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Docker Series: Episode 17 – Advanced Docker Compose (Scaling, Dependencies, Overrides)


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane

In the last episode, we learned how to use Docker Compose to define and run multi-container applications. Now, let’s take it a step further by exploring advanced Compose features that make managing complex applications easier.

1. Scaling Services

Sometimes, one container instance isn’t enough. Docker Compose allows you to scale services easily.

docker-compose up --scale web=3 -d

Here:

  • web=3 → Runs 3 replicas of the web service.
  • Great for load balancing and handling more traffic.

2. Service Dependencies

You can define dependencies between services so that containers start in the right order.

Example in docker-compose.yml:

version: '3'
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:latest
  app:
    build: ./app
    depends_on:
      - db
  • depends_on ensures the database container starts before the app container.

⚠ Note: It doesn’t wait until the DB is fully ready. For that, use healthchecks.

3. Override Configurations

Docker Compose allows multiple config files for different environments.

Default:

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml up

Override with dev/test/prod:

docker-compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up
  • This helps in switching configs without changing the base file.

4. Healthchecks

Make sure containers are healthy before others start depending on them.

version: '3'
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:latest
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "postgres"]
      interval: 10s
      retries: 5

This ensures the database is actually ready before other containers try connecting.

5. Tips for Advanced Compose Usage

  • Use .env files to manage environment variables.
  • Separate dev and prod Compose files.
  • Use scaling + reverse proxy (like Nginx/Traefik) for load balancing.

🚀 Hands-on Challenge

  1. Create a docker-compose.yml with nginx, flask, and postgres.
  2. Scale Flask service to 3 replicas.
  3. Add a healthcheck for Postgres.
  4. Run and verify scaling + dependencies.

✅ In the next episode, we’ll move into Docker Networking (Connecting Containers Across Projects).


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane