docker-compose-gen_skill

Overview

This skill generates a complete docker-compose.yml by scanning your project and detecting the services you need. It wires up app containers with databases, caches, queues, networks, volumes, and health checks so you get a working composition quickly. Use it to skip manual compose authoring and get a reproducible local environment.

How this skill works

The tool inspects common project files like package.json, requirements.txt, Dockerfiles, and typical config values to identify the app stack and external dependencies. It maps detected services to official images, configures named volumes and networks, and inserts health checks and depends_on rules. You can run it with zero config or pass flags to include dev overrides, specify services, or change output paths.

When to use it

• Containerizing an existing application when you need a docker-compose boilerplate fast
• When you don’t remember docker-compose syntax or service wiring details
• To create a reproducible local development environment with databases and caches
• When prototyping new services and you want standard networking and persistence
• To generate initial compose files before refining production-specific settings

Best practices

• Use named volumes for database and cache persistence to avoid data loss on rebuilds
• Add and tune health checks so depends_on reflects real readiness, not just container start
• Separate dev and prod configs—keep overrides in docker-compose.override.yml or separate files
• Pin image versions (avoid :latest) to ensure reproducible environments
• Review generated environment variables and secrets; move secrets to an external manager before production

Example use cases

• Run npx ai-docker-compose in a Node or Python project to get a ready docker-compose.yml
• Generate compose with --with-dev to add hot-reload and dev-only volumes
• Manually specify services (e.g., --services postgres,redis,app) for custom stacks
• Pipe output to a file (npx ai-docker-compose > docker-compose.yml) before committing
• Scan a legacy repo to discover hidden dependencies and create a local testbed