How to run a docker compose file from .Net Aspire.

[Akhtaruzzaman]

I have multiple services that require a Docker Compose file to be run before starting. I have added a .NET Aspire application to manage all the services, but now I cannot run the Docker Compose file from the .NET Aspire application. Is there any way to run Docker Compose from .NET Aspire?

[davidfowl]

.NET Aspire's orchestration replaces docker compose, so you don't run docker compose from aspire.

[isaacrlevin]

I think service discovery is the primary thing in this case and I would assume to get more of the goodness I would need to adopt Aspire for the whole end to end. I understand getting things like dashboard and OTEL by default would be great but requires probably a bit of work.

[davidfowl]

Do you want this to be bidirectional? Services running in compose can talk to the app host and vice versa?

[isaacrlevin]

Bidirectional would be awesome if possible, but I think Aspire being able to discover docker compose is most beneficial

[davidfowl]

Bidirectional would require you to change your docker compose files.

[isaacrlevin]

I assumed so, that is why I said awesome, but one way is what I was thinking initially

[MadL1me]

+1 for this feature

My primary use case for Aspire is to run it locally as a single orchestration point for container management, benefiting from features like the dashboard, OTEL metrics collection, and debugging. In our setup, we use GitLab CI along with a suite of integration tests that require infrastructure components (PostgreSQL, Kafka, Redis, etc). To manage container lifetimes (e.g., for testing migrations or running performance tests), we currently rely on docker compose (so you can run for example just a postgres container and do stuff with it)

We end up maintaining two separate configurations that need to stay in sync. Managing these configurations is tedious and error-prone, and simplifying this process would be a significant productivity boost.

It feels more natural for Aspire to integrate directly with docker compose (like the way it allows to use raw dockerfiles), allowing developers to maintain a single configuration file

[MadL1me]

I see it in two ways to implement:

1. Some extension method to allow setup common configuration options from docker compose file, e.g:

builder.AddRedisClient("basketcache")
    .WithDockerComposeConfiguration(c => "infra/docker-compose-redis.yaml");

2. Ability just to create a resource from compose, the way you can do it with dockerfile:

// you can do this now
var container = builder.AddDockerfile(
    "mycontainer", "relative/context/path");
    
// same, but with compose configuration
var container = builder.AddDockerCompose(
    "mycontainer", "relative/context/path");

[davidfowl]

So you’re expecting us to translate the compose file into a set of aspire resources but not to run docker compose?

Go deeper, will these resources show up in the dashboard? Will they be added to the aspire container network? Are you able to extract endpoints from them?

In your example, how does WithDockerComposeConfiguration work? Why is it on the client and not the hosting integration? Is that a mistake?

[MadL1me]

So you’re expecting us to translate the compose file into a set of aspire resources but not to run docker compose?

Exactly.

Go deeper, will these resources show up in the dashboard? Will they be added to the aspire container network? Are you able to extract endpoints from them?

Preferably yes. All aspire features including service discovery should work as intended. Docker compose in my case, is just some configuration provider, which also can be used just to start a container on its own without starting aspire apphost

In your example, how does WithDockerComposeConfiguration work? Why is it on the client and not the hosting integration? Is that a mistake?

Didn't understood that part, could you please clarify more?

[davidfowl]

Preferably yes. All aspire features including service discovery should work as intended. Docker compose in my case, is just some configuration provider, which also can be used just to start a container on its own without starting aspire apphost

that means you will get aspire flavor of docker compose, and features we don’t support from compose files won’t work.

Didn't understood that part, could you please clarify more?

I’m not sure what the sample is showing. Why is the call to AddRedisClient changing a call to WithDockerComposeConfiguration? What does that do?

[MadL1me]

that means you will get aspire flavor of docker compose, and features we don’t support from compose files won’t work.

I understand that, but still, it would help with getting rid of doublicate configurations

I’m not sure what the sample is showing. Why is the call to AddRedisClient changing a call to WithDockerComposeConfiguration? What does that do?

Sry, didn't checked out what .AddRedisClient returns, thought that is some sort of component builder under the hood, so it was an example of API usage