Docker Compose — Install Compose V2

2 minute read

Docker Compose V2 comes bundled with Docker Desktop and modern Docker Engine installations. You probably already have it. This page covers installation and verification for all platforms.

Docker Desktop (Mac, Windows, Linux GUI)

If you have Docker Desktop installed, you already have Compose V2. It’s included automatically.

docker compose version

Expected output:

Docker Compose version v2.24.0

Docker Desktop includes:

  • Docker Engine
  • Docker CLI
  • Docker Compose V2 (as a CLI plugin)
  • Docker BuildKit
  • Docker Scout

Linux (Docker Engine)

On Linux servers without Docker Desktop, Compose V2 is installed as a CLI plugin.

Option 1 — Install with Docker Engine (Recommended)

If you install Docker Engine using the official apt/yum repository, Compose V2 is available as a package:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

# CentOS/RHEL/Fedora
sudo yum install docker-compose-plugin

Verify:

docker compose version

Docker Compose version v2.24.0

Option 2 — Manual Installation

Download the binary directly:

# Download latest Compose V2 binary
DOCKER_CONFIG=${DOCKER_CONFIG:-$HOME/.docker}
mkdir -p $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins
curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 \
  -o $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose
chmod +x $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Verify:

docker compose version

How the CLI Plugin Works

Compose V2 is a Docker CLI plugin, not a standalone binary:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Docker CLI (docker)            │
│                                         │
│  Built-in commands:                     │
│    docker run, docker build, docker ps  │
│                                         │
│  Plugin commands:                       │
│    docker compose  ← Compose V2 plugin  │
│    docker buildx   ← BuildKit plugin    │
│    docker scout    ← Scout plugin       │
│                                         │
│  Plugin location:                       │
│    ~/.docker/cli-plugins/               │
│    └── docker-compose (binary)          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

When you type docker compose, the Docker CLI:

  1. Looks in ~/.docker/cli-plugins/ for a binary named docker-compose
  2. Passes the remaining arguments to that binary
  3. Returns the output

Removing Compose V1

If you still have the old V1 installed, you can remove it:

# Check if V1 exists
which docker-compose

# Remove V1 (if installed via pip)
pip uninstall docker-compose

# Remove V1 (if installed as binary)
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Minimum Docker Version

Compose V2 requires Docker Engine 20.10 or later. Check your Docker version:

docker --version

Docker version 24.0.7, build afdd53b

If your Docker version is older than 20.10, upgrade Docker first.

Summary

Platform Installation Method
Docker Desktop (Mac/Win/Linux) Already included
Linux (apt/yum) sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin
Linux (manual) Download binary to ~/.docker/cli-plugins/
Minimum Docker Engine 20.10+

Quick Reference

Item Detail
Docker Desktop Compose V2 included automatically
Linux install sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin
Plugin location ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose
Minimum Docker Engine 20.10 or later
Verify install docker compose version
Remove V1 sudo rm /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

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