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# Overview of docker-compose CLI

This page provides the usage information for the `docker-compose` Command.
You can also see this information by running `docker-compose --help` from the
command line.

```
Define and run multi-container applications with Docker.

Usage:
  docker-compose [-f=<arg>...] [options] [COMMAND] [ARGS...]
  docker-compose -h|--help

Options:
  -f, --file FILE           Specify an alternate compose file (default: docker-compose.yml)
  -p, --project-name NAME   Specify an alternate project name (default: directory name)
  --verbose                 Show more output
  -v, --version             Print version and exit

Commands:
  build              Build or rebuild services
  config             Validate and view the compose file
  create             Create services
  down               Stop and remove containers, networks, images, and volumes
  events             Receive real time events from containers
  help               Get help on a command
  kill               Kill containers
  logs               View output from containers
  pause              Pause services
  port               Print the public port for a port binding
  ps                 List containers
  pull               Pulls service images
  restart            Restart services
  rm                 Remove stopped containers
  run                Run a one-off command
  scale              Set number of containers for a service
  start              Start services
  stop               Stop services
  unpause            Unpause services
  up                 Create and start containers
  version            Show the Docker-Compose version information

```

The Docker Compose binary. You use this command to build and manage multiple
services in Docker containers.

Use the `-f` flag to specify the location of a Compose configuration file. 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 successors.

For example, consider this command line:

```
$ docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.admin.yml run backup_db`
```

The `docker-compose.yml` file might specify a `webapp` service.

```
webapp:
  image: examples/web
  ports:
    - "8000:8000"
  volumes:
    - "/data"
```

If the `docker-compose.admin.yml` also specifies this same service, any matching
fields will override the previous file. New values, add to the `webapp` service
configuration.

```
webapp:
  build: .
  environment:
    - DEBUG=1
```

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
`docker-compose.yml` and a `docker-compose.override.yml` file. You must
supply at least the `docker-compose.yml` file. If both files are present on the
same directory level, Compose combines the two files into a single configuration.
The configuration in the `docker-compose.override.yml` file is applied over and
in addition to the values in the `docker-compose.yml` file.

See also the `COMPOSE_FILE` [environment variable](envvars.md#compose-file).

Each configuration has a project name. If you supply a `-p` flag, you can
specify a project name. If you don't specify the flag, Compose uses the current
directory name. See also the `COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME` [environment variable](
envvars.md#compose-project-name)


## Where to go next

* [CLI environment variables](envvars.md)