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I am using the same docker-compose.yml file for multiple projects. I am really lazy, so I don't want to start them with docker-compose -p $PROJECT_NAME up.

As of Docker version 17.06.0, is it possible to set the variable directly in the docker-compose.yml file?

Pang
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Hedge
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4 Answers4

102

UPDATE: You can now use the top-level name property in your docker-compose YAML file. This is available from Docker Compose v2.3.3

This is the result of the #745 proposal. An issue which persevered for about 8 years.

Previously: Right now, we can use the .env file to set the custom project name like this:

COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=SOMEPROJECTNAME

It's not flexible, but it's better than nothing. Currently, there is an open issue regarding this as a proposal.

Ayushya
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    Compose supports declaring default environment variables in an environment file named `.env` placed in the folder where the `docker-compose` command is executed (current working directory). – Ayushya Jul 05 '17 at 11:12
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    It silly that for all this time they still can't add this little feature directly in compose file. Whats their reasoning for not doing it? What if I want to run docker-compose in same dir for multiple projects? Then `.env` file is useless – Andrius Nov 24 '20 at 21:34
  • With newer versions of Docker Compose, this can now be done in the `docker-compose.yml` file with the `name:` property (see @Michal's answer). – Druckles Sep 16 '22 at 11:24
  • Example docker-compose.yml (replace \n with a new line in your editor): version: "3"\n name: projectName\n services:\n – ReemRashwan Jan 15 '23 at 11:07
15

I know this question was asked a long time ago, but I ran into the same problem. There's a suggestion to add the feature https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/745, but they don't want to.

However, I have a Makefile in the root of the directory and then you can add something like in the Makefile:

.PHONY: container-name
container-name:
    docker-compose -p $PROJECT_NAME up -d container-name

and then run make container-name

I know it isn't what you asked for, but could maybe make your life a bit easier.

Christian Hjelmslund
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8

220806 UPDATE: you can now use the top-level name property in your docker-compose YAML file.

This is the result of the #745 proposal.

Michal Svorc
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3

Update as on Docker Compose version 2.3.3, name can be given in the compose file, but please note the following as per documentation compose-spec at github.com., Compose official documentation

Whenever project name is defined by top-level name or by some custom mechanism, it MUST be exposed for interpolation and environment variable resolution as COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME.

name: stitch
services:
  foo:
    image: busybox
    environment:
      - COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME
    command: echo "I'm running ${COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME}"

Previously proposed solution : You can add them as your environment variables which are available through the session in which you are bringing up your containers using the docker compose.

Ie, if you wanted to use $PROJECT_NAME somewhere inside your docker-compose.yaml then if this variable has a value in your session, then it would be picked up.

Inside the yaml you can assign it to anything as you want it. You want as a commandline arg to some script, even that is also possible. ie,

working_dir: /opt
command: /bin/bash -c './script.sh ${PROJECT_NAME}'
volumes:
    - /var/run/:/host/var/run/

I'm using docker version : Docker version 17.09.0-ce, build afdb6d4 docker-compose version : docker-compose version 1.14.0, build c7bdf9e

Ashishkel
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