CLI Reference

This reference covers all subcommands and options available in the container-compose CLI. container-compose is a tool to use and manage Docker Compose files with Apple Container.

Global Flags

These flags are shared by all subcommands. Recognized global flags placed before the subcommand are automatically promoted to after the subcommand for compatibility with Docker Compose UX.

Flag	Shorthand	Type	Default	Description
--file	-f	path	compose.yaml	Path to compose file.
--project-name	-p	string		Project name override (defaults to compose 'name:' field, then cwd basename).
--project-directory		path		Project root directory for resolving relative paths (defaults to the compose file's directory).
--profile		string		Specify a profile to enable. Can be specified multiple times.
--env-file		path	.env	Path to environment file.

Lifecycle Commands

Commands for managing the lifecycle of your containers.

Command	Description	Detailed Reference
up	Start containers with compose	Reference
down	Stop containers with compose	Reference
start	Start existing stopped containers	Reference
stop	Stop running containers without removing them	Reference
restart	Restart running containers	Reference
create	Create containers without starting them	Reference
kill	Force-stop project containers	Reference
rm	Remove stopped project containers	Reference

Inspection Commands

Commands for inspecting the state of your project.

Command	Description	Detailed Reference
ps	List containers for this Compose project	Reference
ls	List Compose projects on the host	Reference
logs	View output from containers	Reference
top	Display running processes in project containers	Reference
port	Print the public port for a service's private port	Reference
events	Stream container lifecycle events	Reference
config	Parse, resolve and render the compose file	Reference

Build & Run Commands

Commands for building images and running one-off commands.

Command	Description	Detailed Reference
build	Build images from a compose file	Reference
pull	Pull service images	Reference
push	Push service images	Reference
run	Run a one-off command on a service	Reference
exec	Execute a command in a running service container	Reference
watch	Monitor file changes and update services	Reference

System & API Commands

Commands for managing the daemon and system state.

Command	Description	Detailed Reference
serve	Start the HTTP API daemon	Reference
system	Manage the daemon and runtime state	Reference
version	Display the version information	Reference

API Clients

Generated SDK publication channels for the daemon's OpenAPI surface.

Topic	Description	Detailed Reference
api-clients	SDK package names, install commands, and snapshot/release channels	Reference

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: General error