Learn DOCKER-COMPOSE with Real Code Examples

Docker Compose simplifies orchestration of multiple containers on a single host.

Services, networks, and volumes are defined declaratively in `docker-compose.yml`.

Supports environment-specific configuration and scaling.

Integrates with Docker CLI and Docker Swarm for orchestration.

Ideal for development, testing, and small-scale production deployments.

Multi-container orchestration

Service definition and dependency ordering

Custom networks and volumes

Environment configuration and secrets

One-command up/down (`docker-compose up/down`)

Service - individual container configuration

Network - container-to-container communication

Volume - persistent storage for containers

Environment variables - dynamic configuration

Depends_on - service startup ordering

docker-compose.yml - main configuration file

.env - optional environment variables

Dockerfile - for custom service images

volumes/ - persistent storage directory

scripts/ - optional helper scripts

Define services in `docker-compose.yml`

Specify images, build context, ports, and volumes

Set environment variables and secrets

Run `docker-compose up` to start containers

Test and monitor logs with `docker-compose logs`

Beginner: single service with mapped ports

Intermediate: multi-service local development environment

Advanced: service scaling with `replicas` in Swarm mode

Expert: integrating networks, secrets, and CI/CD

Architect: multi-container production environment with Swarm

Docker Compose vs Docker CLI - Compose handles multi-container orchestration

Docker Compose vs Kubernetes - Compose is single-host, Kubernetes is multi-node

Docker Compose vs Swarm - Swarm adds multi-node orchestration

Docker Compose vs Vagrant - Compose is container-based, Vagrant is VM-based

Docker Compose vs Serverless - Compose is full-stack container, Serverless is function-based

2014 - Docker Compose introduced

2015–2016 - Added networking and volume improvements

2017 - v2 Compose file format released

2018 - v3 Compose format added Swarm support

2019–2025 - Continuous updates for stability and Docker CLI integration

Service - a containerized application component

Network - enables communication between containers

Volume - persistent storage for containers

Environment variable - configurable settings

Depends_on - service startup ordering