Docker Compose Mastery: Multi-Container Development Environments for ASP.NET Core
Complete guide to using Docker Compose for realistic local development environments, including database integration, networking, and production-like scenarios.
Your Name
One of the most impactful tools I've integrated into my development workflow is Docker Compose. Instead of spending hours setting up local databases, I can spin up an entire development environment with a single command.
Why Docker Compose Changes Everything
Before Docker Compose, my development setup was fragile. Each team member had slightly different database versions and configurations. Today, docker-compose up brings up a production-like environment in seconds.
Basic Docker Compose Setup
version: '3.8'
services:
api:
build:
context: .
dockerfile: Dockerfile
ports:
- "8080:8080"
environment:
- ASPNETCORE_ENVIRONMENT=Development
- ConnectionStrings__DefaultConnection=Server=sqlserver;Database=AppDb;User Id=sa;Password=YourPassword123!;Encrypt=false;
depends_on:
- sqlserver
volumes:
- .:/app
sqlserver:
image: mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2022-latest
environment:
ACCEPT_EULA: Y
SA_PASSWORD: YourPassword123!
ports:
- "1433:1433"
volumes:
- sqlserver-data:/var/opt/mssql
redis:
image: redis:7-alpine
ports:
- "6379:6379"
volumes:
- redis-data:/data
volumes:
sqlserver-data:
redis-data:
Development Dockerfile
The Dockerfile for development differs significantly from production:
FROM mcr.microsoft.com/dotnet/sdk:8.0 AS development
WORKDIR /app
COPY ["MyApi/MyApi.csproj", "./MyApi/"]
RUN dotnet restore "MyApi/MyApi.csproj"
COPY . .
ENTRYPOINT ["dotnet", "watch", "--project", "MyApi/MyApi.csproj", "run"]
Common Tasks
Running Database Migrations
docker-compose exec api dotnet ef database update
Viewing Logs
docker-compose logs -f api
Stopping Services
docker-compose down -v
Conclusion
Docker Compose has transformed how I work. Instead of maintaining complex local setups, I have reproducible, version-controlled development environments.
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