--- title: "version" description: "The version command description and usage" keywords: "version, architecture, api" --- # version ```markdown Usage: docker version [OPTIONS] Show the Docker version information Options: -f, --format string Format the output using the given Go template --help Print usage --kubeconfig string Kubernetes config file ``` ## Description The version command prints the current version number for all independently versioned Docker components. Use the [`--format`](#format) option to customize the output. The version command (`docker version`) outputs the version numbers of Docker components, while the `--version` flag (`docker --version`) outputs the version number of the Docker CLI you are using. ### Default output The default output renders all version information divided into two sections; the "Client" section contains information about the Docker CLI and client components, and the "Server" section contains information about the Docker Engine and components used by the Engine, such as the "Containerd" and "Runc" OCI Runtimes. The information shown may differ depending on how you installed Docker and what components are in use. The following example shows the output on a macOS machine running Docker Desktop: ```console $ docker version Client: Version: 20.10.16 API version: 1.41 Go version: go1.17.10 Git commit: aa7e414 Built: Thu May 12 09:17:28 2022 OS/Arch: darwin/amd64 Context: default Server: Docker Desktop 4.8.2 (77141) Engine: Version: 20.10.16 API version: 1.41 (minimum version 1.12) Go version: go1.17.10 Git commit: f756502 Built: Thu May 12 09:15:33 2022 OS/Arch: linux/amd64 Experimental: false containerd: Version: 1.6.4 GitCommit: 212e8b6fa2f44b9c21b2798135fc6fb7c53efc16 runc: Version: 1.1.1 GitCommit: v1.1.1-0-g52de29d docker-init: Version: 0.19.0 GitCommit: de40ad0 ``` ### Client and server versions Docker uses a client/server architecture, which allows you to use the Docker CLI on your local machine to control a Docker Engine running on a remote machine, which can be (for example) a machine running in the Cloud or inside a Virtual Machine. The following example switches the Docker CLI to use a [context](context.md) named "remote-test-server", which runs an older version of the Docker Engine on a Linux server: ```console $ docker context use remote-test-server remote-test-server $ docker version Client: Version: 20.10.16 API version: 1.40 (downgraded from 1.41) Go version: go1.17.10 Git commit: aa7e414 Built: Thu May 12 09:17:28 2022 OS/Arch: darwin/amd64 Context: remote-test-server Server: Docker Engine - Community Engine: Version: 19.03.8 API version: 1.40 (minimum version 1.12) Go version: go1.12.17 Git commit: afacb8b Built: Wed Mar 11 01:29:16 2020 OS/Arch: linux/amd64 containerd: Version: v1.2.13 GitCommit: 7ad184331fa3e55e52b890ea95e65ba581ae3429 runc: Version: 1.0.0-rc10 GitCommit: dc9208a3303feef5b3839f4323d9beb36df0a9dd docker-init: Version: 0.18.0 GitCommit: fec3683 ``` ## Examples ### Format the output (--format) The formatting option (`--format`) pretty-prints the output using a Go template, which allows you to customize the output format, or to obtain specific information from the output. Refer to the [format command and log output](https://docs.docker.com/config/formatting/) page for details of the format. ### Get the server version ```console $ docker version --format '{{.Server.Version}}' 20.10.16 ``` ### Dump raw JSON data ```console $ docker version --format '{{json .}}' {"Client":{"Platform":{"Name":"Docker Engine - Community"},"Version":"19.03.8","ApiVersion":"1.40","DefaultAPIVersion":"1.40","GitCommit":"afacb8b","GoVersion":"go1.12.17","Os":"darwin","Arch":"amd64","BuildTime":"Wed Mar 11 01:21:11 2020","Experimental":true},"Server":{"Platform":{"Name":"Docker Engine - Community"},"Components":[{"Name":"Engine","Version":"19.03.8","Details":{"ApiVersion":"1.40","Arch":"amd64","BuildTime":"Wed Mar 11 01:29:16 2020","Experimental":"true","GitCommit":"afacb8b","GoVersion":"go1.12.17","KernelVersion":"4.19.76-linuxkit","MinAPIVersion":"1.12","Os":"linux"}},{"Name":"containerd","Version":"v1.2.13","Details":{"GitCommit":"7ad184331fa3e55e52b890ea95e65ba581ae3429"}},{"Name":"runc","Version":"1.0.0-rc10","Details":{"GitCommit":"dc9208a3303feef5b3839f4323d9beb36df0a9dd"}},{"Name":"docker-init","Version":"0.18.0","Details":{"GitCommit":"fec3683"}}],"Version":"19.03.8","ApiVersion":"1.40","MinAPIVersion":"1.12","GitCommit":"afacb8b","GoVersion":"go1.12.17","Os":"linux","Arch":"amd64","KernelVersion":"4.19.76-linuxkit","Experimental":true,"BuildTime":"2020-03-11T01:29:16.000000000+00:00"}} ``` ### Print the current context The following example prints the currently used [`docker context`](context.md): ```console $ docker version --format='{{.Client.Context}}' default ``` As an example, this output can be used to dynamically change your shell prompt to indicate your active context. The example below illustrates how this output could be used when using Bash as your shell. Declare a function to obtain the current context in your `~/.bashrc`, and set this command as your `PROMPT_COMMAND` ```console function docker_context_prompt() { PS1="context: $(docker version --format='{{.Client.Context}}')> " } PROMPT_COMMAND=docker_context_prompt ``` After reloading the `~/.bashrc`, the prompt now shows the currently selected `docker context`: ```console $ source ~/.bashrc context: default> docker context create --docker host=unix:///var/run/docker.sock my-context my-context Successfully created context "my-context" context: default> docker context use my-context my-context Current context is now "my-context" context: my-context> docker context use default default Current context is now "default" context: default> ``` Refer to the [`docker context` section](context.md) in the command line reference for more information about `docker context`.