yamlANYdockercomposeyamlservices
yaml
services:
web:
image: nginx:alpine
ports:
- "8080:80"
db:
image: postgres:16
environment:
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secretA good starting point for local dev stacks.
Docker Compose Files and YAML Patterns
compose.yaml examples for services, variables, profiles, overrides, and dependency-aware startup.
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compose.yaml Basics
Core service definitions and simple stacks.
yamlANYdockercomposebuildyaml
yaml
services:
app:
build:
context: .
dockerfile: Dockerfile
image: myapp:devCommon for local development and CI.
yamlANYdockercomposecommand
yaml
services:
worker:
image: myapp:latest
command: ["python", "worker.py"]Useful for workers, migrations, and alternate entrypoints.
yamlANYdockercomposeentrypoint
yaml
services:
app:
image: myapp:latest
entrypoint: ["./docker-entrypoint.sh"]Use carefully when you control container startup behavior.
yamlANYdockercomposecontainer-name
yaml
services:
redis:
image: redis:7
container_name: local-redisUseful occasionally, though it reduces scaling flexibility.
Environment Variables and Env Files
Inject configuration into services and interpolate values.
yamlANYdockercomposeenvironment
yaml
services:
api:
image: myapi:latest
environment:
NODE_ENV: development
PORT: "3000"Use strings for values that might be parsed unexpectedly.
yamlANYdockercomposeenvironment
yaml
services:
api:
image: myapi:latest
environment:
- NODE_ENV=development
- PORT=3000Compact style for smaller service definitions.
yamlANYdockercomposeenv-file
yaml
services:
api:
image: myapi:latest
env_file:
- .env
- .env.localGood for keeping service config out of the main YAML.
Interpolate variables into compose file
Uses shell-style variable interpolation inside the Compose file.
yamlANYdockercomposevariablesinterpolation
yaml
services:
api:
image: "myapi:${APP_TAG:-latest}"
ports:
- "${APP_PORT:-3000}:3000"Great for portable dev and CI environments.
bashANYdockercomposeenv-fileruntime
bash
docker compose --env-file .env.production up -dUseful when switching between local, staging, and prod values.
Profiles and Overrides
Optional services and file layering patterns.
yamlANYdockercomposeprofiles
yaml
services:
app:
image: myapp:latest
mailhog:
image: mailhog/mailhog
profiles: ["dev-tools"]Great for dev-only tools like Mailhog, Adminer, or Jaeger.
bashANYdockercomposeprofile
bash
docker compose --profile dev-tools up -dUse multiple `--profile` flags when needed.
bashANYdockercomposemultiple-files
bash
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.override.yaml up -dUseful for base + local override or base + CI override patterns.
bashANYdockercomposeprodoverrides
bash
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.prod.yaml up -dKeeps local and production concerns separate.
Dependencies and Healthchecks
Startup ordering and service readiness.
yamlANYdockercomposedepends-on
yaml
services:
web:
image: myapp:latest
depends_on:
- db
db:
image: postgres:16Order alone does not guarantee the dependency is ready for traffic.
yamlANYdockercomposehealthcheck
yaml
services:
db:
image: postgres:16
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5Useful for observability and dependency-aware startup.
yamlANYdockercomposedepends-onhealthcheck
yaml
services:
web:
image: myapp:latest
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
db:
image: postgres:16
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5Helpful when an app needs a database that is actually ready.
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Docker Compose Networking, Volumes, and Runtime Controls
Compose patterns for ports, networks, volumes, secrets, configs, and runtime controls.
Docker Compose Cheat Sheet
Commands for starting, stopping, inspecting, and operating Docker Compose projects.