docker-compose/docs/reference/docker-compose.md

docker-compose Command

Usage:
  docker-compose [-f=<arg>...] [options] [COMMAND] [ARGS...]
  docker-compose -h|--help

Options:
  -f, --file FILE           Specify an alternate compose file (default: docker-compose.yml)
  -p, --project-name NAME   Specify an alternate project name (default: directory name)
  --verbose                 Show more output
  -v, --version             Print version and exit

Commands:
  build              Build or rebuild services
  help               Get help on a command
  kill               Kill containers
  logs               View output from containers
  pause              Pause services
  port               Print the public port for a port binding
  ps                 List containers
  pull               Pulls service images
  restart            Restart services
  rm                 Remove stopped containers
  run                Run a one-off command
  scale              Set number of containers for a service
  start              Start services
  stop               Stop services
  unpause            Unpause services
  up                 Create and start containers
  migrate-to-labels  Recreate containers to add labels
  version            Show the Docker-Compose version information

The Docker Compose binary. You use this command to build and manage multiple services in Docker containers.

Use the -f flag to specify the location of a Compose configuration file. You can supply multiple -f configuration files. When you supply multiple files, Compose combines them into a single configuration. Compose builds the configuration in the order you supply the files. Subsequent files override and add to their successors.

For example, consider this command line:

$ docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.admin.yml run backup_db`

The docker-compose.yml file might specify a webapp service.

webapp:
  image: examples/web
  ports:
    - "8000:8000"
  volumes:
    - "/data"

If the docker-compose.admin.yml also specifies this same service, any matching fields will override the previous file. New values, add to the webapp service configuration.

webapp:
  build: .
  environment:
    - DEBUG=1

Use a -f with - (dash) as the filename to read the configuration from stdin. When stdin is used all paths in the configuration are relative to the current working directory.

The -f flag is optional. If you don't provide this flag on the command line, Compose traverses the working directory and its subdirectories looking for a docker-compose.yml and a docker-compose.override.yml file. You must supply at least the docker-compose.yml file. If both files are present, Compose combines the two files into a single configuration. The configuration in the docker-compose.override.yml file is applied over and in addition to the values in the docker-compose.yml file.

Each configuration has a project name. If you supply a -p flag, you can specify a project name. If you don't specify the flag, Compose uses the current directory name.

Where to go next

• CLI environment variables
• Command line reference