Docker Compose — Network Drivers

1 minute read

Docker supports multiple network drivers. The driver you choose determines how containers communicate.

Driver Comparison

Driver Use Case Scope
bridge Single-host container networking (default) Local
host Container shares host network stack Local
overlay Multi-host (Swarm / Kubernetes) Swarm
macvlan Container gets real MAC address on LAN Local
none No networking at all Local

Bridge Driver (Default)

networks:
  app-net:
    driver: bridge

This is the most common driver. Containers get their own IP on an isolated bridge network.

Host Driver

services:
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    network_mode: "host"

The container shares the host’s network directly. No port mapping needed — the container binds directly to host ports.

Warning: network_mode: "host" only works on Linux. On macOS/Windows, Docker Desktop runs in a VM.

Overlay Driver

networks:
  swarm-net:
    driver: overlay
    attachable: true

Used in Docker Swarm for multi-host communication. The attachable flag lets standalone containers join.

Macvlan Driver

networks:
  lan:
    driver: macvlan
    driver_opts:
      parent: eth0
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: 192.168.1.0/24
          gateway: 192.168.1.1

Gives each container a unique MAC address on the physical network — useful for legacy apps that expect direct LAN access.

Network Mode Shortcut

Instead of defining networks, you can set network_mode directly:

services:
  debug:
    image: alpine
    network_mode: "host"           # Use host networking

  isolated:
    image: alpine
    network_mode: "none"           # No network at all

  sidecar:
    image: alpine
    network_mode: "service:web"    # Share network with 'web'

Choosing the Right Driver

Need multi-host?
  ├── Yes → overlay
  └── No
       ├── Need real LAN address? → macvlan
       ├── Need max performance?  → host
       ├── Need isolation?        → bridge (default)
       └── Need no network?       → none

Summary

Driver Isolation Multi-Host Performance
bridge High No Good
host None No Best
overlay High Yes Good
macvlan Medium No Good
none Total No N/A

Quick Reference

Item Detail
bridge Default, isolated container network
host Shares host network stack
overlay Multi-host (Swarm)
macvlan Real MAC address on LAN
none Completely isolated
network_mode Shortcut for host/none/service

You may also enjoy