Docker Compose Command Reference

Command	Description	Key Flags	Targets Single/Selective Services?	How to Target	Works with Profiles?
docker compose up	Starts your application	-d (background), --build (rebuild images)	Yes	docker compose up <service>	Yes, activates profile services
docker compose down	Stops and removes containers	-v (delete volumes)	No (always stops everything)	N/A	No (stops all active profiles)
docker compose stop	Freezes containers without deleting	None	Yes	docker compose stop <service>	Yes
docker compose start	Re-activates stopped containers	None	Yes	docker compose start <service>	Yes
docker compose restart	Restarts running/stopped containers	None	Yes	docker compose restart <service>	Yes
docker compose ps	Shows current container status	--all (shows stopped containers)	Yes	docker compose ps <service>	Yes
docker compose logs	Views application output	-f (live stream)	Yes	docker compose logs <service>	Yes
docker compose exec	Runs a command inside a container	Requires service name and command	Required (always targets one)	docker compose exec <service> <cmd>	Yes
docker compose build	Compiles project images	--no-cache (fresh build)	Yes	docker compose build <service>	Yes
docker compose pull	Downloads updated registry images	None	Yes	docker compose pull <service>	Yes
docker compose config	Validates YAML file syntax	None	No (validates whole file)	N/A	No

A note about docker compose profiles

Profiles let you define services that only start when explicitly requested (e.g., debugging tools or frontend dev servers).

YAML

services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    # Starts by default

  db-admin:
    image: phpmyadmin
    profiles:
      - debug
    # Only starts if the "debug" profile is called

To run the default services plus the profile services, use the --profile flag:

Bash

docker compose --profile debug up

Example Configuration : 

Below is an example of a docker compose file which uses profiles and "depends_on" section to manage dependency (e.g. backend will wait till DB is healthy) and the use of "--profile"  option to mange which services to create.

YAML

services:
  database:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: app_db
      POSTGRES_USER: user
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: password
    # Starts automatically because 'backend' depends on it

  backend:
    image: node:20-alpine
    command: npm start
    depends_on:
      database:
        condition: service_healthy 
        # Backend waits until database passes its healthcheck

  frontend:
    image: nginx:alpine
    profiles:
      - UI
    # Kept hidden unless the 'UI' profile is explicitly activated

  db-admin:
    image: dpage/pgadmin4
    profiles:
      - debug
    # Kept hidden unless the 'debug' profile is explicitly activated

Quick Commands for This File

Start Core Backend Only: Runs database first, then backend.

Bash

docker compose up -d backend

Start Full Stack (with UI): Activates the frontend service.

Bash

docker compose --profile UI up -d

Run Debug Tools Only: Starts just the administration panel.

Bash

docker compose --profile debug up -d db-admin