How to enable Swarm/Stack mode for a Compose service

[WailRoth]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to enable Docker Swarm mode (docker stack deploy) for a Compose service in Dokploy in order to
get zero-downtime rolling deployments, but I can't find the option in the UI.

Context

• Service type: Compose
• Goal: zero-downtime deploys + auto-restart on container crash for a small production stack (1 API
  service + 1 worker service, both based on the same image)
• Why Swarm: in plain Compose mode (docker compose up -d), the deploy: directives (replicas,
  update_config, start-first, etc.) are ignored, which makes proper rolling updates impossible. Every
  redeploy stops all containers and recreates them, causing a full downtime window.

What I've tried

1. Looked through every tab on my Compose service page (General, Environment, Domains, Advanced,
   Deployments, Logs) — I can't find any "Compose Type" field, dropdown, or toggle between docker-compose and
   stack.
2. Checked the default deploy command shown by Dokploy:
   docker compose -p flavora-backendreplicated-xzpl0q -f docker-compose.yml up -d --build --remove-orphans
3. So Dokploy is clearly running plain Compose, not docker stack deploy.
4. My docker-compose.yml already includes deploy: blocks with replicas: 2, update_config.order:
   start-first, healthchecks, etc. — but these are no-ops in Compose mode.
5. I considered overriding the default command with docker stack deploy ... directly, but that would break
   Dokploy's lifecycle management (Stop / Restart / Logs buttons would no longer work properly).

Questions

1. Is the Compose Type / Stack mode toggle still available in Compose services? If yes, where
   exactly in the UI is it located? (A screenshot or path like Service → Tab → Section would help a lot.)
2. If it has been removed or replaced, what is the recommended way in current Dokploy versions to get
   zero-downtime rolling deployments for a multi-service stack?
3. Is the only path forward today to split the stack into multiple Application services (which use Swarm
   by default), and abandon the unified Compose file?

What I'd like to achieve

• Zero downtime on redeploys (rolling update, start-first, health-gated)
• Automatic failover when a container crashes (Swarm restart + replicas)
• Keep everything manageable from the Dokploy UI (deploy, logs, rollback)

I'd rather not move to a manual docker stack deploy workflow or migrate to k3s if Dokploy already supports
this natively, I just can't figure out how to enable it.

Thanks a lot for any pointer!

[dosubot[bot]]

The Compose Type setting (choosing between docker-compose and stack) is still available in Dokploy. It's found in the General tab of your Compose service — look for a dropdown or selector labeled "Compose Type" where you can switch from the default "Docker Compose" to "Stack" [1].

When set to Stack, Dokploy deploys using docker stack deploy instead of docker compose up, which means your deploy: directives (replicas, update_config.order: start-first, healthchecks) will be honored by Swarm for zero-downtime rolling updates [2].

Important caveats for Stack mode:

1. No build directive — Docker Stack doesn't support build:. You must build images separately (or use a custom command) and reference them via image: [3].
2. Traefik labels must go under deploy.labels, not directly under labels [3].
3. Stop/Start behavior — Stack uses docker stack rm to stop, and there's no individual "start" operation; you'd need to redeploy [4].

Workaround if you need build + Stack: A community member shared a working custom command approach that builds with docker compose, resolves the compose file, then deploys with docker stack deploy [5]. In essence:

compose -p <appName> -f docker-compose.yml build && docker compose -f docker-compose.yml config | grep -v "^name:" > /tmp/stack-resolved.yml && docker stack deploy -c /tmp/stack-resolved.yml <appName> --prune --with-registry-auth && docker service update --force <appName>_<service>

This builds locally, resolves env vars, strips the name: field (which Swarm rejects), and then does a stack deploy — preserving start-first zero-downtime behavior.

You can set a custom command in Advanced → Command on your Compose service page.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[WailRoth]

There is no 'compose type' in the UI.

[dosubot[bot]]

The Compose Type is set only at creation time — it's a dropdown in the "Add Compose" dialog when you first create the service. Once created, it cannot be changed and only appears as a read-only badge in the General tab under "Deploy Settings" [1] [2].

So if you created your Compose service with the default "Docker Compose" type, there's no way to switch it to "Stack" after the fact from the UI. You'd need to delete the compose service and recreate it, selecting "Stack" in the Compose Type dropdown during creation.

That said, keep in mind the Stack mode limitations I mentioned earlier (no build directive, Traefik labels must go under deploy.labels, etc.). If you need to build from source and still use Stack, the custom command workaround in Advanced → Command remains an option on your existing service.

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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