Docker Compose and Orchestration

Docker Compose

A single container is launched with a single docker command. An application requiring several containers, like Node.js, NGINX, and MongoDB, must be started with three commands. You could launch each in three terminals in the correct order (first MongoDB, then the Node.js application, then NGINX).

Docker Compose is a tool for managing multiple containers with associated volumes and networks. A single configuration file, normally named docker-compose.yml, defines the containers and can override Dockerfile settings where necessary.

It’s practical to create a Docker Compose configuration for development. You could also create one for production, but there are better options.