Docker Compose: Multi-container Docker application orchestration
YAML-defined container lifecycle management and orchestration tool.
Learn more about compose
Docker Compose is a container orchestration tool written in Go that reads YAML-formatted compose files to define and manage multi-container Docker applications. It implements the Compose specification, which provides a standardized format for describing service configurations, networking, volumes, and environment variables across containers. The tool handles container lifecycle management, networking setup, and volume mounting through a command-line interface. Docker Compose is commonly used in development environments, testing workflows, and local application deployment scenarios where multiple interdependent services need to run together.
Docker CLI Plugin
Written in Go and distributed as a compiled binary that integrates directly into Docker CLI. No separate Python runtime or installation required compared to legacy v1.
Compose Specification Compliance
Implements the standardized compose-spec.io format for portable application definitions. Ensures consistent behavior across environments and interoperability with other compliant tools.
Single Command Deployment
Launches entire application stacks with a single command, handling container creation, networking, and volume management. Reduces complex orchestration to simple declarative configuration files.
from compose.cli.main import TopLevelCommand
from compose.project import Project
cli = TopLevelCommand()
project = cli.get_project('.')
# Start all services defined in compose.yaml
project.up()
# Check service status
for container in project.containers():
print(f"{container.name}: {container.status}")Major version jump to v5 removes internal BuildKit builder (now delegates to Docker Bake) and officially exposes Compose as an embeddable SDK.
- –Remove internal builder; all builds now use Docker Bake (same backend as `docker build`)—verify Bake compatibility before upgrading.
- –Integrate Compose as SDK using new functional parameters; see documentation for OCI/Git remote resource support and `--insecure-registry` flag.
Patch release fixing a path traversal vulnerability in git remote loader and several runtime bugs including OCI override and restart hook issues.
- –Update immediately to fix CVE-eligible path traversal in git remote loader that could allow malicious compose files to escape directories.
- –Restart hooks now execute correctly; OCI compose overrides and exec --no-tty help output are also repaired.
Patch release fixing tar ownership issues and image digest detection; no breaking changes or new requirements.
- –Fixes tar archive creation to preserve correct uid:gid ownership when building or copying files.
- –Corrects image presence checks to validate digest or canonical reference, not just tags, preventing redundant pulls.
See how people are using compose
Top in Cloud & DevOps
Related Repositories
Discover similar tools and frameworks used by developers
build-push-action
GitHub Action for building and publishing Docker images.
setup-node
Node.js version management and dependency caching for workflows.
kaniko
Daemon-free Docker image builder for Kubernetes clusters.
dockge
Self-hosted Docker Compose manager with real-time terminal streaming.
awx
Django-based control plane for centralized Ansible management.