Docker Compose & Multi-Container Applications
Designing, Running, and Managing Containerized Applications with Docker Compose
What's Included:
Key Highlights
- Design complete multi-container applications
- Master docker-compose.yml configuration
- Manage networks, volumes, and service dependencies
- Scale services and control startup order
- Use Docker Compose in CI/CD pipelines
- Avoid common Docker Compose anti-patterns
- Prepare for Kubernetes migration
Overview
Learn how to design, run, and manage real-world multi-container applications using Docker Compose, with practical examples, best practices, and production-ready patterns.
The Problem
Single Docker containers are not sufficient for real-world applications.
Managing multiple services with manual Docker commands leads to fragile setups, inconsistent environments, and difficult onboarding.
The Solution
This book teaches a structured approach to multi-container application design using Docker Compose.
You will learn how to define, run, scale, and manage containerized applications in a reproducible and professional way.
About This Book
Docker Compose & Multi-Container Applications is a practical, hands-on guide to building, running, and managing containerized applications that consist of multiple interconnected services.
While Docker made it easy to package applications into containers, real-world systems rarely consist of a single container. Databases, application servers, caches, queues, and reverse proxies must work together in a coordinated and reproducible way. Docker Compose was created to solve exactly this problem.
This book takes you beyond simple Docker usage and teaches you how to design complete multi-container application stacks using Docker Compose. You will learn how to define services, networks, and volumes; manage configuration through environment variables; control startup order and dependencies; and scale services reliably.
Beginning with a clear explanation of why single containers fall short, the book walks you step by step through Docker Compose architecture and hands-on examples. You will build your first multi-container application early on, then progressively refine it using best practices drawn from real production environments.
Later chapters focus on operational concerns: using Docker Compose for local development, testing, and CI pipelines; deploying Compose-based applications safely; avoiding common anti-patterns; and understanding the limits of Docker Compose in production.
The book concludes by placing Docker Compose in the broader container ecosystem, showing when and how teams typically transition from Docker Compose to Kubernetes. Extensive appendices provide command references, configuration patterns, troubleshooting guidance, and real-world example stacks.
If you want to move from running containers to designing containerized systems, this book will give you the skills and confidence to do so.
Who Is This Book For?
- Developers building containerized applications
- DevOps engineers managing local and CI environments
- Teams adopting Docker-based workflows
- Engineers preparing for Kubernetes and cloud-native platforms
Who Is This Book NOT For?
- Readers with no Docker experience at all
- End users not involved in application deployment
- Those looking for Kubernetes-only solutions
Table of Contents
- Why Single Containers Are Not Enough
- Docker Compose Architecture Explained
- Installing and Running Docker Compose
- Your First Multi-Container Application
- Services and Images
- Networks and Service Communication
- Volumes and Persistent Data
- Environment Variables and Configuration
- Service Dependencies and Startup Order
- Scaling Services with Docker Compose
- Docker Compose for Local Development
- Testing and CI with Docker Compose
- Production Best Practices
- Docker Compose in Real Deployments
- Common Docker Compose Anti-Patterns
- From Docker Compose to Kubernetes
Requirements
- Basic Docker knowledge
- Docker Engine installed
- YAML familiarity recommended
