Painless Docker - 2nd Edition

What Is Docker Compose & Why Should I Care?

Running containers individually has its merits, but consider a scenario where we want to orchestrate a LAMP or LEMP stack. Instead of manually starting a PHP container and then initializing the web server container to link them, there's a more streamlined approach.

Enter Docker Compose: a tool that allows us to define and run multi-container applications. By defining a declarative YAML file, commonly referred to as a Compose file, we can specify our entire stack configuration. With just one command, Docker Compose enables us to effortlessly spin up multiple interconnected containers, making the deployment of linked services like a LAMP or LEMP stack easier than ever.

In addition to being a mini orchestration tool, Docker Compose also provides a convenient environment for local development. By defining our application's configuration in a Compose file, a developer can spin up a local environment that matches the production stack with a single command. This allows us to test our application in a production-like environment without having to deploy it to a production environment.