can also run containers in the background, the equivalent of typing
`docker run -d bfirsh/reticulate-splines`:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
container = client.containers.run("bfirsh/reticulate-splines", detach=True)
print container.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"os"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
imageName := "bfirsh/reticulate-splines"
out, err := cli.ImagePull(ctx, imageName, types.ImagePullOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
io.Copy(os.Stdout, out)
resp, err := cli.ContainerCreate(ctx, &container.Config{
Image: imageName,
}, nil, nil, "")
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
if err := cli.ContainerStart(ctx, resp.ID, types.ContainerStartOptions{}); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(resp.ID)
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"Image": "bfirsh/reticulate-splines"}' \
-X POST http:/v1.24/containers/create
{"Id":"1c6594faf5","Warnings":null}
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock -X POST http:/v1.24/containers/1c6594faf5/start
```
### List and manage containers
You can use the API to list containers that are running, just like using
`docker ps`:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
for container in client.containers.list():
print container.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"context"
"fmt"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
)
func main() {
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
containers, err := cli.ContainerList(context.Background(), types.ContainerListOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
for _, container := range containers {
fmt.Println(container.ID)
}
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock http:/v1.24/containers/json
[{
"Id":"ae63e8b89a26f01f6b4b2c9a7817c31a1b6196acf560f66586fbc8809ffcd772",
"Names":["/tender_wing"],
"Image":"bfirsh/reticulate-splines",
...
}]
```
### Stop all running containers
Now that you know what containers exist, you can perform operations on them. For
example, to stop all running containers:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
for container in client.containers.list():
container.stop()
```
```go
package main
import (
"context"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
containers, err := cli.ContainerList(ctx, types.ContainerListOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
for _, container := range containers {
if err := cli.ContainerStop(ctx, container.ID, nil); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
}
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock http:/v1.24/containers/json
[{
"Id":"ae63e8b89a26f01f6b4b2c9a7817c31a1b6196acf560f66586fbc8809ffcd772",
"Names":["/tender_wing"],
"Image":"bfirsh/reticulate-splines",
...
}]
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock \
-X POST http:/v1.24/containers/ae63e8b89a26/stop
```
### Print the logs of a specific container
You can also perform actions on individual containers. This example prints the
logs of a container given its ID:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
container = client.containers.get('f1064a8a4c82')
print container.logs()
```
```go
package main
import (
"context"
"io"
"os"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
options := types.ContainerLogsOptions{ShowStdout: true}
out, err := cli.ContainerLogs(ctx, "f1064a8a4c82", options)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
io.Copy(os.Stdout, out)
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock "http:/v1.24/containers/ca5f55cdb/logs?stdout=1"
Reticulating spline 1...
Reticulating spline 2...
Reticulating spline 3...
Reticulating spline 4...
Reticulating spline 5...
```
### List all images
List the images on your Engine, similar to `docker images`:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
for image in client.images.list():
print image.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"context"
"fmt"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
)
func main() {
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
images, err := cli.ImageList(context.Background(), types.ImageListOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
for _, image := range images {
fmt.Println(image.ID)
}
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock http:/v1.24/images/json
[{
"Id":"sha256:31d9a31e1dd803470c5a151b8919ef1988ac3efd44281ac59d43ad623f275dcd",
"ParentId":"sha256:ee4603260daafe1a8c2f3b78fd760922918ab2441cbb2853ed5c439e59c52f96",
...
}]
```
### Pull images
Pull images, like `docker pull`:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
image = client.images.pull("alpine")
print image.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"io"
"os"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
out, err := cli.ImagePull(ctx, "alpine", types.ImagePullOptions{})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer out.Close()
io.Copy(os.Stdout, out)
}
```
```bash
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock \
-X POST "http:/v1.24/images/create?fromImage=alpine"
{"status":"Pulling from library/alpine","id":"3.1"}
{"status":"Pulling fs layer","progressDetail":{},"id":"8f13703509f7"}
{"status":"Downloading","progressDetail":{"current":32768,"total":2244027},"progress":"[\u003e ] 32.77 kB/2.244 MB","id":"8f13703509f7"}
...
```
### Pull images with authentication
Pull images, like `docker pull`, with authentication:
> **Note**: Credentials are sent in the clear. Docker's official registries use
> HTTPS. Private registries should also be configured to use HTTPS.
The Python SDK retrieves authentication information from the [credentials
store](/engine/reference/commandline/login/#credentials-store) file and
integrates with [credential
helpers](https://github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers){: target="_blank"
class="_" }. It is possible to override these credentials, but that is out of
scope for this Getting Started guide. After using `docker login`, the Python SDK
uses these credentials automatically.
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
image = client.images.pull("alpine")
print image.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"io"
"os"
"encoding/json"
"encoding/base64"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
authConfig := types.AuthConfig{
Username: "username",
Password: "password",
}
encodedJSON, err := json.Marshal(authConfig)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
authStr := base64.URLEncoding.EncodeToString(encodedJSON)
out, err := cli.ImagePull(ctx, "alpine", types.ImagePullOptions{RegistryAuth:
authStr})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
defer out.Close()
io.Copy(os.Stdout, out)
}
```
This example will leave the credentials in your shell's history, so consider
this a naive implementation. The credentials are passed as a Base-64-encoded
JSON structure.
```bash
$ JSON=$(echo '{"username": "string", "password": "string", "serveraddress": "string"}' | base64)
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock \
-H "Content-Type: application/tar"
-X POST "http:/v1.24/images/create?fromImage=alpine"
-H "X-Registry-Auth"
-d "$JSON"
{"status":"Pulling from library/alpine","id":"3.1"}
{"status":"Pulling fs layer","progressDetail":{},"id":"8f13703509f7"}
{"status":"Downloading","progressDetail":{"current":32768,"total":2244027},"progress":"[\u003e ] 32.77 kB/2.244 MB","id":"8f13703509f7"}
...
```
### Commit containers
Commit containers to create images from their contents:
```python
import docker
client = docker.from_env()
container = client.containers.run("alpine", ["touch", "/helloworld"], detach=True)
container.wait()
image = container.commit("helloworld")
print image.id
```
```go
package main
import (
"fmt"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types"
"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
"github.com/docker/docker/client"
"golang.org/x/net/context"
)
func main() {
ctx := context.Background()
cli, err := client.NewEnvClient()
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
createResp, err := cli.ContainerCreate(ctx, &container.Config{
Image: "alpine",
Cmd: []string{"touch", "/helloworld"},
}, nil, nil, "")
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
if err := cli.ContainerStart(ctx, createResp.ID, types.ContainerStartOptions{}); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
if _, err = cli.ContainerWait(ctx, createResp.ID); err != nil {
panic(err)
}
commitResp, err := cli.ContainerCommit(ctx, createResp.ID, types.ContainerCommitOptions{Reference: "helloworld"})
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
fmt.Println(commitResp.ID)
}
```
```bash
$ docker run -d alpine touch /helloworld
0888269a9d584f0fa8fc96b3c0d8d57969ceea3a64acf47cd34eebb4744dbc52
$ curl --unix-socket /var/run/docker.sock\
-X POST "http:/v1.24/commit?container=0888269a9d&repo=helloworld"
{"Id":"sha256:6c86a5cd4b87f2771648ce619e319f3e508394b5bfc2cdbd2d60f59d52acda6c"}
```
## Next steps
- [Full documentation for the Python SDK](https://docker-py.readthedocs.io)
- [Full documentation for the Go SDK](https://godoc.org/github.com/moby/moby/client)
- [Full documentation for the HTTP API](/engine/api/v1.27/)