Quick Answer

# Show all logs for a container
docker logs <container-name-or-id>

# Follow logs in real time (like tail -f)
docker logs -f <container-name>

# Show only the last 100 lines
docker logs --tail 100 <container-name>

What You’re Trying to Do

When a Docker container won’t start, an app misbehaves, or something throws an error, you need to see what’s happening inside. docker logs prints the standard output (stdout) and standard error (stderr) of a container — making it the go-to tool for debugging.

Environment

  • Docker Engine 24.x or later (Docker Desktop works the same way)
  • OS: Linux / macOS / Windows (WSL2)

Solution

Basic: Print All Logs

docker logs my-container

You can also use the first few characters of a container ID:

docker logs a1b2c3d4

Stream Logs in Real Time (-f / —follow)

docker logs -f my-container

Press Ctrl + C to stop. Useful right after deploying or restarting an app.

Show Only the Last N Lines (—tail)

# Last 50 lines
docker logs --tail 50 my-container

# Last 100 lines, followed in real time
docker logs -f --tail 100 my-container

Add Timestamps (-t / —timestamps)

docker logs -t my-container

Example output:

2026-06-25T08:30:01.123456789Z Server started on port 3000
2026-06-25T08:30:02.456789012Z Connected to database

Filter by Time (—since / —until)

# Logs from the last hour
docker logs --since 1h my-container

# Logs from a specific time onward
docker logs --since "2026-06-25T08:00:00" my-container

# Logs up to a specific time
docker logs --until "2026-06-25T09:00:00" my-container

# Combine both
docker logs --since "2026-06-25T08:00:00" --until "2026-06-25T09:00:00" my-container

Extract Error Logs (stderr)

# Merge stderr into stdout and grep for errors
docker logs my-container 2>&1 | grep -i error

# Match multiple patterns
docker logs my-container 2>&1 | grep "ERROR\|WARN\|Exception"

Viewing Logs in a docker-compose Project

# Logs for a specific service
docker-compose logs app

# Follow all services
docker-compose logs -f

# Last 50 lines from all services
docker-compose logs --tail 50

Common Errors

Error: No such container: xxx

Error response from daemon: No such container: my-container

The container name or ID is wrong. List your containers first:

# Running containers
docker ps

# All containers including stopped ones
docker ps -a

No Output Displayed

If the app writes logs to a file instead of stdout, docker logs shows nothing.

# Read a log file inside the container
docker exec my-container cat /var/log/app.log

Reconfiguring the app to write to stdout is the recommended long-term fix.

unknown flag: --tail

You may be running an outdated Docker version:

docker --version
# Docker version 24.x.x or later recommended

Too Many Logs to Read

# Page through with less
docker logs my-container 2>&1 | less

# Save to a file
docker logs my-container > container.log 2>&1

FAQ

Q: Can I view logs from a stopped container? Yes. Use docker ps -a to find its ID, then run docker logs <ID>. Logs persist on the host even after a container stops.

Q: What’s the difference between docker logs -f and tail -f? docker logs -f fetches logs through Docker’s logging driver. tail -f watches a file directly. To monitor a file inside a container you would need docker exec combined with tail -f.

Q: Is there a size or time limit on stored logs? The default driver (json-file) accumulates logs indefinitely. For production, add size limits in /etc/docker/daemon.json:

{
  "log-driver": "json-file",
  "log-opts": {
    "max-size": "10m",
    "max-file": "3"
  }
}

Q: Where does Docker physically store the log data? By default at /var/lib/docker/containers/<container-id>/<container-id>-json.log in JSON format.

Q: Does the equivalent command work on Kubernetes? On Kubernetes use kubectl logs <pod-name>. Many options are the same — -f for follow and --tail for line limits.

Q: What happens if I change the logging driver? Switching to syslog, fluentd, or another driver may disable docker logs. For production, consider a centralized logging stack such as Fluentd + Elasticsearch.

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