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Docker Compose Baseline

What this is

My standard approach for deploying and managing all containers using Docker Compose instead of manual docker run commands.

This replaces ad-hoc container creation with structured, repeatable configurations.

Why I needed this

Using docker run and Portainer manually caused:

  • No consistency between services
  • Harder rebuilds after failure
  • No version-controlled configs
  • Difficult troubleshooting

With Docker Compose:

  • Everything is defined in a single file
  • Easy to redeploy or migrate
  • Cleaner structure across services
  • Works perfectly with my NAS mounts and backups

My Setup

  • Host:
    • minipc (192.168.86.32) → main Docker host
    • micropc (192.168.86.100) → utility host
  • Base directory:
/opt/docker/

  • Structure:
/opt/docker/
├── jellyfin/
├── homeassistant/
├── paperless/
├── dozzle/
├── diun/

  • Each service contains:
docker-compose.yml
.env (optional)

  • NAS mount:
/mnt/sjb2

Key Concepts / Options

Feature docker run Docker Compose
Repeatability ❌ Manual ✅ Config file
Backup ❌ Hard ✅ Easy
Editing ❌ Recreate container ✅ Edit + restart
Scaling ❌ Difficult ✅ Built-in

Recommendation

👉 Use Docker Compose for every container

Why:

  • Consistent deployments
  • Easy to rebuild servers
  • Cleaner troubleshooting
  • Matches how most modern homelabs operate

Setup

1. Install Docker Compose

On modern Docker versions:

docker compose version

If not installed:

sudo apt install docker-compose-plugin -y

2. Create Base Directory

sudo mkdir -p /opt/docker
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER /opt/docker

3. Create a Service Folder

Example:

cd /opt/docker
mkdir example-app
cd example-app

4. Create docker-compose.yml

Example template:

version: "3.9"

services:
app:
image: nginx:latest
container_name: example-app
restart: unless-stopped

ports:
- "8080:80"

volumes:
- ./data:/data

environment:
- TZ=America/Santo_Domingo

5. Start the Container

docker compose up -d

6. Manage the Container

Stop:

docker compose down

Restart:

docker compose restart

Update:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Configuration

Environment Variables (.env)

Example:

TZ=America/Santo_Domingo
PUID=1000
PGID=1000

Use in compose:

environment:
- TZ=${TZ}

Volume Strategy

Use:

  • Local:
./data

  • NAS:
/mnt/sjb2/media

Permissions Notes

  • Containers may fail if permissions mismatch
  • Match user IDs:
id

Typical values:

  • PUID=1000
  • PGID=1000

Verification

Check running containers:

docker ps

Check logs:

docker compose logs -f

Common Problems / Fixes

Container won’t start

  • Cause: Bad config or port conflict
  • Fix:
docker compose logs

Port already in use

  • Cause: Another container using same port
  • Fix:
docker ps

Change port in compose file

Permission denied (volumes)

  • Cause: Wrong ownership
  • Fix:
sudo chown -R 1000:1000 ./data

Changes not applied

  • Cause: Container not recreated
  • Fix:
docker compose down
docker compose up -d

Result

  • All services defined in clean YAML files
  • Easy to rebuild entire server
  • Consistent deployment across hosts
  • Simplified troubleshooting and maintenance

Notes

  • Prefer Compose over Portainer for deployment
  • Portainer still useful for:
    • Viewing logs
    • Quick inspection
  • Keep one folder per service
  • Back up /opt/docker regularly
  • Future improvement:
    • Git repository for configs
    • Automated updates (DIUN already in use)
    • Reverse proxy integration (Caddy)

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