Frequently Asked Questions about Docker Compose

--- description: Frequently asked questions for Docker Compose keywords: documentation, docs, docker, compose, faq, docker compose vs docker-compose title: Compose FAQs linkTitle: FAQs weight: 10 tags: [FAQ] aliases: - /compose/faq/ --- ### What is the difference between `docker compose` and `docker-compose` Version one of the Docker Compose command-line binary was first released in 2014. It was written in Python, and is invoked with `docker-compose`. Typically, Compose v1 projects include a top-level version element in the `compose.yaml` file, with values ranging from 2.0 to 3.8, which refer to the specific file formats. Version two of the Docker Compose command-line binary was announced in 2020, is written in Go, and is invoked with `docker compose`. Compose v2 ignores the version top-level element in the compose.yaml file. For further information, see [History and development of Compose](/manuals/compose/intro/history.md). ### What's the difference between `up`, `run`, and `start`? Typically, you want `docker compose up`. Use `up` to start or restart all the services defined in a `compose.yaml`. In the default "attached" mode, you see all the logs from all the containers. In "detached" mode (`-d`), Compose exits after starting the containers, but the containers continue to run in the background. The `docker compose run` command is for running "one-off" or "adhoc" tasks. It requires the service name you want to run and only starts containers for services that the running service depends on. Use `run` to run tests or perform an administrative task such as removing or adding data to a data volume container. The `run` command acts like `docker run -ti` in that it opens an interactive terminal to the container and returns an exit status matching the exit status of the process in the container. The `docker compose start` command is useful only to restart containers that were previously created but were stopped. It never creates new containers. ### Why do my services take 10 seconds to recreate or stop? The `docker compose stop` command attempts to stop a container by sending a `SIGTERM`. It then waits for a [default timeout of 10 seconds](/reference/cli/docker/compose/stop.md). After the timeout, a `SIGKILL` is sent to the container to forcefully kill it. If you are waiting for this timeout, it means that your containers aren't shutting down when they receive the `SIGTERM` signal. There has already been a lot written about this problem of [processes handling signals](https://medium.com/@gchudnov/trapping-signals-in-docker-containers-7a57fdda7d86)

This section addresses frequently asked questions about Docker Compose. It clarifies the difference between `docker compose` and `docker-compose`, explaining the evolution from Python-based v1 to Go-based v2. It also distinguishes between `up`, `run`, and `start` commands, highlighting their specific use cases. Lastly, it explains the delay in service recreation or stopping, attributing it to containers not properly handling the `SIGTERM` signal and reaching the default timeout.