Reference documentation

This section includes the reference documentation for the Docker platform's various APIs, CLIs, drivers and specifications, and file formats.

File formats

Dockerfile
Defines the contents and startup behavior of a single container.
Compose file
Defines a multi-container application.

Command-line interfaces (CLIs)

Docker CLI
The main Docker CLI, includes all docker commands.
Compose CLI
The CLI for Docker Compose, for building and running multi-container applications.
Daemon CLI (dockerd)
Persistent process that manages containers.

Application programming interfaces (APIs)

Engine API
The main API for Docker, provides programmatic access to a daemon.
Docker Hub API
API to interact with Docker Hub.
DVP Data API
API for Docker Verified Publishers to fetch analytics data.