Docker Compose Multi-Environment Setup

Effective management of multiple environments is crucial for maintaining consistent deployments across development, staging, and production. This guide covers various environment management strategies in Docker Compose.

Basic Environment Configuration

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:${TAG:-latest}
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development}
      - DB_HOST=${DB_HOST:-localhost}
      - DB_PORT=${DB_PORT:-5432}
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3
    profiles:
      - ${ENV:-dev}

Docker Compose 3.x Features

1. Extended Environment Configuration

   services:
     app:
       image: ${IMAGE_NAME:-myapp}:${TAG:-latest}
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development}
         - DB_HOST=${DB_HOST:-localhost}
       profiles:
         - ${ENV:-dev}
   

2. Conditional Services

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:latest
       profiles:
         - dev
     monitoring:
       image: prometheus:latest
       profiles:
         - prod
   

3. Environment Templates

   services:
     app:
       image: ${IMAGE_NAME_${ENV:-dev}:-myapp}:${TAG_${ENV:-dev}:-latest}
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV_${ENV:-dev}:-development}
   

Environment Types

1. Development

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:dev
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=development
         - DEBUG=true
       volumes:
         - .:/app
       profiles:
         - dev
   

2. Staging

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:staging
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=staging
         - DEBUG=false
       profiles:
         - staging
   

3. Production

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:prod
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=production
         - DEBUG=false
       deploy:
         replicas: 3
       profiles:
         - prod
   

Docker Swarm Mode Considerations

1. Environment Management

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:${TAG:-latest}
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development}
       deploy:
         placement:
           constraints:
             - node.role == manager
       profiles:
         - ${ENV:-dev}
   

2. Service Configuration

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:${TAG:-latest}
       environment:
         - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development}
       deploy:
         replicas: ${REPLICAS:-1}
         restart_policy:
           condition: on-failure
   

3. Resource Management

   services:
     app:
       image: myapp:${TAG:-latest}
       deploy:
         resources:
           limits:
             cpus: ${CPU_LIMIT:-0.5}
             memory: ${MEMORY_LIMIT:-512M}
   

Common Environment Patterns

1. Development Setup

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:dev
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=development
      - DEBUG=true
    volumes:
      - .:/app
    profiles:
      - dev

2. Staging Configuration

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:staging
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=staging
      - DEBUG=false
    deploy:
      replicas: 2
    profiles:
      - staging

3. Production Setup

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:prod
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production
      - DEBUG=false
    deploy:
      replicas: 3
      resources:
        limits:
          cpus: '0.5'
          memory: 512M
    profiles:
      - prod

Best Practices

1. Environment Management
   • Use environment variables
   • Implement profiles
   • Maintain separate configs
   • Version control
   • Documentation
2. Configuration Security
   • Use secrets
   • Environment-specific configs
   • Access controls
   • Regular audits
   • Backup procedures
3. Deployment Strategy
   • Automated deployments
   • Environment promotion
   • Rollback procedures
   • Testing strategy
   • Monitoring setup
4. Maintenance
   • Regular updates
   • Configuration review
   • Performance monitoring
   • Security patches
   • Documentation updates

Environment Operations

1. Environment Management

# Start development environment
docker compose --profile dev up

# Start staging environment
docker compose --profile staging up

# Start production environment
docker compose --profile prod up

2. Configuration Management

# List environment variables
docker compose config --format json | jq '.services.app.environment'

# Check service configuration
docker compose config --profile prod

# Validate configuration
docker compose config

3. Environment Monitoring

# Check service status
docker compose ps

# View service logs
docker compose logs

# Monitor resource usage
docker stats

Advanced Environment Features

1. Environment Variables

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:${TAG:-latest}
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV:-development}
      - DB_HOST=${DB_HOST:-localhost}
    profiles:
      - ${ENV:-dev}

2. Service Profiles

services:
  app:
    image: myapp:latest
    profiles:
      - dev
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=development
  monitoring:
    image: prometheus:latest
    profiles:
      - prod
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=production

3. Environment Templates

services:
  app:
    image: ${IMAGE_NAME_${ENV:-dev}:-myapp}:${TAG_${ENV:-dev}:-latest}
    environment:
      - NODE_ENV=${NODE_ENV_${ENV:-dev}:-development}
    deploy:
      replicas: ${REPLICAS_${ENV:-dev}:-1}

Troubleshooting

1. Environment Issues

   # Check environment variables
   docker compose config --format json | jq '.services.app.environment'
   
   # View service configuration
   docker compose config --profile prod
   
   # Check service status
   docker compose ps
   

2. Configuration Problems

   # Validate configuration
   docker compose config
   
   # Check service logs
   docker compose logs
   
   # Inspect service details
   docker compose inspect app
   

3. Deployment Issues

   # Check deployment status
   docker compose ps
   
   # View deployment logs
   docker compose logs
   
   # Monitor resource usage
   docker stats
   

Integration with Environment Tools

1. Configuration Management
   • Docker Configs
   • Docker Secrets
   • Environment Files
   • Configuration Services
2. Deployment Tools
   • Docker Swarm
   • Kubernetes
   • CI/CD Pipelines
   • Deployment Automation
3. Monitoring Solutions
   • Prometheus
   • Grafana
   • ELK Stack
   • Cloud Monitoring
4. Security Tools
   • Vault
   • AWS Secrets Manager
   • Azure Key Vault
   • Google Secret Manager

Remember to regularly review and update your environment management strategies based on the latest best practices and requirements. Implement a comprehensive environment management plan and continuously monitor your Docker Compose setup for optimal performance.