Can’t delete docker image with dependent child images

Question

I am trying

docker rmi c565603bc87f

Error:

Error response from daemon: conflict: unable to delete c565603bc87f (ca

Answer 1

find the image id and parent id for all image created after the image in question with the following:

docker inspect --format='{{.Id}} {{.Parent}}' $(docker images --filter since=<image_id> -q)

Then you call command:

docker rmi {sub_image_id} 

"sub_image_id" is ID of dependent image

Answer 2

What worked to me was to use the REPOSITORY:TAG combination rather than IMAGE ID.

When I tried to delete a docker image with the command docker rmi <IMAGE ID> with no containers associated with this image I had the message:

$ docker rmi 3f66bec2c6bf
Error response from daemon: conflict: unable to delete 3f66bec2c6bf (cannot be forced) - image has dependent child images

I could delete with success when I used the command docker rmi RPOSITORY:TAG

$ docker rmi ubuntu:18.04v1
Untagged: ubuntu:18.04v1

Answer 3

docker rmi <rep:tag>

Ex:

REPOSITORY          TAG                 IMAGE ID            CREATED             SIZE
python              3.6            60f85556d5d2        4 days ago          174MB

docker rmi python:3.6

Answer 4

Building on Simon Brady's brute force method here, if you don't have a ton of images you can use this shell function:

recursive_remove_image() {
  for image in $(docker images --quiet --filter "since=${1}")
  do
    if [ $(docker history --quiet ${image} | grep ${1}) ]
    then
      recursive_remove_image "${image}"
    fi
  done
  echo "Removing: ${1}"
  docker rmi -f ${1}
}

and then call it using recursive_remove_image <image-id>.

Answer 5

# docker rm $(docker ps -aq)

After that use the command as Nguyen suggested.

Answer 6

Expanding on the answer provided by @Nguyen - this function can be added to your .bashrc etc and then called from the commandline to help clean up any image has dependent child images errors...

You can run the function as yourself, and if a docker ps fails, then it will run the docker command with sudo and prompt you for your password.

Does NOT delete images for any running containers!

docker_rmi_dependants ()                                                                                                                                                         
{ 
  DOCKER=docker
  [ docker ps >/dev/null 2>&1 ] || DOCKER="sudo docker"

  echo "Docker: ${DOCKER}"

  for n in $(${DOCKER} images | awk '$2 == "<none>" {print $3}');
  do  
    echo "ImageID: $n";
    ${DOCKER} inspect --format='{{.Id}} {{.Parent}}' $(${DOCKER} images --filter since=$n -q);
  done;

  ${DOCKER} rmi $(${DOCKER} images | awk '$2 == "<none>" {print $3}')
}

I also have this in my .bashrc file...

docker_rm_dangling ()  
{ 
  DOCKER=docker
  [ docker ps >/dev/null 2>&1 ] || DOCKER="sudo docker"

  echo "Docker: ${DOCKER}"

  ${DOCKER} images -f dangling=true 2>&1 > /dev/null && YES=$?;                                                                                                                  
  if [ $YES -eq 1 ]; then
    read -t 30 -p "Press ENTER to remove, or CTRL-C to quit.";
    ${DOCKER} rmi $(${DOCKER} images -f dangling=true -q);
  else
    echo "Nothing to do... all groovy!";
  fi  
}

Works with:

$ docker --version 
Docker version 17.05.0-ce, build 89658be