Guides/Docker Compose

Docker Compose Guide

Docker Compose defines and runs multi-container applications with a YAML file. One command builds, creates, and starts all services. See official Compose docs.

Last updated: April 2026

Check if Docker Compose is installed

Compose is included with Docker Desktop. On Linux you may have the plugin or standalone binary.

docker compose version

Common commands

docker compose up -d

docker compose logs -f

docker compose down

docker compose config

Sample docker-compose.yml

App + Postgres with a named volume. Save as docker-compose.yml in your project and run docker compose up -d.

services:
  app:
    image: node:20-alpine
    working_dir: /app
    volumes:
      - .:/app
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    command: npm run dev

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: app
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
      POSTGRES_DB: appdb
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pgdata:

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