How to Install Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04: A Detailed Guide

Want to simplify application deployment on your Ubuntu 20.04 server? This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough for installing and using Docker Compose. Learn how to manage multi-container Docker applications with ease.

What is Docker Compose and Why Use It?

Docker Compose is a powerful tool for defining and managing multi-container Docker applications. It allows you to define your application's services, networks, and volumes in a single YAML file, making it easy to spin up, scale, and manage your entire application stack.

Simplified Management: Orchestrate multiple containers as a single unit.
Increased Efficiency: Streamline application deployment and management.
Consistent Environments: Ensure consistent environments across different stages of development and deployment.

Prerequisites: Getting Ready to Install Docker Compose

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

An Ubuntu 20.04 server or local machine.
A non-root user with sudo privileges.
Docker already installed (follow steps 1 and 2 of this tutorial).

Step 1: Installing Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04

Let's install Docker Compose on your Ubuntu 20.04 system.

Download Docker Compose: Grab the latest stable version from the official GitHub repository. Check the releases page for the newest version number, replacing 1.29.2 with the latest version.
```
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.29.2/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
```
Set Permissions: Make the downloaded file executable.
```
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
```
Verify Installation: Confirm Docker Compose is installed correctly.
```
docker-compose --version
```
You should see the installed version number in the output.

Step 2: Creating a `docker-compose.yml` File for Your Application

A docker-compose.yml file defines your application's services. We'll create a simple web server using Nginx.

Create a Project Directory: Set up a directory for your Docker Compose project.
```
mkdir ~/compose-demo
cd ~/compose-demo
```
Create an Application Directory: Make a directory for your application files.
```
mkdir app
```

Create an HTML File: Add a simple index.html file to your app folder:

nano app/index.html

Add the following:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Docker Compose Demo</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Docker Compose Demo Page</h1>
    <p>This content is being served by an Nginx container.</p>
</body>
</html>

Create the docker-compose.yml File: Define your services in a docker-compose.yml file.

nano docker-compose.yml

Add the following:

version: '3.7'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports:
      - "8000:80"
    volumes:
      - ./app:/usr/share/nginx/html

Step 3: Running Your Docker Compose Application

Time to bring your application to life!

Run Docker Compose: Execute the docker-compose up command to start your services. The -d flag runs the containers in detached (background) mode.
```
docker-compose up -d
```
Verify Containers are Running: Check the status of your containers.
```
docker-compose ps
```
This will show the running containers and their port mappings.
Access Your Application: Open your web browser and navigate to localhost:8000 (if running locally) or your_server_ip:8000 (if running on a remote server). You should see your demo HTML page.

Step 4: Essential Docker Compose Commands

Master these commands for effective Docker Compose management:

docker-compose logs: View the logs from your containers.
docker-compose pause: Pause running containers.
docker-compose unpause: Resume paused containers.
docker-compose stop: Stop running containers.
docker-compose down: Stop and remove containers, networks, and volumes.
docker image rm nginx:alpine: Remove the base Nginx image (optional).

Next Steps After Installing Docker Compose

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04 and deployed a simple application. Explore these resources to further enhance your Docker Compose skills:

Docker Compose Documentation: Dive deeper into all available commands and options.
Install WordPress With Docker Compose
Secure a Containerized Node.js Application with Nginx, Let’s Encrypt, and Docker Compose

What is Docker Compose and Why Use It?

Simplified Management: Orchestrate multiple containers as a single unit.

Increased Efficiency: Streamline application deployment and management.

Consistent Environments: Ensure consistent environments across different stages of development and deployment.

Step 1: Installing Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04

Let's install Docker Compose on your Ubuntu 20.04 system.

Download Docker Compose: Grab the latest stable version from the official GitHub repository. Check the releases page for the newest version number, replacing 1.29.2 with the latest version.

sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/1.29.2/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Set Permissions: Make the downloaded file executable.

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Verify Installation: Confirm Docker Compose is installed correctly.

docker-compose --version

You should see the installed version number in the output.

Step 2: Creating a docker-compose.yml File for Your Application

A docker-compose.yml file defines your application's services. We'll create a simple web server using Nginx.

Create a Project Directory: Set up a directory for your Docker Compose project.

mkdir ~/compose-demo
cd ~/compose-demo

Create an Application Directory: Make a directory for your application files.

mkdir app

Create an HTML File: Add a simple index.html file to your app folder:

nano app/index.html

Add the following:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>Docker Compose Demo</title>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Docker Compose Demo Page</h1>
    <p>This content is being served by an Nginx container.</p>
</body>
</html>

Create the docker-compose.yml File: Define your services in a docker-compose.yml file.

nano docker-compose.yml

Add the following:

version: '3.7'
services:
  web:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports:
      - "8000:80"
    volumes:
      - ./app:/usr/share/nginx/html

Step 3: Running Your Docker Compose Application

Time to bring your application to life!

Run Docker Compose: Execute the docker-compose up command to start your services. The -d flag runs the containers in detached (background) mode.

docker-compose up -d

Verify Containers are Running: Check the status of your containers.

docker-compose ps

This will show the running containers and their port mappings.

Access Your Application: Open your web browser and navigate to localhost:8000 (if running locally) or your_server_ip:8000 (if running on a remote server). You should see your demo HTML page.

Step 4: Essential Docker Compose Commands

Master these commands for effective Docker Compose management:

docker-compose logs: View the logs from your containers.

docker-compose pause: Pause running containers.

docker-compose unpause: Resume paused containers.

docker-compose stop: Stop running containers.

docker-compose down: Stop and remove containers, networks, and volumes.

docker image rm nginx:alpine: Remove the base Nginx image (optional).

Next Steps After Installing Docker Compose

Congratulations! You've successfully installed Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04 and deployed a simple application. Explore these resources to further enhance your Docker Compose skills:

How to Install Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04: A Detailed Guide

What is Docker Compose and Why Use It?

Prerequisites: Getting Ready to Install Docker Compose

Step 1: Installing Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04

Step 2: Creating a docker-compose.yml File for Your Application

Step 3: Running Your Docker Compose Application

Step 4: Essential Docker Compose Commands

Next Steps After Installing Docker Compose

How to Install Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04: A Detailed Guide

What is Docker Compose and Why Use It?

Prerequisites: Getting Ready to Install Docker Compose

Step 1: Installing Docker Compose on Ubuntu 20.04

Step 2: Creating a docker-compose.yml File for Your Application

Step 3: Running Your Docker Compose Application

Step 4: Essential Docker Compose Commands

Next Steps After Installing Docker Compose

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Step 2: Creating a `docker-compose.yml` File for Your Application

Step 2: Creating a `docker-compose.yml` File for Your Application