Searching images

Learn to search images with docker search.

Searching for images

docker search searches Docker Hub. The results show the star count and the OFFICIAL mark. Because many results come back, filters and limits are used:

$ docker search --filter is-official=true --limit 3 redis
NAME      DESCRIPTION                                     STARS     OFFICIAL
redis     Redis is the world’s fastest data platform …   13000     [OK]

For the tag list and detailed documentation, Hub's web page is more convenient.

Inspecting an image

Before running an image you can look at its contents: which user it runs as, its open ports, its entry point. docker image inspect gives these; docker scout cves lists known security vulnerabilities:

docker image inspect -f '{{.Config.User}} {{.Config.ExposedPorts}} {{.Config.Entrypoint}}' redis:7
docker scout cves redis:7

Exercise Search and inspect

Write two commands: search only for official postgres images with at most 5 results; then show the exposed ports of the postgres:16 image with {{.Config.ExposedPorts}}.

Show example solution

docker search --filter is-official=true --limit 5 postgres
docker image inspect -f '{{.Config.ExposedPorts}}' postgres:16

Test yourself

When choosing an image from search results, what is the most reliable sign?
- Having a long description
- Being uploaded most recently
- Being official (OFFICIAL) or a verified publisher
- Having a short name
Show answer

Being official (OFFICIAL) or a verified publisher — Anyone can upload images to Hub; unknown images may contain malware.

Search only for official images.

docker search --filter ____=true nginx

Show answer

docker search --filter is-official=true nginx

Match.

docker search

Search Hub
[OK] OFFICIAL

Official image
image inspect

Show the configuration
scout cves

Vulnerabilities

Next lesson: Official images

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