compose support?

[magnusviri]

Will you be creating a tool that allows users to use docker_compose.yml files?

See https://docs.docker.com/compose/.

[awilfox]

Yes, I would also love to see Compose support for container. Is this something that would accepted as a contribution?

[ttys3]

just found a impl https://github.com/mcrich23/container-compose

[Thomasdimakopoulos]

MCP / SKILL and Docker Compose : https://github.com/MacOSTools/ContainerTools

[bergrahm]

I am a heavy-weight compose user. Having the option to drop and replace would dramatically increase the chance for me to adopt this tool without hassle. Great work by the way!

[codedoga]

+1

[psy0rz]

Without compose support i will just keep using docker desktop for now. What would be the advantage of this new system?

[ArquitetoMovel]

I'm using the https://orbstack.dev it also is made in swift and not use vm

[66Ton99]

https://orbstack.dev/ uses VM underhood

[koi-tattoo]

I've rolled up a script to emulate some functionalities of docker-compose https://gist.github.com/koi-tattoo/1decd7f52f55ddb902e8a9eb78f8c587.
I mostly generated it through claude 4 sonnet as I was just trying to have something working fast. It managed to up this compose file https://gist.github.com/koi-tattoo/5f91de153768865d6d29f3773564a75d decently, maybe you guys can try to use it to easily test apple containers through your already established compose files.

Edit: see the issue docker/compose/issues/12934, maybe it is on docker-compose's end to implement this feature.

[ralfkrause]

I’ll test it and will give an update here.

[ralfkrause]

The scripts does the main things.
During up volumes if not defined with type bind are skipped. Giving error message 'named volumes...'.
During down I got the error message that the container could not be deleted. But that's just because they are getting started with option --rm. But that's no big deal.
Setting the hostname of the container is not supported. But that's because it's not supported by Apples container system. At least not at the moment.
It's the same as the container name.
Traffic between container of the same multi container project does not work when using the hostname of the container. But there is no problem when using the IP address.

But far from that all I tested works.

[t3chn0m4g3]

yes, compose is the peanut-butter and jelly!

[psy0rz]

Dont get me wrong its super cool apple does this!

[bgottsch]

+1

some integration pointers:

• naming: container compose?
• load balancers like Traefik as a container

[llmons]

+1

[pszymkowiak]

+1

[dmatton]

+1

[koi-tattoo]

According to docker/compose#12934, it could be done if the apple container runtime supports the Moby API (https://github.com/moby/moby/blob/master/api/README.md)

[mani-arjunan]

+1

[tarikweiss]

+1

[EugeneBad]

+1E6

[MortenROSE]

+1

[StephenRudolph]

This week, Microsoft announced their own version of a native container tool. It will be very interesting to see where they land on Compose compatibility themselves: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/wsl-container.

[jglogan]

Interesting! I'd be very surprised if they don't try to copy the Docker CLI (or offer a dockerd API like socktainer is doing), since the devcontainer CLI calls directly to a Docker or docker-compatible CLI underneath.

[abdurrahmanski]

+1

[yeison]

+1

[itxtoledo]

+1

[sembsa]

If anyone wants this today with a GUI: I built Container Desktop — a free, MIT-licensed macOS app on top of the container CLI — and it now supports exactly this workflow.

You paste a docker-compose.yml and the app translates it into plain container run calls (no daemon, no reimplementation — it just drives the official CLI):

• creates a project network and starts services in depends_on order,
• supports image, entrypoint/command (string or list), environment (map or list), ports, volumes, container_name,
• containers show up grouped per project on the list, with one-click start/stop/delete of the whole stack,
• live parse preview with warnings for unsupported keys, per-service progress streaming,
• bonus extension: mark a service with x-init: true and it runs to completion before the other services start — handy for one-off setup like database creation with the same image but a different entrypoint.

Honest limitations: no build: (point it at a ready image), no healthcheck/restart (ignored with a warning), and service discovery follows container semantics — containers resolve each other by container name on the shared network, so either set container_name: or use the <project>-<service> name in connection strings.

Screenshots and a DMG: https://sembsa.github.io/ContainerDesktop/

Native compose support in the CLI itself would still be fantastic — consider this a stopgap (and a demo that the CLI's JSON output makes building on top of it pleasant).

[hulleyrob]

Amazing work, yet apple with all its resources cant even add compose to THEIR product...

[kumar8074]

+1

[stephenlclarke]

nice UI

[xX-MrN0b0dy-Xx]

+1

[dariusvorster]

For anyone in this thread wanting compose in the meantime — I built a stopgap that might help. Porthole is a local web console for container that includes compose-style stacks (a documented compose subset): bring a multi-service app up/down, per-stack network isolation, and service discovery so members resolve each other by name (since the runtime's DNS doesn't do that yet). It also detects compose-file drift and can apply a recreate with rollback.
It's a single Go binary serving a localhost web UI — it shells out to the container CLI and parses its JSON, doesn't reimplement anything. Beyond stacks it does the operational stuff the CLI doesn't: a live topology view, restart policies + health checks (so a container stays alive), streaming logs, and an in-browser terminal.
Native compose support in the CLI itself would still be the dream — consider this a stopgap (and a demo that the CLI's JSON output is enough to build real tooling on). Repo, MIT: https://github.com/dariusvorster/porthole — feedback very welcome, it's young.

[itxtoledo]

hey guys just use this tool: https://github.com/us/mocker

[flaticols]

I think that is one more implementation.

Anyway, I want to share that. My implementation utilizes a plugin system for container, so it works just like container compose [CMD].

Not everything is supported yet. I made it to work for myself and my team in the first place, so it works for us very smoothly now. If you decide to try and have some feedback/bugs, please leave a ticket.

https://github.com/flaticols/container-compose

[conradwt]

@flaticols I had the pleasure of meeting many of the members during a CommunityKit Container workshop for WWDC26 week.

During the discussions, they highly recommended creating a plugin to support compose functionality within Apple Container tool.

Thus, you're definitely on the right track and I'm open to assist with testing.

Tidbits From The Discussions:

Apple Container team is small and they are currently focused on the foundational components for the project. Next, compose support is also high on their list. Thus, the community can assist the team by building plugins to extend the overall functionality of the Apple Container tool.

[flaticols]

Well, I appreciate some feedback. Now it is support for must-common cases (at least my common cases), and it would be nice if I get some feedback.

pkg is signed and notarized. Also, container compose update (at least now it is a simpler way; in the future, I definitely think about Homebrew) can install the latest version (download from GitHub Releases).

[dlover25]

+1 Yes for native compose support please!!!

[stephenlclarke]

if anyone is interested.... I am writing a compose plugin; https://github.com/stephenlclarke/container-compose

Also had an interesting convo with @jglogan; #1769 (comment)

[Undiluted7027]

+1 Native compose support will be great!

[Thomasdimakopoulos]

Docker Compose
MCP for Container for Claude
Skill for Claude
All in one repo https://github.com/MacOSTools/ContainerTools

[steinmb]

I notice a lot of experiments from various developers. Us, will wait for an official support or that the maintainers gets behind a community powered solution some how. As now there is fragmentation I am not sure that brings us Docker Compose support any quicker.