command: docker compose short: Docker Compose long: |- You can use the compose subcommand, `docker compose [-f ...] [options] [COMMAND] [ARGS...]`, to build and manage multiple services in Docker containers. ### Use `-f` to specify the name and path of one or more Compose files Use the `-f` flag to specify the location of a Compose configuration file. #### Specifying multiple Compose files You can supply multiple `-f` configuration files. When you supply multiple files, Compose combines them into a single configuration. Compose builds the configuration in the order you supply the files. Subsequent files override and add to their predecessors. For example, consider this command line: ```console $ docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.admin.yml run backup_db ``` The `docker-compose.yml` file might specify a `webapp` service. ```yaml services: webapp: image: examples/web ports: - "8000:8000" volumes: - "/data" ``` If the `docker-compose.admin.yml` also specifies this same service, any matching fields override the previous file. New values, add to the `webapp` service configuration. ```yaml services: webapp: build: . environment: - DEBUG=1 ``` When you use multiple Compose files, all paths in the files are relative to the first configuration file specified with `-f`. You can use the `--project-directory` option to override this base path. Use a `-f` with `-` (dash) as the filename to read the configuration from stdin. When stdin is used all paths in the configuration are relative to the current working directory. The `-f` flag is optional. If you don’t provide this flag on the command line, Compose traverses the working directory and its parent directories looking for a `compose.yaml` or `docker-compose.yaml` file. #### Specifying a path to a single Compose file You can use the `-f` flag to specify a path to a Compose file that is not located in the current directory, either from the command line or by setting up a `COMPOSE_FILE` environment variable in your shell or in an environment file. For an example of using the `-f` option at the command line, suppose you are running the Compose Rails sample, and have a `compose.yaml` file in a directory called `sandbox/rails`. You can use a command like `docker compose pull` to get the postgres image for the db service from anywhere by using the `-f` flag as follows: ```console $ docker compose -f ~/sandbox/rails/compose.yaml pull db ``` ### Use `-p` to specify a project name Each configuration has a project name. Compose sets the project name using the following mechanisms, in order of precedence: - The `-p` command line flag - The `COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME` environment variable - The top level `name:` variable from the config file (or the last `name:` from a series of config files specified using `-f`) - The `basename` of the project directory containing the config file (or containing the first config file specified using `-f`) - The `basename` of the current directory if no config file is specified Project names must contain only lowercase letters, decimal digits, dashes, and underscores, and must begin with a lowercase letter or decimal digit. If the `basename` of the project directory or current directory violates this constraint, you must use one of the other mechanisms. ```console $ docker compose -p my_project ps -a NAME SERVICE STATUS PORTS my_project_demo_1 demo running $ docker compose -p my_project logs demo_1 | PING localhost (127.0.0.1): 56 data bytes demo_1 | 64 bytes from 127.0.0.1: seq=0 ttl=64 time=0.095 ms ``` ### Use profiles to enable optional services Use `--profile` to specify one or more active profiles Calling `docker compose --profile frontend up` starts the services with the profile `frontend` and services without any specified profiles. You can also enable multiple profiles, e.g. with `docker compose --profile frontend --profile debug up` the profiles `frontend` and `debug` is enabled. Profiles can also be set by `COMPOSE_PROFILES` environment variable. ### Configuring parallelism Use `--parallel` to specify the maximum level of parallelism for concurrent engine calls. Calling `docker compose --parallel 1 pull` pulls the pullable images defined in the Compose file one at a time. This can also be used to control build concurrency. Parallelism can also be set by the `COMPOSE_PARALLEL_LIMIT` environment variable. ### Set up environment variables You can set environment variables for various docker compose options, including the `-f`, `-p` and `--profiles` flags. Setting the `COMPOSE_FILE` environment variable is equivalent to passing the `-f` flag, `COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME` environment variable does the same as the `-p` flag, `COMPOSE_PROFILES` environment variable is equivalent to the `--profiles` flag and `COMPOSE_PARALLEL_LIMIT` does the same as the `--parallel` flag. If flags are explicitly set on the command line, the associated environment variable is ignored. Setting the `COMPOSE_IGNORE_ORPHANS` environment variable to `true` stops docker compose from detecting orphaned containers for the project. ### Use Dry Run mode to test your command Use `--dry-run` flag to test a command without changing your application stack state. Dry Run mode shows you all the steps Compose applies when executing a command, for example: ```console $ docker compose --dry-run up --build -d [+] Pulling 1/1 ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - db Pulled 0.9s [+] Running 10/8 ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - build service backend 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - ==> ==> writing image dryRun-754a08ddf8bcb1cf22f310f09206dd783d42f7dd 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - ==> ==> naming to nginx-golang-mysql-backend 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Network nginx-golang-mysql_default Created 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-db-1 Created 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-backend-1 Created 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-proxy-1 Created 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-db-1 Healthy 0.5s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-backend-1 Started 0.0s ✔ DRY-RUN MODE - Container nginx-golang-mysql-proxy-1 Started Started ``` From the example above, you can see that the first step is to pull the image defined by `db` service, then build the `backend` service. Next, the containers are created. The `db` service is started, and the `backend` and `proxy` wait until the `db` service is healthy before starting. Dry Run mode works with almost all commands. You cannot use Dry Run mode with a command that doesn't change the state of a Compose stack such as `ps`, `ls`, `logs` for example. usage: docker compose pname: docker plink: docker.yaml cname: - docker compose build - docker compose config - docker compose cp - docker compose create - docker compose down - docker compose events - docker compose exec - docker compose images - docker compose kill - docker compose logs - docker compose ls - docker compose pause - docker compose port - docker compose ps - docker compose pull - docker compose push - docker compose restart - docker compose rm - docker compose run - docker compose scale - docker compose start - docker compose stop - docker compose top - docker compose unpause - docker compose up - docker compose version - docker compose wait - docker compose watch clink: - docker_compose_build.yaml - docker_compose_config.yaml - docker_compose_cp.yaml - docker_compose_create.yaml - docker_compose_down.yaml - docker_compose_events.yaml - docker_compose_exec.yaml - docker_compose_images.yaml - docker_compose_kill.yaml - docker_compose_logs.yaml - docker_compose_ls.yaml - docker_compose_pause.yaml - docker_compose_port.yaml - docker_compose_ps.yaml - docker_compose_pull.yaml - docker_compose_push.yaml - docker_compose_restart.yaml - docker_compose_rm.yaml - docker_compose_run.yaml - docker_compose_scale.yaml - docker_compose_start.yaml - docker_compose_stop.yaml - docker_compose_top.yaml - docker_compose_unpause.yaml - docker_compose_up.yaml - docker_compose_version.yaml - docker_compose_wait.yaml - docker_compose_watch.yaml options: - option: ansi value_type: string default_value: auto description: | Control when to print ANSI control characters ("never"|"always"|"auto") deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: compatibility value_type: bool default_value: "false" description: Run compose in backward compatibility mode deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: dry-run value_type: bool default_value: "false" description: Execute command in dry run mode deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: env-file value_type: stringArray default_value: '[]' description: Specify an alternate environment file. deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: file shorthand: f value_type: stringArray default_value: '[]' description: Compose configuration files deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: no-ansi value_type: bool default_value: "false" description: Do not print ANSI control characters (DEPRECATED) deprecated: false hidden: true experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: parallel value_type: int default_value: "-1" description: Control max parallelism, -1 for unlimited deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: profile value_type: stringArray default_value: '[]' description: Specify a profile to enable deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: progress value_type: string default_value: auto description: Set type of progress output (auto, tty, plain, quiet) deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: project-directory value_type: string description: |- Specify an alternate working directory (default: the path of the, first specified, Compose file) deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: project-name shorthand: p value_type: string description: Project name deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: verbose value_type: bool default_value: "false" description: Show more output deprecated: false hidden: true experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: version shorthand: v value_type: bool default_value: "false" description: Show the Docker Compose version information deprecated: false hidden: true experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false - option: workdir value_type: string description: |- DEPRECATED! USE --project-directory INSTEAD. Specify an alternate working directory (default: the path of the, first specified, Compose file) deprecated: false hidden: true experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false deprecated: false hidden: false experimental: false experimentalcli: false kubernetes: false swarm: false