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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Use a compose.yaml file to define each microservice and its supporting services, then run the application with the Docker Compose CLI. Compose creates a shared network where services can normally reach one another by service name; healthchecks can keep dependent services from starting until a prerequisite is ready. For production, adapt the configuration to the host or cluster and plan separately for security, backups, monitoring, and capacity.
Model the application as Compose services
A Compose file is the source of truth for the services and supporting resources in a multi-container application. Each service can use a prebuilt image or build one from a directory, and can declare its environment, ports, volumes, networks, dependencies, healthcheck, restart behavior, and profile.
This small example defines an API and a PostgreSQL database. The API connects to the database using the service name db; the database uses a named volume so its data persists beyond the lifetime of an individual container.
services:
api:
build: ./api
environment:
DATABASE_URL: postgres://app:secret@db:5432/app
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
networks: [backend]
db:
image: postgres:18
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: app
POSTGRES_USER: app
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
volumes:
- db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U app -d app"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5
networks: [backend]
networks:
backend:
volumes:
db-data:The credentials here are illustrative, not a production secrets strategy. Replace them with appropriately managed production configuration before deployment.
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Start, inspect, and operate the services
Run Compose commands from the directory containing compose.yaml. Compose creates and starts the declared application; its CLI also supports rebuilding, stopping, status inspection, logs, and one-off commands.
docker compose up -dcreates and starts the services in the background.docker compose psinspects service status.docker compose logs -f apifollows the API service logs.docker compose exec api shopens a shell in a running API container, if the image includes a shell.docker compose downstops and removes the Compose application’s containers and network. Named volumes are retained unless explicitly removed, so do not add-vif you intend to keep the database data.
Use docker compose up --build when you need Compose to rebuild services that have a build configuration as it starts them. A one-off task, such as a migration, can be run with docker compose run --rm api <command>, substituting the actual command supported by the API image.
Make services communicate over the Compose network
When no explicit network is configured, Compose creates a default project network. Containers attached to the same Compose network can discover one another by service name. For example, an API can use http://orders:8080 to reach a service named orders, or connect to PostgreSQL at db:5432 as in the example.
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Do not use localhost as the hostname for another container: from inside the API container, localhost refers to that API container itself. A published port is mainly for access from outside the Compose network; container-to-container traffic should use the service name and the port on which the destination service listens.
Use separate networks when you want to limit which services can reach each other. An external network can connect services from separate Compose projects, but that network must already exist before you run docker compose up.
Handle startup order and readiness separately
depends_on establishes dependency creation order, but a running container is not necessarily ready to accept requests. If an API requires a database or broker to be ready first, give that prerequisite a meaningful healthcheck and use condition: service_healthy on the dependency, as the example does for PostgreSQL. Compose waits for the dependency’s healthcheck to pass before creating the dependent service.
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Choose a check that tests the service’s actual readiness protocol or endpoint, not merely whether its process exists. Tune the healthcheck’s interval, timeout, retries, and—where appropriate—start period to the service’s startup behavior. Applications should also handle a dependency becoming unavailable after startup; a startup gate cannot guarantee ongoing availability.
Keep optional services in the same file with profiles
Services without a profiles entry are enabled by default. Put optional components—such as debugging tools, test services, migration helpers, or observability components—behind a named profile, then activate it when needed:
docker compose --profile test upA dependency reference does not automatically activate a service’s profile. If a service depends on a profiled service whose profile is inactive, Compose reports an error rather than silently enabling it. Check the profile design when an otherwise valid dependency is unavailable.
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Separate development and production deliberately
One Compose file can describe the application’s core services and use profiles for optional components. That does not make development settings safe for production. Review configuration for the deployment environment, including application-code bind mounts, host port exposure, credentials, image versions, persistent data, restart behavior, and healthchecks.
- Remove development-only bind mounts for application code from production configuration.
- Set host ports and network exposure deliberately; publish only what must be reachable from outside the host.
- Use production secrets and environment configuration rather than example credentials.
- Pin image versions so deployments use an intentional image rather than an uncontrolled moving tag.
- Back up named volumes that contain data the application needs to retain.
- Choose restart and health behavior that fits the workload and the way the service is operated.
Compose is an operational control plane for the host or cluster where it is deployed. It does not replace capacity planning, observability, tested backups, or a decision about whether the deployment needs multiple-node orchestration.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Decide whether Compose fits the deployment
Docker’s production guidance covers deploying Compose on a single server and scaling Compose applications on a Swarm cluster. These are different operating choices: a single-server deployment keeps scheduling on one host, while a cluster changes where services can be scheduled and how operations are managed. Select based on the workload’s needs, not on an assumed universal scale limit.
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When comparing Compose with Swarm or Kubernetes, assess the capabilities and operational costs that matter to your application:
- Single-host versus multi-node scheduling requirements.
- Service discovery and networking across the intended deployment.
- Rollout and rollback controls.
- Secrets and configuration management.
- Autoscaling requirements.
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There is no universal microservice count or performance threshold that determines when Compose stops being suitable. Measure latency, resource use, failure recovery, and deployment time on the target workload and host, then use those results to inform the deployment choice.
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