Check Docker Containers over SSH from Windows

When Docker runs on a remote Linux host, SSH can inspect a container without opening an interactive shell. For example, this command prints the container status as a JSON string:

docker inspect --format '' container_name

Docker’s --format option accepts a Go template. The json template function formats the selected value, and .State.Status selects the container status.

From a Windows Command Prompt

In Windows Command Prompt, escape the double quotes inside the remote command with backslashes:

ssh remote_host "docker inspect --format \"\" container_name"

The outer double quotes keep the complete Docker command together as the SSH command argument. The escaped inner quotes are passed through so the remote shell receives the format expression as one argument.

From PowerShell

PowerShell uses single quotes around the complete remote command:

ssh remote_host 'docker inspect --format \"\" container_name'

Here, the outer single-quoted string is literal. This preserves the backslashes and inner double quotes for the native ssh executable. The backslash is not PowerShell’s escape character; PowerShell uses the backtick for escaping. The backslashes in this command are part of the quoting required by the Windows native-command argument path.

Check More Than the Status

The same pattern works for other fields. For example, print the image used by a container:

ssh remote_host 'docker inspect --format \"\" container_name'

Or print the complete inspection result as JSON:

ssh remote_host 'docker inspect container_name'

The container can be running or stopped; docker inspect reads its stored metadata. Replace remote_host and container_name with the SSH host and Docker container name or ID.

List Running Containers

Use docker ps for a compact view of running containers. A custom format can print only the command:

docker ps --format ""

For a table containing the most useful fields:

docker ps --format "table \t\t\t\t"

The command and other columns are truncated by default. Add --no-trunc when the full command is important:

docker ps --no-trunc --format "table \t\t\t\t"

When these commands are sent through SSH from Windows, apply the same outer-shell quoting rules shown above. For example, from PowerShell:

ssh remote_host 'docker ps --no-trunc --format \"table \t\t\t\t\"'

Inspect Container Configuration

docker inspect exposes the configuration that was recorded when the container was created. Query individual fields instead of reading the complete JSON document when diagnosing one setting:

docker inspect --format "" container_name_or_id
docker inspect --format "" container_name_or_id
docker inspect --format "" container_name_or_id

These fields describe different parts of the process configuration:

The values in .Config.Cmd and .Config.Entrypoint are normally JSON arrays. Using `` keeps the array structure visible instead of printing a less precise Go-style representation.

Map docker run Options to Inspect Fields

When investigating how a container was launched, compare the original docker run option with the corresponding docker inspect field:

For example, this command creates a container with several of those options:

docker run -d --name web \
	-e APP_ENV=production \
	--entrypoint /app/start.sh \
	-p 8000:8000 \
	-v /srv/web-data:/var/lib/web \
	--network app-net \
	--restart unless-stopped \
	image_name --listen 0.0.0.0:8000

The relevant inspection commands are:

docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web
docker inspect --format "" web

Check Runtime State

The following fields help distinguish a stopped container, a failed process, and a container that is currently restarting:

docker inspect --format "status= exit= restarting= restarts=" container_name_or_id

For mounts, inspect both the high-level mount list and the individual fields:

docker inspect --format "" container_name_or_id

Each mount entry can include:

The Important Rule

There are two parsers involved: the local Windows shell and the remote command interpreter. Quote the entire remote command for ssh, then escape the quotes that must survive until Docker parses --format.

References

• Docker ps CLI reference: documents custom --format templates, table output, available placeholders, and --no-trunc.
• Docker inspect CLI reference: documents --format, Go templates, and the json template function.
• Docker run documentation: documents the docker run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARG...] structure and the command, entrypoint, port, environment, network, and mount options used in the examples.
• PowerShell about_Quoting_Rules: documents literal single-quoted strings and passing quoted arguments to native commands.
• PowerShell about_Parsing: documents native-command argument parsing and the Windows handling of arguments containing quote characters.