What is Docker Compose Profiles?

Question

Accepted Answer

**Profiles** — selectively start services based on environment.

```yaml
# docker-compose.yml
services:
  app:
    build: .
    ports: ["3000:3000"]

postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    profiles: ["dev", "staging"]

redis:
    image: redis:7
    profiles: ["dev", "staging"]

adminer:
    image: adminer
    ports: ["8080:8080"]
    profiles: ["dev"]

mailhog:
    image: mailhog/mailhog
    ports: ["1025:1025", "8025:8025"]
    profiles: ["dev"]

prometheus:
    image: prom/prometheus
    profiles: ["monitoring"]

grafana:
    image: grafana/grafana
    profiles: ["monitoring"]
```

```bash
# Start only default services
docker compose up

# Start with dev profile
docker compose --profile dev up

# Start with multiple profiles
docker compose --profile dev --profile monitoring up

# Set profiles via environment
COMPOSE_PROFILES=dev docker compose up

# List running services by profile
docker compose ps --profile dev

# Stop profile services
docker compose --profile dev down
```

**Use cases:**
- Dev tools (debugging, admin UIs).
- Monitoring stack.
- Testing dependencies.
- Optional features.

DevOps: What is Docker Compose Profiles?