The Tool Desk
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What a Compose-based CI environment does
Docker Compose describes a multi-container application in YAML and manages the containers as one project. Docker documents Compose for development, staging, production, testing, and CI workflows. In a test job, the file can define the application under test, a disposable test runner, a database, a queue, a cache, and any other service the test suite calls.
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The important distinction is between defining the environment and executing the tests. Compose creates the environment; your test command supplies the pass or fail result. A successful job therefore has four properties:
- Complete dependencies: every network service required by the suite is declared, rather than relying on software preinstalled on the CI worker.
- Isolation: each build uses a unique Compose project name and removes its containers, networks, and volumes when it finishes.
- Readiness: stateful services report that they can accept requests before tests begin.
- Diagnostics: logs and test reports are retained even when a test command fails.
Typical service layout
| Service | Purpose | CI guidance |
|---|---|---|
app |
The image or source tree being tested. | Build it in the job when the commit changes the image. |
test |
A one-off runner that executes unit, integration, or end-to-end tests. | Use docker compose run --rm test for an ephemeral command. |
db |
A real database instance for integration tests. | Add a health check and a disposable volume. |
queue or cache |
Message brokers, caches, or other external dependencies. | Give each dependency its own health check where possible. |
Keep service names stable. Compose places services on a project network, so the test runner can connect to db or queue by service name instead of a changing container IP. Do not hard-code a CI host address for a dependency that lives in the same Compose project.
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Prerequisites and repository layout
Install Docker Engine with the Compose plugin on the CI worker. The commands in this guide use the current v2 syntax, docker compose, rather than the older standalone docker-compose command. Confirm the installation before the job starts:
docker version
docker compose versionKeep the Compose definition and the files it references in the repository. A practical layout is:
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├── compose.yaml
├── compose.ci.yaml
├── Dockerfile
├── run_tests
└── .dockerignoreThe CI file should not contain production credentials. Non-secret switches such as a log level, test marker, or database name can come from an environment file or explicit variables. Passwords, tokens, certificates, and signing keys belong in a CI secret store and should be mounted through a secret mechanism.
Write the base Compose definition
A minimal application, test runner, and database
The following example uses PostgreSQL to show the important relationships. Replace the image, build command, and test command with those for your project. The database password is read from a Compose secret file; in CI, create that file from the provider’s protected secret store and delete it during cleanup.
name: ci-example
services:
app:
build:
context: .
profiles: [test]
environment:
DATABASE_HOST: db
DATABASE_PORT: 5432
DATABASE_NAME: app_test
DATABASE_USER: app
DATABASE_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/db_password
secrets:
- db_password
test:
build:
context: .
profiles: [test]
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
environment:
DATABASE_HOST: db
DATABASE_PORT: 5432
DATABASE_NAME: app_test
DATABASE_USER: app
DATABASE_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/db_password
secrets:
- db_password
command: ./run_tests
db:
image: postgres:16
profiles: [test]
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: app_test
POSTGRES_USER: app
POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/db_password
secrets:
- db_password
healthcheck:
test: [CMD-SHELL, 'pg_isready -U app -d app_test']
interval: 5s
timeout: 5s
retries: 12
volumes:
- db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
secrets:
db_password:
file: ./secrets/db_password.txt
volumes:
db_data:The test container is intentionally separate from app. It can run migrations, seed data, and the complete suite without turning the application process into the job controller. If your tests exercise a running HTTP server, keep app enabled and have the test runner call it at its Compose service name.
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Validate the rendered configuration
Before creating containers, render the complete configuration:
docker compose --profile test configconfig parses the files, resolves variables and merges, and prints canonical YAML. Review the output in CI logs when debugging an unexpected image, volume, command, or environment value. Run the same command locally with the same profile and override files so a developer can see exactly what the job will use.
Choose profiles or a CI override file
You do not have to maintain a completely separate Compose definition for development, testing, and staging. Profiles let one file contain optional services and settings. In the example, the test profile is selected with --profile test. Development-only services can use a dev profile, while staging services can use staging.
Use a second file when CI needs structural changes such as different mounts, ports, environment values, or restart behavior. Compose merges files from left to right, so the later file supplies additions or overrides:
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test config
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test up --build -dA small compose.ci.yaml might change the test command and disable a development restart policy:
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services:
app:
restart: no
environment:
APP_ENV: ci
test:
restart: no
environment:
APP_ENV: ci
TEST_REPORT_DIR: /artifacts
volumes:
- ./artifacts:/artifactsProfiles are preferable when the differences are mostly optional services. An override file is clearer when CI needs a distinct set of mounts or environment values. In both cases, render the merged result with docker compose config before execution.
Make dependency readiness explicit
depends_on controls startup order; it does not, by itself, prove that a database has completed initialization and is accepting connections. A container can be running while its process is still replaying logs, creating schemas, or refusing connections. Add a health check and use the service_healthy condition when tests must wait.
Design a useful health check
- Check the service’s real protocol, not merely whether a process exists.
pg_isreadyis more useful for PostgreSQL than a generic process check. - Set an interval and timeout long enough for the CI worker, then allow enough retries for first-time initialization.
- Use credentials and database names that match the service environment.
- Keep the check cheap; it runs repeatedly while the dependency is starting.
For services without a native readiness command, use a small client request or a project-provided probe. If the application performs migrations, run them after the database health check and before tests. A healthy database does not imply that your application’s schema is current.
When Compose still reports an unhealthy service
- Inspect the dependency log with
docker compose logs db. - Inspect the health status and failing output with
docker inspecton the container ID shown bydocker compose ps. - Check that the health command uses the same user, database, and port configured for the service.
- Increase retries only after confirming that initialization is legitimately slow; a permanently failing check indicates a configuration or image problem.
Isolate concurrent CI jobs
Two builds running the same Compose file can otherwise collide over project names, container names, networks, and volumes. Give every job a unique project name based on the CI system’s build identifier:
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export COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=ci-${BUILD_ID}Use an identifier that is unique for the lifetime of the job and valid for Compose project naming. Do not set fixed container_name values in the file; they defeat project isolation and make parallel builds compete for the same name. Use named volumes only within the project, and remove them when the job is finished if the data must never survive a build.
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Handle secrets without leaking them
Ordinary environment variables are convenient for non-sensitive configuration, but they can appear in process listings, diagnostic output, or CI metadata. Docker advises using a secret mechanism for passwords and other sensitive values.
Use mounted secret files
Compose makes a declared secret available inside the container under /run/secrets/<name>. Images that support the _FILE convention can read the value without placing it directly in the environment. For an image that does not support that convention, have the application read the file itself or use a short entrypoint that exports the value only inside the process.
Protect the secret source
- Create
secrets/db_password.txtin the workspace only for the duration of the job, with restrictive file permissions. - Never commit that path or echo its contents in a diagnostic command.
- Delete the file in the cleanup step, even if the test command fails.
- Use separate credentials and databases for CI; never point an integration test at a shared production or staging database.
Run the isolated test lifecycle
Docker describes the canonical isolated loop as create the environment, run the suite, and destroy the environment. A CI job should add image building, log collection, and guaranteed cleanup:
set -eu
export COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=ci-${BUILD_ID}
COMPOSE='docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test'
cleanup() {
${COMPOSE} logs --no-color > compose.log || true
${COMPOSE} down --volumes --remove-orphans || true
rm -f secrets/db_password.txt
}
trap cleanup EXIT
${COMPOSE} config
${COMPOSE} up --build -d
${COMPOSE} run --rm testThe exact shell error-handling syntax can be adapted to your CI runner. The essential behavior is that cleanup runs on success, failure, cancellation, and test timeout. If you need to execute a command in a service that is already running, use docker compose exec instead of run. The latter creates a one-off container; exec enters an existing container.
Collect evidence before teardown
Always capture logs before down, because removing the project removes the easiest path to container output. Preserve:
- Compose logs with timestamps and without color codes.
- JUnit, TAP, coverage, or other test reports written to a mounted artifacts directory.
- The rendered
docker compose configoutput, after redacting secret values. - Container status and exit codes when a service fails to start.
Uploading these files as CI artifacts turns an otherwise opaque failure into a debuggable one. Do not upload mounted secret files or unredacted environment dumps.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Integrate Compose into a CI provider
A provider-neutral job has this order:
- Check out the commit and install or select the required Docker version.
- Restore Docker or language-package caches when available.
- Materialize protected secrets and set a unique project name.
- Run
docker compose configto validate the merged definition. - Build and start the stack with
up --build -d. - Run migrations or other initialization, then execute the test service.
- Collect logs and reports.
- Run
down --volumes --remove-orphansin an unconditional cleanup step.
Docker’s official GitHub Actions example follows a build, export, test, then multi-platform build-and-push flow and reuses the initial build’s internal cache for the later build. A Compose-based project can keep the same idea: perform the Compose build and test in the job, then use the resulting image or cache in a later publishing job. Pin action versions according to your repository policy and keep publishing credentials out of the test job when the job does not need them.
Example GitHub Actions job shape
jobs:
integration:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- name: Prepare secret file
run: |
mkdir -p secrets
printf %s '${{ secrets.CI_DB_PASSWORD }}' > secrets/db_password.txt
- name: Validate Compose
env:
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: ci-${{ github.run_id }}
run: docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test config
- name: Build and test
env:
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: ci-${{ github.run_id }}
run: |
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test up --build -d
docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test run --rm test
- name: Collect logs
if: always()
env:
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: ci-${{ github.run_id }}
run: docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test logs --no-color > compose.log || true
- name: Upload diagnostics
if: always()
uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
with:
name: compose-diagnostics
path: |
compose.log
artifacts/
- name: Tear down
if: always()
env:
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME: ci-${{ github.run_id }}
run: docker compose -f compose.yaml -f compose.ci.yaml --profile test down --volumes --remove-orphansIn a real workflow, place secret-file deletion in the final cleanup block as well. The example shows the control flow; adjust action versions, secret syntax, artifact paths, and runner labels to your provider and repository policies.
Improve reproducibility and speed
Pin what the test depends on
Use explicit image tags or digests instead of a moving latest tag when a dependency’s behavior affects test results. Pin language package lockfiles and the Dockerfile base image. Record the rendered Compose configuration as an artifact so a failed build can be tied to the exact image and variable values used, with secrets removed.
Cache safely
Build-layer caches can make repeated CI runs much faster. Cache keys should include the files that invalidate dependencies, such as a lockfile and Dockerfile. Do not let one branch’s mutable cache silently replace another branch’s tested image. A cache accelerates a build; it must not be treated as the source of correctness.
Keep test data disposable
Use a project-scoped volume for database files during a job, then remove it with down --volumes. If a test needs a known starting state, run migrations and seed data in the job rather than relying on a volume left by a previous run. Parallel jobs should never share that volume.
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| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
The test runner cannot resolve db. |
The services are not on the same Compose project network, or the test uses a host name from another environment. | Use the Compose service name, verify both services are in the selected profile, and inspect docker compose ps. |
| Connection refused immediately after startup. | Startup order was mistaken for readiness. | Add a protocol-level health check and condition: service_healthy; run migrations after readiness. |
| Two builds remove each other’s containers. | Both jobs use the default or a fixed project name. | Set -p ci-${BUILD_ID} or COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME uniquely per job and remove fixed container_name values. |
| Tests pass locally but fail in CI because a port is busy. | The CI file publishes a host port that is unnecessary or already allocated. | Prefer internal service-to-service networking; publish a port only when a host process must connect, and override it for CI. |
| A service exits before logs are collected. | The job tears down immediately after the failing command. | Use an unconditional cleanup block that saves docker compose logs before down. |
| Configuration differs from what the file appears to say. | Variable interpolation or multi-file merging changed the effective values. | Run docker compose config and inspect the rendered result with secrets redacted. |
| A password appears in build or test output. | A sensitive value was passed as a normal environment variable or echoed by a script. | Move it to a secret mount, remove shell tracing around secret commands, and rotate any value that was exposed. |
Security and maintenance checklist
- Use a dedicated CI project name for every build.
- Keep service names stable and avoid fixed container names.
- Use health checks for databases, queues, and APIs whose process can be running before they are ready.
- Validate the fully merged configuration before starting containers.
- Use profiles or an additive CI file rather than copying the entire development definition.
- Mount passwords and tokens as secrets; do not commit secret files or print them in logs.
- Build the test image from the commit under test, and pin dependency images and lockfiles.
- Collect logs and reports before teardown, including on failure and cancellation.
- Remove containers, networks, orphaned services, and disposable volumes in cleanup.
- Review cache scope so an untrusted change cannot inject artifacts into a trusted publishing job.
Putting the pattern into practice
Start with one Compose file that can bring up the database and test runner on a laptop. Add a real readiness check, then select it through a test profile. Introduce a CI override only when the job needs different mounts, ports, or environment values. In the pipeline, render the merged configuration, assign a unique project name, build and start the stack, run the test service, preserve diagnostics, and tear everything down.
This arrangement gives every commit the same dependency topology while allowing CI-specific isolation and security controls. It also makes failures actionable: the rendered configuration shows what was requested, health status shows whether dependencies were ready, logs show what happened, and the unique project name ensures one build cannot damage another.
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