CoreBeginner

Docker Compose Cheatsheet

Define and run multi-container applications with a single compose.yaml.

What it is

Use Compose to spin up an app plus its dependencies (db, cache, queue) locally, share a reproducible dev stack with your team, or run small production stacks.

Installation

Docker Compose v2 is bundled with Docker Desktop and modern Docker Engine. Use docker compose (space, not hyphen). The legacy docker-compose binary is end-of-life.

Quick start

docker compose up -d

Build/pull and start the stack in the background.

docker compose ps

Show service status.

docker compose logs -f api

Tail logs for one service.

docker compose down

Stop and remove containers + default network.

Common commands

Task	Command	Description
Start services	`docker compose up`	Add -d for detached, –build to rebuild.
Stop and remove	`docker compose down`	Add -v to also remove named volumes.
Build images	`docker compose build`	Rebuilds images defined by build:.
Pull images	`docker compose pull`	Fetch the latest image: tags.
List services	`docker compose ps`	State, ports, health.
View logs	`docker compose logs -f`	Follow logs across all services.
Exec in service	`docker compose exec <svc> sh`	Run a command in a running service container.
One-off task	`docker compose run --rm <svc> <cmd>`	Start a temporary container with overrides.
Render merged config	`docker compose config`	Resolved YAML after env interpolation.
Watch & sync	`docker compose watch`	Auto-sync code or rebuild on file changes.

Useful flags

Flag	Example	Meaning
`-d`	`docker compose up -d`	Detach; run in the background.
`--build`	`docker compose up --build`	Rebuild images before starting.
`-f`	`docker compose -f compose.ci.yaml up`	Pick a specific Compose file (repeatable).
`-p`	`docker compose -p staging up`	Override project name.
`--profile`	`docker compose --profile debug up`	Enable services tagged with a profile.
`-v`	`docker compose down -v`	Remove named volumes on down.

Real-world examples

Minimal compose.yaml

services:
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports: ["8080:80"]
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine

Rebuild and recreate one service

docker compose up -d --build --force-recreate api

Live dev with watch

services:
  api:
    build: .
    develop:
      watch:
        - action: sync
          path: ./src
          target: /app/src
        - action: rebuild
          path: package.json

Then run docker compose watch.

Best practices

Keep one compose.yaml per app; layer overrides via compose.override.yaml or -f.
Use named volumes for stateful services so down doesn't wipe data.
Pin image tags and Dockerfile base images for reproducibility.
Use profiles to keep optional services (debug, seed) out of default up.
Run docker compose config in CI to catch YAML/env mistakes early.

Troubleshooting

Changes to Dockerfile not picked up

Force rebuild.

docker compose up -d --build

Variable from .env not substituted

Confirm interpolation with the merged config.

docker compose config

Volume keeps old data after schema change

Remove the named volume on down.

docker compose down -v

Related cheatsheets

Last reviewed: 2026-06-15