What is Docker Compose?

Docker Compose is a tool that lets you define and run multi-container Docker applications using a single docker-compose.yml file.

Why Use Docker Compose?

• Start all services with one command: docker compose up
• Define networks and volumes declaratively
• Manage multiple containers (PHP + MySQL + Nginx)

Docker Compose Commands

Example: Nginx + PHP Compose File

version: "3.9"
services:
  nginx:
    image: nginx:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - ./html:/usr/share/nginx/html
  
  php:
    image: php:8.2-fpm
    volumes:
      - ./html:/var/www/html

docker compose up -d

Example: Laravel + MySQL Stack

version: "3.9"
services:
  app:
    build: .
    volumes:
      - .:/var/www/html
  
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: secret
      MYSQL_DATABASE: laravel_db
    volumes:
      - mysql-data:/var/lib/mysql
  
  nginx:
    image: nginx:latest
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - .:/var/www/html

volumes:
  mysql-data:

# Start the full stack
docker compose up -d

# Run artisan commands
docker compose exec app php artisan migrate

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

# Stop everything
docker compose down

docker-compose.yml Structure

Summary

• Docker Compose manages multi-container applications with one YAML file
• Use docker compose up -d to start everything
• Use docker compose down to stop and remove containers
• Perfect for Laravel, Node.js, or any full-stack app