16 KiB
🚨 CRITICAL GUIDELINES
Windows File Path Requirements
MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths
When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (\) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (/).
Examples:
- ❌ WRONG:
D:/repos/project/file.tsx - ✅ CORRECT:
D:\repos\project\file.tsx
This applies to:
- Edit tool file_path parameter
- Write tool file_path parameter
- All file operations on Windows systems
Documentation Guidelines
NEVER create new documentation files unless explicitly requested by the user.
- Priority: Update existing README.md files rather than creating new documentation
- Repository cleanliness: Keep repository root clean - only README.md unless user requests otherwise
- Style: Documentation should be concise, direct, and professional - avoid AI-generated tone
- User preference: Only create additional .md files when user specifically asks for documentation
Docker Compose Patterns for Production (2025)
Overview
This skill documents production-ready Docker Compose patterns and best practices for 2025, based on official Docker documentation and industry standards.
File Format Changes (2025)
IMPORTANT: The version field is now obsolete in Docker Compose v2.42+.
Correct (2025):
services:
app:
image: myapp:latest
Incorrect (deprecated):
version: '3.8' # DO NOT USE
services:
app:
image: myapp:latest
Multiple Environment Strategy
Pattern: Base + Environment Overrides
compose.yaml (base):
services:
app:
build:
context: ./app
dockerfile: Dockerfile
environment:
- NODE_ENV=production
restart: unless-stopped
compose.override.yaml (development - auto-loaded):
services:
app:
build:
target: development
volumes:
- ./app/src:/app/src:cached
environment:
- NODE_ENV=development
- DEBUG=*
ports:
- "9229:9229" # Debugger
compose.prod.yaml (production - explicit):
services:
app:
build:
target: production
deploy:
replicas: 3
resources:
limits:
cpus: '1'
memory: 512M
restart_policy:
condition: on-failure
max_attempts: 3
Usage:
# Development (auto-loads compose.override.yaml)
docker compose up
# Production
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.prod.yaml up -d
# CI/CD
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml up --abort-on-container-exit
Environment Variable Management
Pattern: .env Files per Environment
.env.template (committed to git):
# Database
DB_HOST=sqlserver
DB_PORT=1433
DB_NAME=myapp
DB_USER=sa
# DB_PASSWORD= (set in actual .env)
# Redis
REDIS_HOST=redis
REDIS_PORT=6379
# REDIS_PASSWORD= (set in actual .env)
# Application
NODE_ENV=production
LOG_LEVEL=info
.env.dev:
DB_PASSWORD=Dev!Pass123
REDIS_PASSWORD=redis-dev-123
NODE_ENV=development
LOG_LEVEL=debug
.env.prod:
DB_PASSWORD=${PROD_DB_PASSWORD} # From CI/CD
REDIS_PASSWORD=${PROD_REDIS_PASSWORD}
NODE_ENV=production
LOG_LEVEL=info
Load specific environment:
docker compose --env-file .env.dev up
Security Patterns
Pattern: Run as Non-Root User
services:
app:
image: node:20-alpine
user: "1000:1000" # UID:GID
read_only: true
tmpfs:
- /tmp
- /app/.cache
cap_drop:
- ALL
cap_add:
- NET_BIND_SERVICE # Only if binding to ports < 1024
security_opt:
- no-new-privileges:true
Create user in Dockerfile:
FROM node:20-alpine
# Create app user
RUN addgroup -g 1000 appuser && \
adduser -D -u 1000 -G appuser appuser
# Set ownership
WORKDIR /app
COPY --chown=appuser:appuser . .
USER appuser
Pattern: Secrets Management
Docker Swarm secrets (production):
services:
app:
secrets:
- db_password
- api_key
secrets:
db_password:
file: ./secrets/db_password.txt
api_key:
external: true # Managed by Swarm
Access secrets in application:
// Read from /run/secrets/
const fs = require('fs');
const dbPassword = fs.readFileSync('/run/secrets/db_password', 'utf8').trim();
Development alternative (environment):
services:
app:
environment:
- DB_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/db_password
Health Check Patterns
Pattern: Comprehensive Health Checks
HTTP endpoint:
services:
web:
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 3s
retries: 3
start_period: 40s
Database ping:
services:
postgres:
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U $$POSTGRES_USER"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 3s
retries: 3
Custom script:
services:
app:
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "node", "/app/scripts/healthcheck.js"]
interval: 30s
timeout: 3s
retries: 3
start_period: 40s
healthcheck.js:
const http = require('http');
const options = {
hostname: 'localhost',
port: 8080,
path: '/health',
timeout: 2000
};
const req = http.request(options, (res) => {
process.exit(res.statusCode === 200 ? 0 : 1);
});
req.on('error', () => process.exit(1));
req.on('timeout', () => {
req.destroy();
process.exit(1);
});
req.end();
Dependency Management
Pattern: Ordered Startup with Conditions
services:
web:
depends_on:
database:
condition: service_healthy
redis:
condition: service_started
migration:
condition: service_completed_successfully
database:
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready"]
interval: 10s
redis:
# No health check needed, just wait for start
migration:
image: myapp:latest
command: npm run migrate
restart: "no" # Run once
depends_on:
database:
condition: service_healthy
Network Isolation Patterns
Pattern: Three-Tier Network Architecture
services:
nginx:
image: nginx:alpine
networks:
- frontend
ports:
- "80:80"
api:
build: ./api
networks:
- frontend
- backend
database:
image: postgres:16-alpine
networks:
- backend # No frontend access
networks:
frontend:
driver: bridge
backend:
driver: bridge
internal: true # No external access
Pattern: Service-Specific Networks
services:
web-app:
networks:
- public
- app-network
api:
networks:
- app-network
- data-network
postgres:
networks:
- data-network
redis:
networks:
- data-network
networks:
public:
driver: bridge
app-network:
driver: bridge
internal: true
data-network:
driver: bridge
internal: true
Volume Patterns
Pattern: Named Volumes for Persistence
services:
database:
volumes:
- db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data # Persistent data
- ./init:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d:ro # Init scripts (read-only)
- db-logs:/var/log/postgresql # Logs
volumes:
db-data:
driver: local
driver_opts:
type: none
o: bind
device: /mnt/data/postgres # Host path
db-logs:
driver: local
Pattern: Development Bind Mounts
services:
app:
volumes:
- ./src:/app/src:cached # macOS optimization
- /app/node_modules # Don't overwrite installed modules
- app-cache:/app/.cache # Named volume for cache
Volume mount options:
:ro- Read-only:rw- Read-write (default):cached- macOS performance optimization (host authoritative):delegated- macOS performance optimization (container authoritative):z- SELinux single container:Z- SELinux multi-container
Resource Management Patterns
Pattern: CPU and Memory Limits
services:
app:
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '1.0'
memory: 512M
reservations:
cpus: '0.5'
memory: 256M
Calculate total resources:
# 3 app replicas + database + redis
services:
app:
deploy:
replicas: 3
resources:
limits:
cpus: '0.5' # 3 x 0.5 = 1.5 CPUs
memory: 512M # 3 x 512M = 1.5GB
database:
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '2' # 2 CPUs
memory: 4G # 4GB
redis:
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '0.5' # 0.5 CPUs
memory: 512M # 512MB
# Total: 4 CPUs, 6GB RAM minimum
Logging Patterns
Pattern: Centralized Logging
services:
app:
logging:
driver: "json-file"
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"
compress: "true"
labels: "app,environment"
Alternative: Log to stdout/stderr (12-factor):
services:
app:
logging:
driver: "json-file"
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"
View logs:
docker compose logs -f app
docker compose logs --since 30m app
docker compose logs --tail 100 app
Init Container Pattern
Pattern: Database Migration
services:
migration:
image: myapp:latest
command: npm run migrate
depends_on:
database:
condition: service_healthy
restart: "no" # Run once
networks:
- backend
app:
image: myapp:latest
depends_on:
migration:
condition: service_completed_successfully
networks:
- backend
YAML Anchors and Aliases
Pattern: Reusable Configuration
x-common-app-config: &common-app
restart: unless-stopped
logging:
driver: "json-file"
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"
security_opt:
- no-new-privileges:true
cap_drop:
- ALL
cap_add:
- NET_BIND_SERVICE
services:
app1:
<<: *common-app
build: ./app1
ports:
- "8001:8080"
app2:
<<: *common-app
build: ./app2
ports:
- "8002:8080"
app3:
<<: *common-app
build: ./app3
ports:
- "8003:8080"
Pattern: Environment-Specific Overrides
x-logging: &default-logging
driver: "json-file"
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"
x-resources: &default-resources
limits:
cpus: '1'
memory: 512M
reservations:
cpus: '0.5'
memory: 256M
services:
app:
logging: *default-logging
deploy:
resources: *default-resources
Port Binding Patterns
Pattern: Security-First Port Binding
services:
# Public services
web:
ports:
- "80:8080"
- "443:8443"
# Development only (localhost binding)
debug:
ports:
- "127.0.0.1:9229:9229" # Debugger only accessible from host
# Environment-based binding
app:
ports:
- "${DOCKER_WEB_PORT_FORWARD:-127.0.0.1:8000}:8000"
Environment control:
# Development (.env.dev)
DOCKER_WEB_PORT_FORWARD=127.0.0.1:8000 # Localhost only
# Production (.env.prod)
DOCKER_WEB_PORT_FORWARD=8000 # All interfaces
Restart Policy Patterns
services:
# Always restart (production services)
app:
restart: always
# Restart unless manually stopped (most common)
database:
restart: unless-stopped
# Never restart (one-time tasks)
migration:
restart: "no"
# Restart on failure only (with Swarm)
worker:
deploy:
restart_policy:
condition: on-failure
delay: 5s
max_attempts: 3
window: 120s
Validation and Testing
Pattern: Pre-Deployment Validation
#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail
echo "Validating Compose syntax..."
docker compose config > /dev/null
echo "Building images..."
docker compose build
echo "Running security scan..."
for service in $(docker compose config --services); do
image=$(docker compose config | yq ".services.$service.image")
if [ -n "$image" ]; then
docker scout cves "$image" || true
fi
done
echo "Starting services..."
docker compose up -d
echo "Checking health..."
sleep 10
docker compose ps
echo "Running smoke tests..."
curl -f http://localhost:8080/health || exit 1
echo "✓ All checks passed"
Complete Production Example
# Modern Compose format (no version field for v2.40+)
x-common-service: &common-service
restart: unless-stopped
logging:
driver: "json-file"
options:
max-size: "10m"
max-file: "3"
security_opt:
- no-new-privileges:true
services:
nginx:
<<: *common-service
image: nginxinc/nginx-unprivileged:alpine
ports:
- "80:8080"
volumes:
- ./nginx/conf.d:/etc/nginx/conf.d:ro
networks:
- frontend
depends_on:
api:
condition: service_healthy
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "wget", "--quiet", "--tries=1", "--spider", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
interval: 30s
api:
<<: *common-service
build:
context: ./api
dockerfile: Dockerfile
target: production
user: "1000:1000"
read_only: true
tmpfs:
- /tmp
cap_drop:
- ALL
cap_add:
- NET_BIND_SERVICE
networks:
- frontend
- backend
depends_on:
migration:
condition: service_completed_successfully
redis:
condition: service_started
env_file:
- .env
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "node", "healthcheck.js"]
interval: 30s
start_period: 40s
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '1'
memory: 512M
migration:
image: myapp:latest
command: npm run migrate
restart: "no"
networks:
- backend
depends_on:
postgres:
condition: service_healthy
postgres:
<<: *common-service
image: postgres:16-alpine
environment:
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/postgres_password
secrets:
- postgres_password
volumes:
- postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
networks:
- backend
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready"]
interval: 10s
deploy:
resources:
limits:
cpus: '1'
memory: 2G
redis:
<<: *common-service
image: redis:7.4-alpine
command: redis-server --requirepass ${REDIS_PASSWORD}
volumes:
- redis-data:/data
networks:
- backend
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
interval: 10s
networks:
frontend:
driver: bridge
backend:
driver: bridge
internal: true
volumes:
postgres-data:
driver: local
redis-data:
driver: local
secrets:
postgres_password:
file: ./secrets/postgres_password.txt
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using
versionfield - Obsolete in 2025 - No health checks - Leads to race conditions
- Running as root - Security risk
- No resource limits - Can exhaust host resources
- Hardcoded secrets - Use secrets or environment variables
- No logging limits - Disk space issues
- Bind mounts in production - Use named volumes
- Missing restart policies - Services don't recover
- No network isolation - All services can talk to each other
- Not using .dockerignore - Larger build contexts
Troubleshooting Commands
# Validate syntax
docker compose config
# View merged configuration
docker compose config --services
# Check which file is being used
docker compose config --files
# View environment interpolation
docker compose config --no-interpolate
# Check service dependencies
docker compose config | yq '.services.*.depends_on'
# View resource usage
docker stats $(docker compose ps -q)
# Debug startup issues
docker compose up --no-deps service-name
# Force recreate
docker compose up --force-recreate service-name