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docker/compose

★ 38,742GoApache-2.091

Define and run multi-container applications with Docker

What it is

Docker Compose Where to get Docker Compose + Windows and macOS + Linux Quick Start Contributing Legacy Docker Compose is a tool for running multi-container applications on Docker defined using the Compose file format. A Compose file is used to define how one or more containers that make up your application are configured. Once you have a Compose file, you can create and start your application with a single command: docker compose up.

When to use it

Reach for compose when you need to ship, host, scale or observe what you built — it's written in Go and fits stacks tagged docker, docker-compose, orchestration.

Category
DevOps & Deploy
Also in
—
Stars
38,742
Forks
5,925
Last push
today
Created
2013-12-09
Open issues
128
Website
docs.docker.com/compose
#docker#docker-compose#go#orchestration

Quick start

$ git clone https://github.com/docker/compose.git

Hand it to your AI

Read https://ideas.asveas.com/r/docker/compose.md and help me add docker/compose to my project. Explain the setup steps for my stack and show the minimal code to get it working.
DevOps & DeployMarkdown .mdOpen on GitHub ↵

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FAQ

What is compose?

docker/compose is a DevOps tool on GitHub: Define and run multi-container applications with Docker Docker Compose Where to get Docker Compose + Windows and macOS + Linux Quick Start Contributing Legacy Docker Compose is a tool for running multi-container applications on Docker defined using the Compose file format.

When should I use compose?

Reach for compose when you need to ship, host, scale or observe what you built — it's written in Go and fits stacks tagged docker, docker-compose, orchestration.

What are the best alternatives to compose?

Popular alternatives in DevOps & Deploy: coder/code-server (79.8k★), caddyserver/caddy (79k★), coollabsio/coolify (65.9k★), traefik/traefik (65.5k★), portainer/portainer (38.8k★).

Is compose actively maintained?

docker/compose looks very actively maintained: the last push was today (2026-11-11), with 38,742 stars and 128 open issues.

What license does compose use?

docker/compose is published under the Apache-2.0 license. Check the repository's LICENSE file before commercial use.