--- description: Overview of docker-compose CLI keywords: fig, composition, compose, docker, orchestration, cli, docker-compose redirect_from: - /compose/reference/docker-compose/ title: Overview of docker-compose CLI --- This page provides the usage information for the `docker-compose` Command. ## Command options overview and help You can also see this information by running `docker-compose --help` from the command line. ```none Define and run multi-container applications with Docker. Usage: docker-compose [-f ...] [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 --log-level LEVEL Set log level (DEBUG, INFO, WARNING, ERROR, CRITICAL) --no-ansi Do not print ANSI control characters -v, --version Print version and exit -H, --host HOST Daemon socket to connect to --tls Use TLS; implied by --tlsverify --tlscacert CA_PATH Trust certs signed only by this CA --tlscert CLIENT_CERT_PATH Path to TLS certificate file --tlskey TLS_KEY_PATH Path to TLS key file --tlsverify Use TLS and verify the remote --skip-hostname-check Don't check the daemon's hostname against the name specified in the client certificate --project-directory PATH Specify an alternate working directory (default: the path of the Compose file) --compatibility If set, Compose will attempt to convert deploy keys in v3 files to their non-Swarm equivalent Commands: build Build or rebuild services bundle Generate a Docker bundle from the Compose file config Validate and view the Compose file create Create services down Stop and remove containers, networks, images, and volumes events Receive real time events from containers exec Execute a command in a running container help Get help on a command images List images kill Kill containers logs View output from containers pause Pause services port Print the public port for a port binding ps List containers pull Pull service images push Push 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 top Display the running processes unpause Unpause services up Create and start containers version Show the Docker-Compose version information ``` You can use Docker Compose binary, `docker-compose [-f ...] [options] [COMMAND] [ARGS...]`, to build and manage multiple services in Docker containers. ## Use `-f` to specify name and path of one or more Compose files Use the `-f` flag to specify the location of a Compose configuration file. ### Specifying multiple Compose files 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 predecessors. 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 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 parent directories 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 on the same directory level, 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. ### Specifying a path to a single Compose file You can use the `-f` flag to specify a path to a Compose file that is not located in the current directory, either from the command line or by setting up a [COMPOSE_FILE environment variable](envvars.md#compose_file) in your shell or in an environment file. For an example of using the `-f` option at the command line, suppose you are running the [Compose Rails sample](../rails.md), and have a `docker-compose.yml` file in a directory called `sandbox/rails`. You can use a command like [docker-compose pull](pull.md) to get the postgres image for the `db` service from anywhere by using the `-f` flag as follows: `docker-compose -f ~/sandbox/rails/docker-compose.yml pull db` Here's the full example: ``` $ docker-compose -f ~/sandbox/rails/docker-compose.yml pull db Pulling db (postgres:latest)... latest: Pulling from library/postgres ef0380f84d05: Pull complete 50cf91dc1db8: Pull complete d3add4cd115c: Pull complete 467830d8a616: Pull complete 089b9db7dc57: Pull complete 6fba0a36935c: Pull complete 81ef0e73c953: Pull complete 338a6c4894dc: Pull complete 15853f32f67c: Pull complete 044c83d92898: Pull complete 17301519f133: Pull complete dcca70822752: Pull complete cecf11b8ccf3: Pull complete Digest: sha256:1364924c753d5ff7e2260cd34dc4ba05ebd40ee8193391220be0f9901d4e1651 Status: Downloaded newer image for postgres:latest ``` ## Use `-p` to specify a project name 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. See also the [COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME environment variable](envvars.md#compose_project_name). ## Set up environment variables You can set [environment variables](envvars.md) for various `docker-compose` options, including the `-f` and `-p` flags. For example, the [COMPOSE_FILE environment variable](envvars.md#compose_file) relates to the `-f` flag, and `COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME` [environment variable](envvars.md#compose_project_name) relates to the `-p` flag. Also, you can set some of these variables in an [environment file](../env-file.md). ## Where to go next * [CLI environment variables](envvars.md) * [Declare default environment variables in file](../env-file.md)