Steps

Cleanup phase

This phase’s goal is to removes existing containers, volumes, networks and images

Stop and remove volumes

docker compose down --volumes --remove-orphans

The previous command stops and removes containers, networks, and default volumes created by docker compose up.

--volumes: also deletes named and anonymous volumes attached to the containers.
--remove-orphans: removes any containers from earlier Compose runs that are not in the current docker-compose.yml.

Remove any stopped containers

docker compose rm -fsv

The previous command explicitly removes any stopped containers from this project. This ensures no containers are left behind

-f: force removal (no confirmation prompt).
-s: stop the container if it’s running.
-v: remove any anonymous volumes attached to these containers.

Delete unused volumes

The following command deletes all unused volumes across the whole Docker host (not just our project), so, use it cautiously.

docker volume prune -f

-f: skips the confirmation prompt.

Remember. Be careful: this can delete volumes from other projects if they’re not in use.

Delete unused networks

The following command delete all unused networks across the Docker host.

docker network prune -f

-f: skips confirmation.

Again, safe unless you have manually created custom networks you still need.

Delete dangling images

The following command deletes dangling images, which are images without a tag or not referenced by any container).

docker image prune -f

-f: skips confirmation.

Only cleans dangling images, not all unused images. For a deeper clean, you’d need docker image prune -af.

Rebuild phase

This phase forces a clean rebuild and restart.

Rebuild images

The following command rebuilds all images defined in your Compose file.

 docker compose build --no-cache

--no-cache: ignores Docker’s layer cache, forcing every instruction in the Dockerfile(s) to run again. It guarantees you’re building fresh images without reusing cached layers.

Start the containers

The following command starts the containers in detached mode (-d = runs in the background). `-d` is optional.

docker compose up -d

Now, it’ll use the freshly rebuilt images. It’ll recreate networks and attaches containers as defined in the Compose file.

Step-by-Step Guide to Forcefully Remove and Recreate Docker Containers

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Steps

Cleanup phase

Stop and remove volumes

Remove any stopped containers

Delete unused volumes

Delete unused networks

Delete dangling images

Rebuild phase

Rebuild images

Start the containers

Done

Command Palette

Comments

More from this blog

Steps

Cleanup phase

Stop and remove volumes

Remove any stopped containers

Delete unused volumes

Delete unused networks

Delete dangling images

Rebuild phase

Rebuild images

Start the containers

Done