How to Use the Docker Compose Override File

In Docker Compose, an override file is a powerful feature that allows you to modify the default configuration provided by the main docker-compose.yml without the need to directly edit or duplicate the whole file. The primary use of the override file is for local development customizations, and Docker Compose merges the configurations of the docker-compose.yml and the docker-compose.override.yml files when you run docker compose up.

Here’s a quick guide on how to use the docker-compose.override.yml:

Note: Please consult the docker-compose.override.yml.example for more examples

See the official docker documentation for more info:

• docker docs - understanding-multiple-compose-files
• docker docs - merge-compose-files
• docker docs - specifying-multiple-compose-files

Step 1: Create a docker-compose.override.yml file

If you don’t already have a docker-compose.override.yml file, you can create one by copying the example override content:

cp docker-compose.override.yml.example docker-compose.override.yml

This file will be picked up by Docker Compose automatically when you run docker-compose commands.

Step 2: Edit the override file

Open your docker-compose.override.yml file with vscode or any text editor.

Make your desired changes by uncommenting the relevant sections and customizing them as needed.

Warning: You can only specify every service name once (api, mongodb, meilisearch, …) If you want to override multiple settings in one service you will have to edit accordingly.

Examples

If you want to make sure Docker can use your librechat.yaml file for Custom Endpoints & Configuration, it would look like this:

version: '3.4'
 
services:
  api:
    volumes:
      - ./librechat.yaml:/app/librechat.yaml

Or, if you want to locally build the image for the api service, use the LibreChat config file, and use the older Mongo that doesn’t requires AVX support, your docker-compose.override.yml might look like this:

version: '3.4'
 
services:
  api:
    volumes:
      - ./librechat.yaml:/app/librechat.yaml
    image: librechat
    build:
      context: .
      target: node
 
  mongodb:
    image: mongo:4.4.18

Note: Be cautious if you expose ports for MongoDB or Meilisearch to the public, as it can make your data vulnerable.

Step 3: Apply the changes

To apply your configuration changes, simply run Docker Compose as usual. Docker Compose automatically takes into account both the docker-compose.yml and the docker-compose.override.yml files:

docker compose up -d

Step 4: Verify the changes

After starting your services with the modified configuration, you can verify that the changes have been applied using the docker ps command to list the running containers and their properties, such as ports.

Important Considerations

• Order of Precedence: Values defined in the override file take precedence over those specified in the original docker-compose.yml file.
• Security: When customizing ports and publicly exposing services, always be conscious of the security implications. Avoid using defaults for production or sensitive environments.

By following these steps and considerations, you can easily and safely modify your Docker Compose configuration without altering the original docker-compose.yml file, making it simpler to manage and maintain different environments or local customizations.

deploy-compose.yml

To use an override file with a non-default Docker Compose file, such as deploy-compose.yml, you will have to explicitly specify both files when running Docker Compose commands.

Docker Compose allows you to specify multiple -f or --file options to include multiple compose files, where settings in later files override or add to those in the first.

If you use deploy-compose.yml as your main Docker Compose configuration and you have an override file named docker-compose.override.yml (you can name the override file whatever you want, but you may have this specific file already), you would run Docker Compose commands like so:

docker compose -f deploy-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml pull
docker compose -f deploy-compose.yml -f docker-compose.override.yml up