Docker Compose

Define multi-container applications with proper dependency handling, networking, and volume management.

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DevOps & Deployment

intermediate

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Last updated: April 23, 2026

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Manual Installation

No automatic installation available. Please visit the source repository for installation instructions.

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depends_on Ready Condition

```
depends_on:
```
alone only waits for container start—service likely not ready yet
Add healthcheck + condition for actual readiness:

depends_on:
  db:
    condition: service_healthy

Without healthcheck defined on target service,
```
service_healthy
```
fails

Healthcheck start_period

healthcheck:
  test: ["CMD", "pg_isready"]
  start_period: 30s

```
start_period
```
: initial grace period—health failures don't count during this time
Slow-starting services (databases, Java apps) need adequate start_period
Without it, container marked unhealthy before it finishes initializing

Volume Destruction

```
docker compose down
```
preserves volumes
```
docker compose down -v
```
DELETES ALL VOLUMES—data loss
```
-v
```
often added by habit from tutorials—catastrophic in production
Named volumes survive
```
down
```
; anonymous volumes deleted on
```
down
```

Resource Limits in Development

deploy:
  resources:
    limits:
      memory: 512M

Set limits during development—catches memory issues early
Unlimited container can consume all host memory—kills other processes
Copy limits to production config—don't discover limits in prod

.dockerignore

Without it:
```
node_modules
```
,
```
.git
```
, secrets copied into image
Mirrors
```
.gitignore
```
syntax—create at same level as Dockerfile
Large build context = slow builds, large images, potential security issues
At minimum:
```
.git
```
,
```
node_modules
```
,
```
.env
```
,
```
*.log
```
, build artifacts

Override File Pattern

```
docker-compose.yml
```
: base config that works everywhere
```
docker-compose.override.yml
```
: auto-loaded, development-specific (mounts, ports)

Production:

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.prod.yml up

Keep secrets and environment-specific config in override files, not base

Profiles for Optional Services

services:
  mailhog:
    profiles: [dev]

Services with profiles don't start by default—cleaner
```
docker compose up
```
Enable with
```
--profile dev
```
Use for: test databases, debug tools, mock services, admin interfaces

Environment Variable Precedence

Shell environment (highest)
```
.env
```
file in compose directory
```
env_file:
```
directive
```
environment:
```
in compose file (lowest for that var)

```
.env
```
must be exactly
```
.env
```
—
```
.env.local
```
not auto-loaded
Debug with
```
docker compose config
```
—shows resolved values

Docker Compose

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Quick Start

Manual Installation

TEAR & SHARE

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Cloudflare MCP Server

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depends_on Ready Condition

Healthcheck start_period

Volume Destruction

Resource Limits in Development

.dockerignore

Override File Pattern

Profiles for Optional Services

Environment Variable Precedence

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Terraform Engineer

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