This page contains a list of commonly used docker compose commands and flags.

Basic example

services:
 web:
 build: .
 # build from Dockerfile
 context: ./Path
 dockerfile: Dockerfile
 ports:
 - "5000:5000"
 volumes:
 - .:/code
 redis:
 image: redis

Commands

docker compose start
docker compose stop
docker compose pause
docker compose unpause
docker compose ps
docker compose up
docker compose down

Reference

Building

web:
# build from Dockerfile
 build: .
# build from custom Dockerfile
 build:
 context: ./dir
 dockerfile: Dockerfile.dev
# build from image
 image: ubuntu
 image: ubuntu:14.04
 image: tutum/influxdb
 image: example-registry:4000/postgresql
 image: a4bc65fd

Ports

ports:
 - "3000"
 - "8000:80" # guest:host
# expose ports to linked services (not to host)
 expose: ["3000"]
 
## Commands
 command to execute
 command: bundle exec thin -p 3000
 command: [bundle, exec, thin, -p, 3000]
# override the entrypoint
 entrypoint: /app/start.sh
 entrypoint: [php, -d, vendor/bin/phpunit]

Environment variables

# environment vars
 environment:
 RACK_ENV: development
 environment:
 - RACK_ENV=development
# environment vars from file
 env_file: .env
 env_file: [.env, .development.env]

Dependencies

# makes the `db` service available as the hostname `database`
# (implies depends_on)
 links:
 - db:database
 - redis
# make sure `db` is alive before starting
 depends_on:
 - db

Other options

# make this service extend another
 extends:
 file: common.yml # optional
 service: webapp
 volumes:
 - /var/lib/mysql
 - ./_data:/var/lib/mysql

Advanced features

Labels

services:
 web:
 labels:
 com.example.description: "Accounting web app

DNS servers

services:
 web:
 dns: 8.8.8.8
 dns:
 - 8.8.8.8
 - 8.8.4.4

Devices

services:
 web:
 devices:
 - "/dev/ttyUSB0:/dev/ttyUSB0"

External links

services:
 web:
 external_links:
 - redis_1
 - project_db_1:mysql

Hosts

services:
 web:
 extra_hosts:
 - "somehost:192.168.1.100"