With Docker Compose you use a YAML configuration file, known as the [Compose file](#the-compose-file), to configure your application’s services, and then you create and start all the services from your configuration with the [Compose CLI](#cli). The Compose file, or `compose.yaml` file, follows the rules provided by the [Compose Specification](https://docs.docker.com/reference/compose-file/) in how to define multi-container applications. This is the Docker Compose implementation of the formal [Compose Specification](https://github.com/compose-spec/compose-spec). ## The Compose application model Computing components of an application are defined as [services](https://docs.docker.com/reference/compose-file/services/). A service is an abstract concept implemented on platforms by running the same container image, and configuration, one or more times. Services communicate with each other through [networks](https://docs.docker.com/reference/compose-file/networks/). In the Compose Specification, a network is a platform capability abstraction to establish an IP route between containers within services connected together. Services store and share persistent data into [volumes](https://docs.docker.com/reference/compose-file/volumes/). The Specification describes such a persistent data as a high-level filesystem mount with global options. ## The Compose file The default path for a Compose file is `compose.yaml` (preferred) or `compose.yml` that is placed in the working directory. Compose also supports `docker-compose.yaml` and `docker-compose.yml` for backwards compatibility of earlier versions. If both files exist, Compose prefers the canonical `compose.yaml`. ## CLI The Docker CLI lets you interact with your Docker Compose applications through the `docker compose` command and its subcommands. If you're using Docker Desktop, the Docker Compose CLI is included by default. Using the CLI, you can manage the lifecycle of your multi-container applications defined in the `compose.yaml` file. The CLI commands enable you to start, stop, and configure your applications effortlessly. ### Key commands To start all the services defined in your `compose.yaml` file: ```console $ docker compose up ``` To stop and remove the running services: ```console $ docker compose down ``` If you want to monitor the output of your running containers and debug issues, you can view the logs with: ```console $ docker compose logs ``` To list all the services along with their current status: ```console $ docker compose ps ```