Docker Compose is a tool for defining and running multi-container applications. It is the key to unlocking a streamlined and efficient development and deployment experience.
Compose simplifies the control of your entire application stack, making it easy to manage services, networks, and volumes in a single, comprehensible YAML configuration file. Then, with a single command, you create and start all the services from your configuration file.
Docker volumes are a mechanism for persistently storing data generated or used by Docker containers. They provide a means to separate data from the container's lifecycle, allowing containers to be stopped, started, or even destroyed without affecting the data stored within the volumes.
Benefits of Docker Volumes:
Data Persistence: Volumes ensure that data remains intact even when containers are updated or replaced. This allows for seamless data management and avoids data loss or disruption.
Sharing Data between Containers: Volumes provide a way to share data between containers running on the same host. Multiple containers can access and modify the data within a volume, facilitating collaboration and decoupling applications.
Easy Backup and Restore: Docker volumes simplify the process of backing up and restoring data. Since volumes exist independently of containers, you can easily create backups of the data stored within volumes and restore them as needed.
Development enviroments. Easy for new developer to just run docker compose up and have all the necessary dependencies to start working.
Automated testing environments that is usually involve more than 1 component like a web app and database.
Simplified control and reproducibility rather than the manual docker, docker compose can easily coordinate various services.