Introduction
A Docker volume is a separate storage space that can be used by Docker containers to store files, configurations, logs, or other data throughout the container lifecycle. These volumes are independent of container instances and can be easily created, managed, and deleted. If you are uninstalling containers associated with a particular volume and no longer need the data on the volume, it makes sense to delete the volume as well.
A clean and tidy Docker environment is easier to manage and maintain. By getting rid of unused volumes, you reduce the complexity of your container infrastructure. In cloud-based environments, unused volumes can lead to additional costs. Deleting these volumes can help reduce your monthly costs. It also increases the security of your system, as sensitive data stored on the volumes is no longer accessible after deletion. In particular, this can help prevent data breaches.
It is important to be careful when deleting Docker volumes to ensure that data required by running containers, as well as other important data, is not deleted. This is why we recommend that you create a backup before deleting a Docker volume. When performing regular maintenance on your Docker infrastructure, you should look for obsolete volumes and delete them.
How to delete one or more specific Docker volumes
In Docker 1.9 and above, you can remove specific volumes using the docker volume rm command. This command allows you to remove volumes specifically by specifying their name or ID.
Step 1: List Docker Volumes
To list your Docker volumes, you can run the docker volume ls command in the console. The output will be a table with information about your volumes, including their names and IDs.
docker volume ls
Step 2: Delete Docker volumes
You can now remove volumes by entering their names or identifiers separated by spaces after the docker volume rm command.
docker volume rm VOLUME_NAME_OR_ID VOLUME_NAME_OR_ID
It's best to make sure that the volumes you want to delete are not being used by running containers. Deleting them will irreversibly delete all their data.
How to delete unused Docker volumes
Unused Docker volumes are volumes that are no longer associated with containers or services. Deleting these volumes can help you free up unused storage space and allow you to better manage your Docker infrastructure. To learn how to delete unused Docker volumes, read the steps below:
Step 1: List unused Docker volumes
If you run the following command, you will get a list of all unused Docker volumes with a hanging tag on your system. These volumes can then be cleaned or deleted if necessary.
docker volume ls -f dangling=true
Step 2: Delete unused volumes
The docker volume prune command asks for confirmation before it deletes unused volumes. You can confirm this by entering y or yes. Only do this if you are sure you want to delete the volumes.
docker volume prune
How to remove a Docker container and its size
With the docker rm -v container_name command, you can remove a Docker container and simultaneously remove all volumes attached to the container.
If you apply the command to a container associated with named volumes, the container will be deleted, but all volumes associated with that container will remain intact. The volumes will still be available on your system. Other containers can use them and will retain their user-defined names.
When it comes to unnamed volumes, these volumes are irreversibly deleted along with the data they contain.
We explain how to delete a Docker container in more detail in another article in our digital guide.
How to delete a Docker volume associated with a container
The -v flag stands for volumes and is an option you add to the docker rm command to specify that all volumes associated with the container should also be removed.
docker rm -v container_name
