About docker/compose
docker/compose is an open-source project on GitHub, mainly written in Go. Define and run multi-container applications with Docker It currently holds 38,351 stars and 5,868 forks with 116 open issues, and was last pushed on 2026-10-09 (repository created 2013-12-09).
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GitHub Repository Details
README
Table of Contents
+ Windows and macOS + LinuxDocker Compose

Docker Compose is a tool for running multi-container applications on Docker
defined using the Compose file format.
A Compose file is used to define how one or more containers that make up
your application are configured.
Once you have a Compose file, you can create and start your application with a
single command: docker compose up.
Note: About Docker Swarm
Docker Swarm used to rely on the legacy compose file format but did not adopt the compose specification
so is missing some of the recent enhancements in the compose syntax. After
acquisition by Mirantis swarm isn't maintained by Docker Inc, and
as such some Docker Compose features aren't accessible to swarm users.
Where to get Docker Compose
Windows and macOS
Docker Compose is included in Docker Desktop for Windows and macOS.
Linux
You can download Docker Compose binaries from the release page on this repository.
Rename the relevant binary for your OS to docker-compose and copy it to $HOME/.docker/cli-plugins
Or copy it into one of these folders to install it system-wide:
/usr/local/lib/docker/cli-pluginsOR/usr/local/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/usr/lib/docker/cli-pluginsOR/usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins
chmod +x)
Quick Start -----------
Using Docker Compose is a three-step process:
1. Define your app's environment with a Dockerfile so it can be
reproduced anywhere.
2. Define the services that make up your app in compose.yaml so
they can be run together in an isolated environment.
3. Lastly, run docker compose up and Compose will start and run your entire
app.
A Compose file looks like this:
services:
web:
build: .
ports:
- "5000:5000"
volumes:
- .:/code
redis:
image: redis
Contributing ------------
Want to help develop Docker Compose? Check out our contributing documentation.
If you find an issue, please report it on the issue tracker.
Legacy -------------
The Python version of Compose is available under the v1 branch.