Configure docker-compose override to ignore / hide some containers

Question

If I have (simplified), the following docker-compose.yml:

parent:   image: parent   links:     - child  child:   image: child 

Can I construct a docker-compose.override.yml file that will not create or start the child image?

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An undesirable (for me) solution, would be to reverse the files, such that the default yml file would create only the parent, and the override would create both.

However, I would like the master configuration file to contain the most common usage scenario.

Answer 1

In defense of the original poster: I totally get why you would want to do this. The docker-compose way always seems to be "put your variation in the override files", but in the interest of keeping things simple within a large development team, I like:

• The ability to start everything with one command (e.g. "docker-compose up" or "docker-compose up main")
• All of my docker definitions in one place
  • The only variation in override files to be which containers are disabled

Here's how I did it in my override files:

  # Disable database containers   postgres:     image: alpine:latest     command: "true"     entrypoint: "true"   mysql:     image: alpine:latest     command: "true"     entrypoint: "true" 

The upshot is, all containers are started by "docker-compose up", but those that I've overridden immediately die.

If you want an ever lighter weight container than alpine, try tianon/true.

Answer 2

I really like solution from Ryan. But it can be improved. Create docker-compose.override.yml next to docker-compose.yml with content:

# disable services version "3"  fluentd:     image: hello-world     command: hello     restart: "no"  elasticsearch:     image: hello-world     command: hello     restart: "no" 

I believe hello-world is a smallest image (size: ~1Kb) on the other hand the size of alpine linux is ~6Mb