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ENTRYPOINT vs CMD Explained

What ENTRYPOINT vs CMD does, with an example.

Published November 9, 2026

ENTRYPOINT vs CMD both define what runs when a container starts, but ENTRYPOINT sets the fixed executable while CMD supplies default arguments that can be overridden.

Key points

  • Part of the standard Docker CLI used for building, running, and managing containers

Example

ENTRYPOINT ["node"]
CMD ["index.js"]
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