Docker Compose Overview & Steps to Install Docker Compose

In order to do something useful with containers, they need to be organized as a part of a project, usually referred to as an application. There are multiple ways of orchestrating a Docker application, but Docker Compose is perhaps the most human-friendly. It is a tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. It allows users to launch, execute, communicate and shut containers with one coordinated command.

It makes it easier for users to orchestrate the processes of Docker containers, including starting up, shutting down, and setting up intra-container linking and volumes.

In this blog, I’ve covered

• What is Docker Compose 
• Why Docker Compose
• Features 
• Common use cases
• Install Docker Compose
• Containerise Application using Docker Compose
• Docker-compose file
• Dockerfile vs docker compose
• Compose V2 and the new compose command

What is Docker Compose? ^

Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. With Compose, you utilize a YAML file to configure your application’s services. Then, with one command, you create and begin all the services from your configuration. Compose works in all environments: production, staging, development, testing, as well as CI workflows.

Read This blog in which we provide you with an overview of Helm and Helm Charts description and why is it beneficial. If you are new to Kubernetes, it will be helpful to read Kubernetes Introduction and Its architecture first to familiarize yourself with the basics concept.

Using Compose is basically a three-step process:

• Define your app’s environment with a Dockerfile so it can be reproduced anywhere.
• Define the services that make up your app in docker-compose.yml so they can be run together in an isolated environment.
• Run docker-compose up and Compose starts and runs your entire app.

Also read: Docker vs Virtual Machine to understand what is their difference.

Why Docker Compose? ^

Docker has made it easier to set up a local development environment. However, if you want to create more than one container for your application, you have to create several Docker files. This adds to a load of maintaining them and is also quite time-consuming.

It solves this problem by allowing you to use a YAML file to operate multi-container applications at once. You can set the desired amount of containers counts, their builds, and storage designs, and then with a single set of commands, you can build, run, and configure all the containers.

Also check: Our blog on Install Kubernetes

Features ^

The features of Compose that make it effective are:

• Multiple isolated environments on one host.
• Preserve volume data once containers are created.
• Only recreate containers that have modified.
• Variables and moving a composition between the environment.

Check out: Docker & Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA). A Kubernetes certification makes your resume look good and stand out from the competition. As companies rely more and more on Kubernetes, your expertise will be an immediate asset.

Common use cases ^

Compose can be used in many different ways. Some common use cases are outlined below.

Development environments

When you’re developing software, the ability to run an application in an isolated environment and interact with it’s crucial. The Compose command-line tool can be used to create the environment and interact with it.

Automated testing environments

An important part of any Continuous Deployment or Continuous Integration method is the automated test suite. Automated end-to-end testing requires an environment in which to run tests. Compose provides a convenient way to create and destroy isolated testing environments for your test suite.

Compose file, you can create and destroy these environments in just a few commands:

$ docker compose up -d
$ ./run_tests
$ docker compose down

Also Check: Our previous blog post on Docker Image Vulnerability. Click here

Install Docker Compose ^

Compose is now part of the Docker CLI it can be installed via a convenience script with Docker Engine and the CLI. You can install compose as a plugin with the docker CLI or separately as we are doing here.

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

docker compose version

$ sudo apt-get update -y
$ sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

$ mkdir stackdemo
$ cd stackdemo

$ vim app.py

import time
import redis
from flask import Flask
app = Flask(__name__)
cache = redis.Redis(host='redis', port=6379)
def get_hit_count():
 retries = 5
 while True:
 try:

support@k21academy.com 40
 return cache.incr('hits')
 except redis.exceptions.ConnectionError as exc:
 if retries == 0:
 raise exc
 retries -= 1
 time.sleep(0.5)
@app.route('/')
def hello():
 count = get_hit_count()
 return 'Hello World! I have been seen {} times.\n'.format(count)

flask 
redis

$ vim Dockerfile

FROM python:3.7-alpine
WORKDIR /code
ENV FLASK_APP app.py
ENV FLASK_RUN_HOST 0.0.0.0
RUN apk add --no-cache gcc musl-dev linux-headers
COPY requirements.txt requirements.txt
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
CMD ["flask", "run"]

$ vim docker-compose.yml

version: '3'
services:
web:
build: .
ports:
- "5000:5000"
redis:
image: "redis:alpine"

$ docker compose up -d

$ docker compose ps

$ docker ps

$ docker compose up

$ docker compose down

version: '3'
services:
  web:
    build: .
    ports:
     - "8080:80"
  db:
    image: mysql
    ports:
    - "3306:3306"
    environment:
    - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=password
    - MYSQL_USER=user
    - MYSQL_PASSWORD=password
    - MYSQL_DATABASE=demodb

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