Docker-compose version 1.27.4, build 40524192. Docker Compose is now successfully installed on your system. In the next section, we’ll see how to set up a docker-compose.yml file and get a containerized environment up and running with this tool.

1. Install Docker Compose from Ubuntu's repository. This is the easiest and recommend method. Unless you need the latest Docker Compose version for some specific reasons, you can manage very well with the docker compose version provides by Ubuntu. Docker Compose is available in the universe repository of Ubuntu 20.04 and 18.04 so make sure to.
2. Docker Compose is yet another useful Docker tool. It allows users to launch, execute, communicate, and close containers with a single coordinated command. Essentially, Docker Compose is used for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. This tutorial shows you how to install Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04 and how to run a container.
3. Install Compose on Linux systems. On Linux, you can download the Docker Compose binary from the Compose repository release page on GitHub.Follow the instructions from the link, which involve running the curl command in your terminal to download the binaries.
4. Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications. It allows users to launch, execute, communicate, and close containers with a single coordinated command. This guide will show you how to install Docker Compose on Ubuntu.

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

You can run Compose on macOS, Windows, and 64-bit Linux.

Prerequisites

Docker Compose relies on Docker Engine for any meaningful work, so make sure youhave Docker Engine installed either locally or remote, depending on your setup.

• On desktop systems like Docker Desktop for Mac and Windows, Docker Compose isincluded as part of those desktop installs.

• On Linux systems, first install theDocker Enginefor your OS as described on the Get Docker page, then come back here forinstructions on installing Compose onLinux systems.

• To run Compose as a non-root user, see Manage Docker as a non-root user.

Install Compose

Follow the instructions below to install Compose on Mac, Windows, Windows Server2016, or Linux systems, or find out about alternatives like using the pipPython package manager or installing Compose as a container.

Install a different version

The instructions below outline installation of the current stable release(v1.28.6) of Compose. To install a different version ofCompose, replace the given release number with the one that you want. Composereleases are also listed and available for direct download on theCompose repository release page on GitHub.To install a pre-release of Compose, refer to the install pre-release buildssection.

Install Compose on macOS

Docker Desktop for Mac includes Compose alongwith other Docker apps, so Mac users do not need to install Compose separately.For installation instructions, see Install Docker Desktop on Mac.

Install Compose on Windows desktop systems

Docker Desktop for Windows includes Composealong with other Docker apps, so most Windows users do not need toinstall Compose separately. For install instructions, see Install Docker Desktop on Windows.

If you are running the Docker daemon and client directly on MicrosoftWindows Server, follow the instructions in the Windows Server tab.

Install Compose on Windows Server

Follow these instructions if you are running the Docker daemon and client directlyon Microsoft Windows Server and want to install Docker Compose.

1. Start an “elevated” PowerShell (run it as administrator).Search for PowerShell, right-click, and chooseRun as administrator. When asked if you want to allow this appto make changes to your device, click Yes.

2. In PowerShell, since GitHub now requires TLS1.2, run the following:

   Then run the following command to download the current stable release ofCompose (v1.28.6):

Note: On Windows Server 2019, you can add the Compose executable to $Env:ProgramFilesDocker. Because this directory is registered in the system PATH, you can run the docker-compose --version command on the subsequent step with no additional configuration.

1. Test the installation.

Install Compose on Linux systems

On Linux, you can download the Docker Compose binary from theCompose repository release page on GitHub.Follow the instructions from the link, which involve running the curl commandin your terminal to download the binaries. These step-by-step instructions arealso included below.

For alpine, the following dependency packages are needed:py-pip, python3-dev, libffi-dev, openssl-dev, gcc, libc-dev, rust, cargo and make.

1. Run this command to download the current stable release of Docker Compose:

   To install a different version of Compose, substitute 1.28.6with the version of Compose you want to use.

   If you have problems installing with curl, seeAlternative Install Options tab above.

2. Apply executable permissions to the binary:

Note: If the command docker-compose fails after installation, check your path.You can also create a symbolic link to /usr/bin or any other directory in your path.

For example:

Install Docker Compose On Ubuntu 16.04

1. Optionally, install command completion for thebash and zsh shell.

2. Test the installation.

Alternative install options

Install using pip

For alpine, the following dependency packages are needed:py-pip, python3-dev, libffi-dev, openssl-dev, gcc, libc-dev, rust, cargo, and make.

Compose can be installed frompypi using pip. If you installusing pip, we recommend that you use avirtualenv because many operatingsystems have python system packages that conflict with docker-composedependencies. See the virtualenvtutorial to getstarted.

If you are not using virtualenv,

pip version 6.0 or greater is required.

Install as a container

Compose can also be run inside a container, from a small bash script wrapper. Toinstall compose as a container run this command:

Install pre-release builds

If you’re interested in trying out a pre-release build, you can download releasecandidates from the Compose repository release page on GitHub.Follow the instructions from the link, which involves running the curl commandin your terminal to download the binaries.

Pre-releases built from the “master” branch are also available for download athttps://dl.bintray.com/docker-compose/master/.

Pre-release builds allow you to try out new features before they are released,but may be less stable.

Upgrading

If you’re upgrading from Compose 1.2 or earlier, remove ormigrate your existing containers after upgrading Compose. This is because, as ofversion 1.3, Compose uses Docker labels to keep track of containers, and yourcontainers need to be recreated to add the labels.

If Compose detects containers that were created without labels, it refusesto run, so that you don’t end up with two sets of them. If you want to keep usingyour existing containers (for example, because they have data volumes you wantto preserve), you can use Compose 1.5.x to migrate them with the followingcommand:

Alternatively, if you’re not worried about keeping them, you can remove them.Compose just creates new ones.

Uninstallation

To uninstall Docker Compose if you installed using curl:

To uninstall Docker Compose if you installed using pip:

Got a “Permission denied” error?

If you get a “Permission denied” error using either of the abovemethods, you probably do not have the proper permissions to removedocker-compose. To force the removal, prepend sudo to either of the abovecommands and run again.

Where to go next

Docker Compose is a Python program that lets you easily deploy multiple containers on a server.

As you start exploring Docker, you'll learn that often to run a certain web-app, you'll need to run various services (like database, web-server etc) in different containers.

Deploying multiple containers is a lot easier with Docker Compose.

In this tutorial, you'll learn two ways of installing Docker Compose on Ubuntu:

• Installing Docker Compose from Ubuntu's repository: Easier method but may not have the latest version of docker compose
• Installing the latest Docker Compose using PIP: Gets you the newer docker compose version

Keep in mind that to use Docker Compose, you must have Docker installed on Ubuntu.

Install Docker Compose from Ubuntu's repository

This is the easiest and recommend method. Unless you need the latest Docker Compose version for some specific reasons, you can manage very well with the docker compose version provides by Ubuntu.

Docker Compose is available in the universe repository of Ubuntu 20.04 and 18.04 so make sure to enable it first:

You probably won't need it but no harm in updating the local cache:

Now you can install Docker Compose in Ubuntu using this command:

You can check that Docker Compose is installed successfully by checking its version:

It should show an output like this:

Install the latest Docker Compose on Ubuntu using PIP

PIP stands for 'PIP Installs Package'. It's a command-line based package manager for installing Python applications.

Since Docker Compose is basically a Python program, you can use PIP to install it.

But before you do that, you need to install PIP on Ubuntu first.

Enable the universe repository first.

Install PIP now:

Now that you have PIP installed use it to install Docker Compose for all users on your Linux system:

Check the Docker Compose version to ensure that it is installed successfully:

Docker Compose On Ubuntu 16.04

You can see that Docker Compose installed via PIP is more recent version.

I hope you were able to successfully install Docker Compose on Ubuntu with this tutorial. Questions and suggestions are welcome.

Become a Member for FREE

Install Docker Compose On Ubuntu 20.04

Join the conversation.