Docker Compose Examples 2026: 15 Production-Ready Configurations

Meta description: 15 copy-paste Docker Compose examples for 2026. Full-stack apps, databases, monitoring, CI/CD. Production-ready configurations with explanations. Keywords: docker compose examples 2026, docker-compose.yml, docker compose tutorial, production docker setup, docker compose postgres redis nginx

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Docker Compose remains the fastest way to define and run multi-container applications. Whether you're setting up a development environment or deploying to production, having solid Compose files saves hours of configuration.

Here are 15 production-ready Docker Compose examples you can use today.

1. Full-Stack Web App (React + Node.js + PostgreSQL)

version: '3.9'
services:
frontend:
build: ./frontend
ports:
- "3000:3000"
environment:
- REACT_APP_API_URL=http://localhost:4000
depends_on:
- api

api:
build: ./backend
ports:
- "4000:4000"
environment:
- DATABASE_URL=postgresql://app:secret@db:5432/myapp
- REDIS_URL=redis://cache:6379
- JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
cache:
condition: service_started

db:
image: postgres:16-alpine
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: myapp
POSTGRES_USER: app
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
volumes:
- pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U app -d myapp"]
interval: 5s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5

cache:
image: redis:7-alpine
volumes:
- redisdata:/data

volumes:
pgdata:
redisdata:

This is the foundation most web apps need. PostgreSQL for persistence, Redis for caching and sessions, a Node.js API, and a React frontend.

2. WordPress with HTTPS (Nginx + MariaDB + Certbot)

version: '3.9'
services:
wordpress:
image: wordpress:6-php8.2-fpm
environment:
WORDPRESS_DB_HOST: db
WORDPRESS_DB_USER: wp
WORDPRESS_DB_PASSWORD: secure_password
WORDPRESS_DB_NAME: wordpress
volumes:
- wp_data:/var/www/html

db:
image: mariadb:11
environment:
MYSQL_DATABASE: wordpress
MYSQL_USER: wp
MYSQL_PASSWORD: secure_password
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_secure
volumes:
- db_data:/var/lib/mysql

nginx:
image: nginx:alpine
ports:
- "80:80"
- "443:443"
volumes:
- ./nginx.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
- wp_data:/var/www/html
- certbot_data:/etc/letsencrypt
depends_on:
- wordpress

certbot:
image: certbot/certbot
volumes:
- certbot_data:/etc/letsencrypt
- wp_data:/var/www/html

volumes:
wp_data:
db_data:
certbot_data:

3. Monitoring Stack (Prometheus + Grafana + Node Exporter)

version: '3.9'
services:
prometheus:
image: prom/prometheus:latest
ports:
- "9090:9090"
volumes:
- ./prometheus.yml:/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml
- prom_data:/prometheus
command:
- '--config.file=/etc/prometheus/prometheus.yml'
- '--storage.tsdb.retention.time=30d'

grafana:
image: grafana/grafana:latest
ports:
- "3000:3000"
environment:
GF_SECURITY_ADMIN_PASSWORD: admin
volumes:
- grafana_data:/var/lib/grafana
depends_on:
- prometheus

node-exporter:
image: prom/node-exporter:latest
ports:
- "9100:9100"
volumes:
- /proc:/host/proc:ro
- /sys:/host/sys:ro
command:
- '--path.procfs=/host/proc'
- '--path.sysfs=/host/sys'

volumes:
prom_data:
grafana_data:

Essential for any production environment. Prometheus collects metrics, Grafana visualizes them, Node Exporter provides host-level metrics.

4. Development Database Cluster (PostgreSQL + pgAdmin + Redis + RedisInsight)

version: '3.9'
services:
postgres:
image: postgres:16-alpine
ports:
- "5432:5432"
environment:
POSTGRES_DB: dev
POSTGRES_USER: developer
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: devpass
volumes:
- pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
- ./init.sql:/docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/init.sql

pgadmin:
image: dpage/pgadmin4
ports:
- "5050:80"
environment:
PGADMIN_DEFAULT_EMAIL: dev@local.com
PGADMIN_DEFAULT_PASSWORD: admin

redis:
image: redis:7-alpine
ports:
- "6379:6379"
volumes:
- redisdata:/data

redis-insight:
image: redislabs/redisinsight:latest
ports:
- "8001:8001"

volumes:
pgdata:
redisdata:

5. CI/CD Runner (GitLab Runner + Docker-in-Docker)

version: '3.9'
services:
gitlab-runner:
image: gitlab/gitlab-runner:latest
restart: always
volumes:
- runner_config:/etc/gitlab-runner
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

dind:
image: docker:dind
privileged: true
environment:
DOCKER_TLS_CERTDIR: ""
volumes:
- dind_storage:/var/lib/docker

volumes:
runner_config:
dind_storage:

6. ELK Stack (Elasticsearch + Logstash + Kibana)

version: '3.9'
services:
elasticsearch:
image: docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:8.12.0
environment:
- discovery.type=single-node
- xpack.security.enabled=false
- "ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms512m -Xmx512m"
ports:
- "9200:9200"
volumes:
- es_data:/usr/share/elasticsearch/data

logstash:
image: docker.elastic.co/logstash/logstash:8.12.0
volumes:
- ./logstash.conf:/usr/share/logstash/pipeline/logstash.conf
depends_on:
- elasticsearch

kibana:
image: docker.elastic.co/kibana/kibana:8.12.0
ports:
- "5601:5601"
depends_on:
- elasticsearch

volumes:
es_data:

7. Message Queue (RabbitMQ + Management UI)

version: '3.9'
services:
rabbitmq:
image: rabbitmq:3-management-alpine
ports:
- "5672:5672"
- "15672:15672"
environment:
RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_USER: admin
RABBITMQ_DEFAULT_PASS: admin
volumes:
- rabbitmq_data:/var/lib/rabbitmq

volumes:
rabbitmq_data:

8. Reverse Proxy (Traefik + Auto-SSL)

version: '3.9'
services:
traefik:
image: traefik:v3.0
ports:
- "80:80"
- "443:443"
- "8080:8080"
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- traefik_certs:/letsencrypt
command:
- "--api.insecure=true"
- "--providers.docker=true"
- "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
- "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
- "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.httpchallenge.entrypoint=web"
- "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.email=you@example.com"
- "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"

webapp:
image: nginx:alpine
labels:
- "traefik.enable=true"
- "traefik.http.routers.webapp.rule=Host(app.example.com)"
- "traefik.http.routers.webapp.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"

volumes:
traefik_certs:

9. MinIO Object Storage (S3-Compatible)

version: '3.9'
services:
minio:
image: minio/minio
ports:
- "9000:9000"
- "9001:9001"
environment:
MINIO_ROOT_USER: minioadmin
MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD: minioadmin
volumes:
- minio_data:/data
command: server /data --console-address ":9001"

volumes:
minio_data:

10. n8n Workflow Automation

version: '3.9'
services:
n8n:
image: n8nio/n8n
ports:
- "5678:5678"
environment:
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_ACTIVE=true
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_USER=admin
- N8N_BASIC_AUTH_PASSWORD=admin
- GENERIC_TIMEZONE=Europe/Paris
volumes:
- n8n_data:/home/node/.n8n

volumes:
n8n_data:

Best Practices for Production Docker Compose

Always use specific image tags — never latest in production

Use healthchecks — ensure services are actually ready before depending on them

Named volumes — don't use bind mounts for data persistence in production

Environment variables — use .env files or Docker secrets for sensitive data

Resource limits — set mem_limit and cpus to prevent runaway containers

Logging — configure log drivers to prevent disk fill

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