ERROR: In file './docker-compose.yml', volume must be a mapping not a string

Question

Question: Why do I get this error?

ERROR: In file './docker-compose.yml', volume 'mariavolume' must be a mapping not a string.

My docker-compose file is almost identical to this one: https://docs.docker.com/compose/wordpress/

version: '2'
services:
  wordpress:
    image: wordpress:latest
    restart: always
    depends_on:
      - db
    ports:
      - 8080:80
    environment:
      WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: example
      WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: 3306
  db:
    image: mariadb
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
    volumes:
      - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql
volumes:
  maria_volume: ~/mariadb

score 23 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 23 '18 at 10:52

23

In my case this was happening because I missed adding a : after the volume name.

Instead of:

volumes:
    - mysqldata:

I had typed:

volumes:
    - mysqldata

docker-compose up gave me the same error as above.

answered Apr 23 '18 at 10:52

Dhiraj Gupta

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score 11 · Answer 2 · edited Oct 21 '19 at 11:32

11

I've just tackled this issue myself. If you just want a volume to store data, then do as below. This will create/reuse a volume that is persisted to disk as part of the Docker graph driver.

The next question is where is this?.

You can find it inside the docker image - Default Location -

C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual hard disks

db:
  image: mariadb
  restart: always
  environment:
    MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
  volumes:
    - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  maria_volume:

Of course, if you are after mapping a host directory into docker rather than having it inside the Docker graph driver. Then you can do it as follows.

db:
  image: mariadb
  restart: always
  environment:
    MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
  volumes:
    - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  maria_volume:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      o: bind
      type: none
      device: /C/mariadb

Please note, when mapping over host directories as volume (at least on windows) you can have issues with read/write permissions, something I have yet to resolve myself.

edited Oct 21 '19 at 11:32

Phoenix

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answered May 09 '19 at 17:16

JonWillis

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Thank you, it's worked for me :) you saved my day :) – web hobbit Oct 09 '19 at 16:37
Hi, just wondering if you find a solution for the read/write permissions issues on Windows, thanks. – bouchepat May 11 '21 at 19:27
@bouchepat I found on Windows that moving your data out of the WSL linux partition and onto your drive e.g. /c/docker/data fixed read/write permissions for me – Baxny May 18 '21 at 00:25
This worked for me, but I am using Linux, normally this is `/var/lib/docker` and there is the folder volumes. To find your docker root dir just type `docker info | grep "Docker Root Dir"` – Gilberto Treviño Jun 08 '21 at 14:19

score 10 · Answer 3 · edited May 23 '17 at 11:47

10

Unfortunately, there is no such a feature.

You can’t map a top-level volume in docker-compose.

Here are the options:

Adding volume per container and map it there. (like what Daniel did here)
Create a volume outside of the compose (with mapping) and use it in your compose.
```
volumes:
   maria_volume: 
       external:
           name: volume-name
```

edited May 23 '17 at 11:47

Community

1
1

answered Mar 08 '17 at 21:08

DaNeSh

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24

This is not true, you can map the top-level volume as well. – deenaik Jul 19 '19 at 04:36

score 5 · Answer 4 · edited Sep 29 '17 at 19:09

5

try this:

    volumes:
        - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql
volumes:
    maria_volume: 
        external:
            name: ~/mariadb

edited Sep 29 '17 at 19:09

Alison R.

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answered Dec 27 '16 at 06:59

Mohsen ZareZardeyni

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Thanks, but that gives me this syntax error: `volumes.maria_volume.external contains an invalid type, it should be a boolean, or an object ` – Richard Dec 29 '16 at 11:12
1

space is important: `name:...` – Sebastian May 15 '17 at 21:56

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Nov 19 '19 at 11:44

2

correct syntax for volume is
volumes: first:
where first is just a placeholder name to be used for volume

answered Nov 19 '19 at 11:44

Akshay Vijay Jain

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score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Aug 06 '18 at 09:56

1

Try this:

version: '2'
services:
  ...
  db:
    image: mariadb
    restart: always
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example
    volumes:
      - ~/mariadb:/var/lib/mysql

answered Aug 06 '18 at 09:56

kinjelom

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 17 '21 at 12:28

1

try this, it works for me

   volumes:
     - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql

volumes:
  maria_volume: 
    drive: local

answered Mar 17 '21 at 12:28

Fahd Rahali

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score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Dec 27 '16 at 13:40

0

I was running into the same issue as yourself and as a last act of despair I tried putting

volumes:
  - maria_volume: /var/lib/mysql

before

environment:
  MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: example

I'm not sure what kind of magic applied here but in my case, it worked

Let me know!

answered Dec 27 '16 at 13:40

Daniel

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1

Thanks, yes this works, but then you're no longer using a single named volume throughout your compose file, you're manually doing it per service version 1 docker-compose style hardcoded to the folder – Richard Dec 29 '16 at 11:13

score -1 · Answer 9 · edited Dec 21 '17 at 21:33

-1

For me this works:

In #docker_compose.yml:

volumes:
  postgres_data: {}
  static: { }

edited Dec 21 '17 at 21:33

Baum mit Augen

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answered Nov 25 '17 at 13:54

Deepak Sharma

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ERROR: In file './docker-compose.yml', volume must be a mapping not a string

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