Project name in docker-compose.yml

[fntlnz]

I have a number of projects which are using docker-compose and I'm starting to have the need to specify the project name directly into the docker-compose.yml

Consider this scenario:

I have two projects with the following directory structures

project1
|-- docker
|    |-- docker-compose.yml
|-- public
|    |--index.php
|-- vendor
|-- modules

project2
|-- docker
|    |-- docker-compose.yml
|-- public
|    |--index.php
|-- vendor
|-- modules

And with two docker-compose.yml like this:

web:
  image: fntlnz/nginx:1.6.2
  volumes:
    - ../:/var/www/project
  ports:
    - "127.0.0.2:80:80"
  links:
    - fpm:fpm

fpm:
  image: fntlnz/php-fpm:5.6.6
  volumes:
    - ../:/var/www/project
  links:
    - redis:redis

redis:
  image: redis

When I issue a docker-compose up in the project1 directory it will start three containers with the following names docker_web_1, docker_fpm_1, docker_redis_1.

If now I issue the same command in the project2 directory it recreates the same containers of project1 instead creating it's own.

I know that I can change the project name using the -p option or the COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME environment variable but IMHO would be useful to have in the docker-compose.yml something like project_name: project1.

My docker-compose.yml would become:

project_name: project1
web:
  image: fntlnz/nginx:1.6.2
  volumes:
    - ../:/var/www/project
  ports:
    - "127.0.0.2:80:80"
  links:
    - fpm:fpm

fpm:
  image: fntlnz/php-fpm:5.6.6
  volumes:
    - ../:/var/www/project
  links:
    - redis:redis

redis:
  image: redis

[dnephin]

Probably a duplicate of #45 (#463) and #745

[mikehaertl]

+1 but agree, that this should be closed as duplicate of #45. I think #745 is a little different, no?

[fntlnz]

It is definitely a duplicate of #45

[robeatoz]

Like @igor-lemon wrote in #45 (comment):

Right now we can use .env file with custom project name and set
COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=SOMEPROJECTNAME

You can find more options here: https://docs.docker.com/compose/env-file/

[isaac-weisberg]

Dawg this is such a basic feature

[Z-a-r-a-k-i]

Would it be so difficult to add the possibility of setting the project name directly from inside the docker-compose.yml file ?
I mean now that I put docker-compose.yml files everywhere in my projects like in some src folder, it's a bit painful to have to create a .env file all the time and I know that a lot of developers are facing the same problem.

[benjick]

Right now we can use .env file with custom project name and set COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME=SOMEPROJECTNAME

Not really helpful if you have several YAML files in the same directory that you wanna use different project names for. Can't believe this function doesn't exist.

version: '3.8'
project_name: foo
services:
  ...

would be so nice

[f1am3d]

Any updates?

[glours]

@f1ames0ff the support was introduce in compose-go v1.1.0 so it supported in Compose v2 since version v2.3.0

[Z-a-r-a-k-i]

@f1ames0ff the support was introduce in compose-go v1.1.0 so it supported in Compose v2 since version v2.3.0

Cannot find the information, could you be more explicit about "the support"?

Thank you!

[MatthewLymer]

@Z-a-r-a-k-i

version: "3"
name: "my-project" # <--- this
services:
  mysql: ...

[nemanjam]

@Z-a-r-a-k-i

version: "3"
name: "my-project" # <--- this
services:
  mysql: ...

Is name supported? I get this:

ERROR: The Compose file './docker-compose.test.yml' is invalid because:
'name' does not match any of the regexes: '^x-'

[aaroncrawford]

@nemanjam It's working for me - I'm using Docker compose v2 which I believe is required. If you have docker desktop, you can go to settings and flip on v2 support.

[nemanjam]

I use v3.8 and I had to do it like this docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml -p npb-test up -d.

[MatthewLymer]

I use v3.8 and I had to do it like this docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml -p npb-test up -d.

I believe you must use the newer docker<space>compose, not docker<dash>compose.

[sskras]

@MatthewLymer ** commented 16 days ago:

I use v3.8 and I had to do it like this docker-compose -f docker-compose.test.yml -p npb-test up -d.

I believe you must use the newer docker<space>compose, not docker<dash>compose.

Umm, no:

$ docker compose
docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.
See 'docker --help'

$ docker --version
Docker version 20.10.14, build a224086

$ docker-compose --version
docker-compose version 1.29.2, build 5becea4c

[sskras]

@aaroncrawford commented 16 days ago:

@nemanjam It's working for me - I'm using Docker compose v2 which I believe is required. If you have docker desktop, you can go to settings and flip on v2 support.

Can you show an example? I use CLI only, and setting version: "2.2" does not help.
IOW, I confirm what @nemanjam says.

[boxertech]

When I just set version: '2.2' I got the error "'name' does not match any of the regexes: '^x-'". When I went into docker desktop and turned on v2 compose support, I got the error "(root) Additional property name is not allowed". When I used docker compose instead of docker-compose, I go the same property name is not allowed error.

I dropped name from my compose file, and I used the env variable. It worked, but it's not ideal for reasons stated above.

[sskras]

OK, so now I get the idea. There are two seemingly related things that can have the second version:

• Compose file v2 (now having become legacy, most folks just use Compose files v3)
• Compose V2 (instead of now deprecated Compose V1)

The latter works as a Docker plugin, not as a standalone binary like V1.
Hence the dash disappearing from V1 docker-compose to become V2 which is invoked by docker compose now.

---

So, my summary is that you probably need to install Docker Compose V2 according to your setup:
https://docs.docker.com/compose/install/#compose-prerequisites

... and maybe then the name:  starts working. I have yet to check that (to upgrade to Compose V2).

[sskras]

@boxertech commented 2 hours ago:

When I went into docker desktop and turned on v2 compose support, I got the error "(root) Additional property name is not allowed". When I used docker compose instead of docker-compose, I go the same property name is not allowed error.

Hey, what's the exact v2 version number of your Compose?
Folks say it should be there since v2.3.0

[johnthagen]

Documented here:

• https://docs.docker.com/compose/compose-file/04-version-and-name/

Implementation:

• Update spec and implement project name compose-spec/compose-go#231

[uuf6429]

Documented here:

• https://docs.docker.com/compose/compose-file/#name-top-level-element

Implementation:

• Update spec and implement project name compose-spec/compose-go#231

That first link is "broken" - I believe it should now be https://docs.docker.com/compose/compose-file/04-version-and-name/

[jakubgs]

From what version of Docker Compose is this field available? I am running 1.29.2 and it doesn't work:

The Compose file './docker-compose.yml' is invalid because:
'name' does not match any of the regexes: '^x-'
You might be seeing this error because you're using the wrong Compose file version. Either specify a supported version (e.g "2.2" or "3.3") and place your service definitions under the `services` key, or omit the `version` key and place your service definitions at the root of the file to use version 1.
For more on the Compose file format versions, see https://docs.docker.com/compose/compose-file/

[glours]

@jakubgs Compose v1 is EOL, please switch to Compose v2.
Here a link to install the latest version of Compose

[jakubgs]

Ah, indeed, cheers.