page_title: Compose CLI reference
page_description: Compose CLI reference
page_keywords: fig, composition, compose, docker, orchestration, cli, reference


# CLI reference

Most commands are run against one or more services. If the service is not
specified, the command will apply to all services.

For full usage information, run `docker-compose [COMMAND] --help`.

## Commands

### build

Builds or rebuilds services.

Services are built once and then tagged as `project_service`, e.g.,
`composetest_db`. If you change a service's Dockerfile or the contents of its
build directory, run `docker-compose build` to rebuild it.

### help

Displays help and usage instructions for a command.

### kill

Forces running containers to stop by sending a `SIGKILL` signal. Optionally the
signal can be passed, for example:

    $ docker-compose kill -s SIGINT

### logs

Displays log output from services.

### port

Prints the public port for a port binding

### ps

Lists containers.

### pull

Pulls service images.

### rm

Removes stopped service containers.


### run

Runs a one-off command on a service.

For example,

    $ docker-compose run web python manage.py shell

will start the `web` service and then run `manage.py shell` in python.
Note that by default, linked services will also be started, unless they are
already running.

One-off commands are started in new containers with the same configuration as a
normal container for that service, so volumes, links, etc will all be created as
expected. When using `run`, there are two differences from bringing up a
container normally:

1. the command will be overridden with the one specified. So, if you run
`docker-compose run web bash`, the container's web command (which could default
to, e.g., `python app.py`) will be overridden to `bash`

2. by default no ports will be created in case they collide with already opened
ports.

Links are also created between one-off commands and the other containers which
are part of that service. So, for example, you could run:

    $ docker-compose run db psql -h db -U docker

This would open up an interactive PostgreSQL shell for the linked `db` container
(which would get created or started as needed).

If you do not want linked containers to start when running the one-off command,
specify the `--no-deps` flag:

    $ docker-compose run --no-deps web python manage.py shell

Similarly, if you do want the service's ports to be created and mapped to the
host, specify the `--service-ports` flag:
	$ docker-compose run --service-ports web python manage.py shell

### scale

Sets the number of containers to run for a service.

Numbers are specified as arguments in the form `service=num`. For example:

    $ docker-compose scale web=2 worker=3

### start

Starts existing containers for a service.

### stop

Stops running containers without removing them. They can be started again with
`docker-compose start`.

### up

Builds, (re)creates, starts, and attaches to containers for a service.

Linked services will be started, unless they are already running.

By default, `docker-compose up` will aggregate the output of each container and,
when it exits, all containers will be stopped. Running `docker-compose up -d`,
will start the containers in the background and leave them running.

By default, if there are existing containers for a service, `docker-compose up` will stop and recreate them (preserving mounted volumes with [volumes-from]), so that changes in `docker-compose.yml` are picked up. If you do not want containers stopped and recreated, use `docker-compose up --no-recreate`. This will still start any stopped containers, if needed.

[volumes-from]: http://docs.docker.io/en/latest/use/working_with_volumes/

## Options

### --verbose

 Shows more output

### --version

 Prints version and exits

### -f, --file FILE

 Specifies an alternate Compose yaml file (default: `docker-compose.yml`)

### -p, --project-name NAME

 Specifies an alternate project name (default: current directory name)


## Environment Variables

Several environment variables are available for you to configure Compose's behaviour.

Variables starting with `DOCKER_` are the same as those used to configure the
Docker command-line client. If you're using boot2docker, `$(boot2docker shellinit)`
will set them to their correct values.

### COMPOSE\_PROJECT\_NAME

Sets the project name, which is prepended to the name of every container started by Compose. Defaults to the `basename` of the current working directory.

### COMPOSE\_FILE

Sets the path to the `docker-compose.yml` to use. Defaults to `docker-compose.yml` in the current working directory.

### DOCKER\_HOST

Sets the URL of the docker daemon. As with the Docker client, defaults to `unix:///var/run/docker.sock`.

### DOCKER\_TLS\_VERIFY

When set to anything other than an empty string, enables TLS communication with
the daemon.

### DOCKER\_CERT\_PATH

Configures the path to the `ca.pem`, `cert.pem`, and `key.pem` files used for TLS verification. Defaults to `~/.docker`.

## Compose Docs

[Installing Compose](http://docs.docker.com/compose/install)
[Intro & Overview]((http://docs.docker.com/compose/userguide)
[Yaml file reference]((http://docs.docker.com/compose/yml)