## Using Docker Config

Since this is fundamentally a docker questions, not a bash question, you don't even need an alias.  Docker CLI allows you to customize these commands in your own config file! From this great tip from [Container 42][1]:

1. Create or find your docker config file (if you've ever used [`docker login`][2] it should already be created.

    ```none
    ~/.docker/config.json
    ```

2. Then add the default formatting for docker to use every time it runs the `ps` command as a top level property in the config:

    ```json
    {
        "psFormat": "table {{.Image}}\t{{.Names}}\t{{.Ports}}\t{{.Status}}",
    }
    ```

3. Then just run [`docker ps`][3] like normal:

   [![docker ps][4]][4]

### PS Format

Docker uses [go templates][10] and has a [list of the valid placeholders][11]:

| Command           | Description                                       |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **`.ID`**         | Container ID                                      |
| **`.Image`**      | Image ID                                          |
| **`.Command`**    | Quoted command                                    |
| **`.CreatedAt`**  | Time when the container was created.              |
| **`.RunningFor`** | Elapsed time since the container was started.     |
| **`.Ports`**      | Exposed ports.                                    |
| **`.Status`**     | Container status.                                 |
| **`.Size`**       | Container disk size.                              |
| **`.Names`**      | Container names.                                  |
| **`.Labels`**     | All labels assigned to the container.             |
| **`.Label`**      | Value of a specific label for this container.     |
| **`.Mounts`**     | Names of the volumes mounted in this container.   |
| **`.Networks`**   | Names of the networks attached to this container. |

### Alternative Solutions / Threads


* Github Issues
  * [Default "docker ps" output is too wide][5]
  * [docker ps output is so long it's unreadable][6]
* Third Party Commands
  * [**ctop**][7] - Top-like interface for container metrics
  * [**docker-pretty-ps**][8] - beautiful, colored, long output log
  * [**dockerps**][9] - A better docker ps


  [1]: https://container42.com/2016/03/27/docker-quicktip-7-psformat/
  [2]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/login/
  [3]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/ps/
  [4]: https://i.stack.imgur.com/gJUVJ.png
  [5]: https://github.com/moby/moby/issues/7477
  [6]: https://github.com/docker/for-linux/issues/279
  [7]: https://github.com/bcicen/ctop
  [8]: https://github.com/politeauthority/docker-pretty-ps
  [9]: https://github.com/sadorlovsky/dockerps
  [10]: https://golang.org/pkg/text/template/
  [11]: https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/ps/#formatting

The `docker` command has a `ps` sub-command that emits very long lines:

    $ docker ps -a
    CONTAINER ID        IMAGE                             COMMAND                  CREATED             STATUS                      PORTS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        NAMES
    6e8ec8a16da4        waisbrot/wait:latest              "/wait"                  4 minutes ago       Exited (0) 4 minutes ago                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 wait-for-janus-test
    9dbf0739561f        whoop/downsampler:master          "./run.bash"             4 minutes ago       Up 4 minutes                0.0.0.0:32855->4369/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32854->9100/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32853->9101/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32852->9102/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32851->9103/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32850->9104/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32849->9105/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32848->9106/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32847->9107/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32846->9108/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32845->9109/tcp, 0.0.0.0:32844->9110/tcp   metrics-downsampler-test
    6cf56623bb48        whoop/janus:master                "./start.bash"           4 minutes ago       Up 4 minutes                0.0.0.0:32843->80/tcp                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        janus-test
    882b50303d54        whoop/recalculator:master         "./run.bash"             4 minutes ago       Exited (1) 4 minutes ago                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 internum-test

It can be instructed to output only specific columns:

    docker ps --format "table {{.Image}}\t{{.Names}}\t{{.Ports}}\t{{.Status}}"

I'd like to be able to say `docker ps` and get the `--format "table..."` argument added on for me. Is there a nice way to do this? 

I know I could say

    alias dp='docker ps --format ...'

but I'd prefer to keep the sub-command. 

I'm using zsh as my shell.