Design Docker and Docker Compose configurations for local development environments including multi-service stacks, hot-reload volume mounts, database and cache services, networking, health checks, development-specific overrides, Dockerfile multi-stage patterns, and .dockerignore optimization. Use when creating or reviewing docker-compose.yml for local dev workflows, designing multi-stage Dockerfiles, or troubleshooting container networking. Triggered by: docker compose, docker-compose, Dockerfile, docker development, multi-stage, docker volume, docker network, container development, compose yaml, dockerignore, docker health check, docker dev.
Patterns for designing Docker and Docker Compose configurations optimized for local development — fast rebuilds, hot-reload, infrastructure services, and production parity.
Docker Compose turns "install PostgreSQL, Redis, and Elasticsearch on your laptop" into docker compose up. But a development Docker setup has different requirements than production: it needs fast rebuilds, volume-mounted source code for hot-reload, accessible ports for debugging, and sensible defaults that work without configuration. This skill covers the patterns that make Docker development environments fast, reliable, and maintainable.
Use this skill when creating Docker Compose configurations for local development, designing multi-stage Dockerfiles that serve both dev and production, or troubleshooting service connectivity and performance in containerized environments.
# docker-compose.yml (or compose.yaml)