# Install docker-compose with Homebrew, chocolatey, apt, dnf, MacPorts, Nix, pacman, zypper, scoop, winget

Isolated development environments using Docker. Version 5.3.1 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-07. Also installable with debian: sudo apt install docker-compose.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:docker-compose
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

- MacPorts (94%):

```sh
sudo port install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: MacPorts ports tree: python/docker-compose/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1

### Linux

- Debian apt (92%):

```sh
sudo apt install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: Debian stable package indexes: docker-compose from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz

- dnf (92%):

```sh
sudo dnf install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: Fedora Rawhide package metadata: docker-compose from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#docker-compose
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: docker-compose from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix

- pacman (92%):

```sh
sudo pacman -S docker-compose
```

  Evidence: Arch Linux sync databases: docker-compose from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz

- zypper (92%):

```sh
sudo zypper install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: docker-compose from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst

### Windows

- Chocolatey (92%):

```sh
choco install docker-compose
```

  Evidence: Chocolatey community package catalog: docker-compose from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','dnspy'

- Scoop (92%):

```sh
scoop install main/docker-compose
```

  Evidence: Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/docker-compose.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1

- winget (92%):

```sh
winget install --id Docker.DockerCompose -e
```

  Evidence: Windows Package Manager source index: Docker.DockerCompose from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:docker-compose
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Package manager page:** <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docker-compose>
- **Version:** 5.3.1
- **Source summary:** Isolated development environments using Docker
- **Homepage:** <https://docs.docker.com/compose/>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/docker/compose>
- **Upstream docs:** <https://docs.docker.com/compose>
- **License:** Apache-2.0
- **Source archive:** <https://github.com/docker/compose/archive/refs/tags/v5.3.1.tar.gz>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-07T15:33:42Z
- **Generated:** 2026-07-25T07:20:51+00:00

## Executables

- docker-compose (cli)
- docker-compose (alias)

## Build dependencies

- go

## Install behavior

- Post-install hook: not defined
- Caveats: Compose is a Docker plugin. For Docker to find the plugin, add "cliPluginsExtraDirs" to ~/.docker/config.json: "cliPluginsExtraDirs": [ "$HOMEBREW_PREFIX/lib/docker/cli-plugins" ]
- Bottle: available on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-07-25
- Package-manager version: 5.3.1
- Package-manager updated: 2026-07-07
- Local data: ok
- Upstream repository: https://github.com/docker/compose
- Upstream latest detected: v5.3.1 (current)
## Project history and usage

Docker Compose is Docker's tool for defining and running multi-container applications from a Compose file. Docker's docs describe it as a way to manage services, networks, and volumes in one YAML configuration, then start the application stack with a single command.

### Project history

Compose became one of Docker's defining developer-experience tools because it translated a multi-container application into a file that could live beside source code. The current upstream README describes the modern Go-based Compose as a Docker CLI plugin and notes that the legacy Python version remains on the v1 branch.

### Adoption history

Compose's adoption path runs through Docker Desktop, Linux binaries, distribution packages, and CI systems. The README says Docker Desktop includes Compose on Windows and macOS and documents installation as a CLI plugin under Docker's cli-plugins directory on Linux. The batch input shows especially broad package-manager coverage, including Homebrew, Chocolatey, Debian, Fedora-style distributions, MacPorts, Nix, Arch, Scoop, Ubuntu, winget, and zypper.

### How it is used

The normal workflow is to define services in compose.yaml or docker-compose.yml, then use docker compose up to create and start the application. Docker docs call out lifecycle commands for starting, stopping, rebuilding, viewing status, streaming logs, and running one-off commands, making Compose common in local development, test environments, staging, simple production deployments, and CI workflows.

### Why package nerds care

Docker Compose is package-nerd significant because it made multi-container Docker applications portable before Kubernetes became the default mental model for orchestration. It also marks a major packaging transition: the old standalone docker-compose command and Python implementation gave way to a Docker CLI plugin, while package managers kept shipping a familiar formula name.

### Timeline

- 2010s: Compose popularizes application stacks described in docker-compose.yml files.
- 2020: The Compose Specification becomes the shared Compose file format used by the modern project.
- 2020s: The Go-based Compose V2 becomes the main Docker Compose implementation, with the Python version kept on the v1 branch.
- 2026: Docker docs present Compose as the standard tool for defining and running multi-container applications, and the batch input lists broad package-manager distribution.

### Related projects

- Docker Compose is closely related to Docker Engine, Docker Desktop, the Compose Specification, Docker Buildx for Compose builds, Swarm's older Compose-file usage, and editor tools such as Microsoft's Compose Language Service.

### Sources

- <https://docs.docker.com/compose/>
- <https://github.com/docker/compose#readme>
- <https://compose-spec.io/>
- <https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docker-compose>


## Security Notes

No matching local secret-handling manifest was found for docker-compose. Nucleus package metadata is still published here so future coverage has a stable package URL.



## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Configuration files

- Unix: ./compose.yaml, ./compose.yml, ./docker-compose.yaml, ./docker-compose.yml, ./.env
## Source Database Details

- **Source Database:** Homebrew formula API
- **Tap:** homebrew/core
- **Full Name:** docker-compose
- **Version Scheme:** 0
- **Revision:** 0
- **Head Version:** HEAD
- **Bottle Stable Root URL:** <https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core>
- **Deprecated:** no
- **Disabled:** no
- **Keg Only:** no
- **URL Keys:** head, stable

## Other Package-Manager Records

- Debian apt - docker-compose - 2.26.1-4: normalized package name match | Debian stable package indexes: docker-compose from https://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz | Define and run multi-container applications with Docker (program) | https://github.com/docker/compose
- Nix - docker-compose: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: docker-compose from https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/master/pkgs/top-level/all-packages.nix
- Ubuntu apt - docker-compose - 1.29.2-6ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: docker-compose from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | define and run multi-container Docker applications with YAML | https://docs.docker.com/compose/
- Ubuntu apt - python3-compose - 1.29.2-6ubuntu1: normalized package name match | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS package indexes: python3-compose from https://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dists/noble/universe/binary-amd64/Packages.gz | Python implementation of docker-compose file specification | https://docs.docker.com/compose/
- dnf - docker-compose - 5.1.4-1.fc45: normalized package name match | Fedora Rawhide package metadata: docker-compose from https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/fedora/linux/development/rawhide/Everything/x86_64/os/repodata/e5ca8ce900cd68f5419e1c39ae517343100b306336cbaeb70a3c153121d95094-primary.xml.zst | Define and run multi-container applications with Docker | https://github.com/docker/compose
- pacman - docker-compose - 5.1.4-1: normalized package name match | Arch Linux sync databases: docker-compose from https://geo.mirror.pkgbuild.com/extra/os/x86_64/extra.db.tar.gz | Fast, isolated development environments using Docker | https://www.docker.com/
- zypper - docker-compose - 5.1.4-1.1: normalized package name match | openSUSE Tumbleweed package metadata: docker-compose from https://download.opensuse.org/tumbleweed/repo/oss/repodata/be8d3611d25469107f32075a1697e69ec57a2b850b42348a658cc671ad5ec2b50760d02c3e59524d50da9a11d5be799bdaffba2e166e8ca8858512e3c0bd665d-primary.xml.zst | Define and run multi-container applications with Docker | https://github.com/docker/compose
- MacPorts - docker-compose: normalized package name match | MacPorts ports tree: python/docker-compose/Portfile from https://api.github.com/repos/macports/macports-ports/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- Chocolatey - docker-compose: normalized package name match | Chocolatey community package catalog: docker-compose from http://community.chocolatey.org/api/v2/Packages?$filter=IsLatestVersion&$select=Id&$top=1000&$skiptoken='11','dnspy'
- Scoop - main/docker-compose: normalized package name match | Scoop official bucket manifest trees: bucket/docker-compose.json from https://api.github.com/repos/ScoopInstaller/Main/git/trees/master?recursive=1
- winget - Docker.DockerCompose: normalized package name match | Windows Package Manager source index: Docker.DockerCompose from https://cdn.winget.microsoft.com/cache/source.msix


## Related links

- [Cloud CLI packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/cloud-clis/) - Belongs to a cloud or infrastructure command family.
- [AI and agent packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/ai-agent-tools/) - Matched AI model, agent, coding-agent, orchestration, or MCP metadata.
- [Terminal utility packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/terminal-utilities/) - Matched terminal and command-line workflow metadata.
- [Text processing packages](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/text-processing-tools/) - Matched text, document, or structured-data processing metadata.
- [go](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/go/) - Build dependency declared by Homebrew.
- [cdebug](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cdebug/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [cekit](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/cekit/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [devcontainer](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/devcontainer/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, development-environments, docker.
- [dockcheck](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/dockcheck/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [docker](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [docker-buildx](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-buildx/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [docker-clean](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-clean/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [docker-credential-helper](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-credential-helper/) - Shares av.db curated category or tags: cli, containers, developer-tools, docker.
- [docker-language-server](https://www.automicvault.com/pkg/brew/docker-language-server/) - Package names and metadata indicate a similar tool family. Shared terms: cli, compose, containers, developer, developer-tools.

## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/docker-compose.yml](https://github.com/automic-vault/db/blob/main/combined/docker-compose.yml)


## Sources

- Nucleus package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- package-page enrichment
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- package version freshness
- av.db category and tag curation
- package relationship graph
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
