Ultimate Guide to Docker-Compose Commands: Options & Examples

Command

Description

Example

docker-compose up

Builds, (re)creates, starts, and attaches containers

docker-compose up

docker-compose up -d

Starts containers in detached mode (runs in the background)

docker-compose up -d

docker-compose up -f <file>

Uses a specific Compose file for building and running services

docker-compose up -f docker-compose.dev.yml

docker-compose down

Stops and removes containers, networks, and volumes

docker-compose down

docker-compose build

Builds or rebuilds services

docker-compose build

docker-compose stop

Stops running containers without removing them

docker-compose stop

docker-compose start

Starts containers that were previously stopped

docker-compose start

docker-compose restart

Restarts services

docker-compose restart

docker-compose ps

Lists the status of services

docker-compose ps

docker-compose logs

Displays logs from containers

docker-compose logs

docker-compose logs -f

Follows logs in real-time

docker-compose logs -f

docker-compose exec

Executes a command inside a running container

docker-compose exec web bash

docker-compose run

Runs a one-time command in a new container

docker-compose run web python manage.py migrate

docker-compose rm

Removes stopped service containers

docker-compose rm

docker-compose config

Validates and displays the Compose file configuration

docker-compose config

docker-compose pull

Pulls images defined in the Compose file

docker-compose pull

docker-compose up --scale <service-name>=<number>

Scales a service to the specified number of containers

docker-compose up --scale web=3 -d

docker-compose kill

Forcefully stops containers

docker-compose kill

docker-compose -f <file>

Uses a specific Compose file (for any command)

docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml up

docker-compose -p <project-name>

Specifies a custom project name (instead of the directory name)

docker-compose -p myproject up

docker-compose down --volumes

Stops containers and removes associated volumes

docker-compose down --volumes