⚠ Partial

docker-compose vs docker compose: Command Name Is the Primary Migration Issue

docker-compose (v1) vs docker compose (v2) + Script compatibility

Compose v2 uses `docker compose` (space, no hyphen). The YAML file format is fully backward-compatible. Docker Desktop provides a `docker-compose` alias pointing to v2 on macOS and Windows. Linux servers with Docker Engine only do not have this alias — scripts using `docker-compose` fail unless you add the alias manually or install the compatibility shim.

Workarounds & Fixes

Shell alias: `alias docker-compose="docker compose"` in ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
Update scripts globally to use `docker compose` (no hyphen)
Install compatibility symlink: `sudo ln -sf /usr/libexec/docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose /usr/local/bin/docker-compose`

Related Error Pages

Related Combinations

Docker Compose v2 + Docker Engine 20.10 ⚠ Partial Docker Compose v2 + ARM64 (Apple Silicon / AWS Graviton) ⚠ Partial Docker Compose v1 (docker-compose) + Any Docker Engine ✗ Incompatible Docker Compose v2 + Docker Engine 23.0+ ✓ Works

Last verified: 2024-10-01 · Category: Docker Compose + Engine