Automate Containers Using Docker Compose

Welcome to Part 8 of the Docker: Basics to Advance series.
In the previous parts, we manually deployed containers, set up networking, and even ran WordPress with MySQL. Now, it's time to scale things up — and automate.

What Is Docker Compose?

Imagine spinning up multiple containers — like a DB, a web app, a caching layer — each with its own setup and networking, all in one command.
That’s what Docker Compose is built for.

It’s a tool that helps you:

Define container setups using YAML
Automate multi-container launches
Manage entire app stacks declaratively

Why Use Docker Compose?

Manually typing docker run commands for every container is:

Time-consuming
Error-prone
Not scalable

With Docker Compose, you write your config once in a YAML file, then just run:

docker-compose up

…and your stack is ready.

Installing Docker Compose

curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.12.0/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Check version:

docker-compose version

Tip: Compose runs on top of the Docker engine, so compatibility matters.
Refer to the compatibility matrix if needed.

YAML: The Heart of Docker Compose

Compose config is written in YAML — a human-readable data format. Some basics:

version: "3.9"
services:
  web:
    image: "nginx"
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
  db:
    image: "mysql"
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=secret

Use colons :
Use hyphens - for lists
Maintain indentation carefully — YAML is space-sensitive!

Basic Docker Compose Commands

Command	Description
`docker-compose up`	Starts all services in the YAML
`docker-compose stop`	Stops running containers
`docker-compose ps`	Lists running services
`docker-compose logs <service>`	View logs of a specific service
`docker-compose exec <service> <cmd>`	Run commands inside a running container
`docker-compose down`	Stops and removes all services
`-f filename.yml`	Run with a specific YAML file
`-d`	Run in detached/background mode

One-Shot Containers: Run and Exit

Sometimes, you just want to run a command and shut down the container:

docker run -it ubuntu:14.04 date

Or use --rm to auto-delete the container after running the command:

docker run -it --rm ubuntu:14.04 date

You can even delay container exit with sleep command:

docker run -it ubuntu:14.04 sleep 10

Compose File Structure (Example)

#file name - myapp.yml
version: "3"
services:
  app:
    image: "ubuntu:14.04"
    command: sleep 10

Run it:

docker-compose -f myapp.yml up

Key Concepts Recap

Concept	Summary
Docker Compose	Automates container deployments using YAML
YAML	Configuration file format (indentation sensitive)
Services	Define containers inside `services:` block
Detached Mode	`-d` runs containers in the background
Logs & Exec	Useful for debugging and command execution
One-Shot Containers	Run-and-destroy containers with `--rm`

Why Docker Compose Matters

When you're working on real-world projects, Compose lets you:

Version control your infrastructure
Automate local dev environments
Simulate production app stacks
Onboard team members faster

Have questions about YAML formatting, detached mode, or automating services with Compose?
Drop a comment — let’s learn together!

Docker Series — Part 8: Automating Containers with Docker Compose

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