This page gives you a quick tour of all Docker Compose commands. Think of it as a map — you’ll explore each command in depth in Chapter 11.
All Compose Commands
Here’s every command, grouped by purpose:
Lifecycle Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
Example |
up |
Create and start services |
docker compose up -d |
down |
Stop and remove everything |
docker compose down |
start |
Start existing stopped services |
docker compose start |
stop |
Stop running services |
docker compose stop |
restart |
Restart services |
docker compose restart web |
pause |
Pause running services |
docker compose pause |
unpause |
Unpause paused services |
docker compose unpause |
Inspection Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
Example |
ps |
List containers |
docker compose ps |
logs |
View container logs |
docker compose logs -f web |
top |
Show running processes |
docker compose top |
events |
Stream real-time events |
docker compose events |
config |
Validate and display compose file |
docker compose config |
ls |
List all compose projects |
docker compose ls |
Execution Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
Example |
exec |
Run command in running container |
docker compose exec db psql |
run |
Run one-off command |
docker compose run web sh |
cp |
Copy files to/from container |
docker compose cp web:/app/log . |
Image Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
Example |
build |
Build service images |
docker compose build |
pull |
Pull service images |
docker compose pull |
push |
Push service images |
docker compose push |
images |
List images used |
docker compose images |
Development Commands
| Command |
Purpose |
Example |
watch |
File sync + auto rebuild |
docker compose watch |
Global Options
These options work with any compose command:
docker compose [OPTIONS] COMMAND
| Option |
Purpose |
Example |
-f FILE |
Specify compose file |
docker compose -f prod.yml up |
-p NAME |
Set project name |
docker compose -p myapp up |
--profile |
Enable a profile |
docker compose --profile debug up |
--env-file |
Specify env file |
docker compose --env-file .env.prod up |
--verbose |
Show verbose output |
docker compose --verbose up |
--dry-run |
Preview changes without executing |
docker compose up --dry-run |
Getting Help
Every command has its own help page:
# General help
docker compose --help
# Command-specific help
docker compose up --help
docker compose down --help
docker compose exec --help
The Most Common Workflow
# Start your stack
docker compose up -d
# Check status
docker compose ps
# View logs
docker compose logs -f
# Shell into a service
docker compose exec web sh
# Stop everything
docker compose down
This 5-command workflow covers 90% of daily Compose usage.
Summary
| Category |
Key Commands |
| Lifecycle |
up, down, start, stop, restart |
| Inspect |
ps, logs, top, config |
| Execute |
exec, run, cp |
| Images |
build, pull, push |
| Development |
watch |
Quick Reference
| Item |
Detail |
| Start services |
docker compose up -d |
| Stop services |
docker compose down |
| View logs |
docker compose logs -f |
| Shell into container |
docker compose exec service sh |
| Check status |
docker compose ps |
| Validate file |
docker compose config |
