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Docker Compose Diagram

Paste docker-compose.yml and visualize services, depends_on relationships, networks, and volumes.

Examples
Compose diagramReady
Paste docker-compose.yml and visualize services, depends_on relationships, networks, and volumes.

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How to use

  1. 1Paste docker-compose.yml into the editor, including services, networks, volumes, and depends_on blocks.
  2. 2Review service dependencies separately from readiness or health-check guarantees.
  3. 3Check which services expose ports, mount volumes, or share networks before documenting the stack.
  4. 4Trim secret values and environment variables before sharing a diagram publicly.
  5. 5Export the diagram for onboarding docs, README files, or local development setup notes.

Common use cases

Local stack documentationCompose service dependency reviewDeveloper onboardingREADME architecture diagramsAI-generated Compose validation

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FAQ

Does this tool use AI?

No. It parses and visualizes the source locally in the browser.

Does depends_on mean a service is ready?

No. depends_on shows startup ordering, not application readiness. Use health checks and application-level retries for readiness guarantees.

What should I remove before sharing a Compose diagram?

Remove secrets, private registry names, internal hostnames, and environment variables that should not appear in public documentation.

Docker Compose Diagram turns docker-compose.yml into a readable service topology for local stack documentation and onboarding.

Use it to visualize services, depends_on relationships, exposed ports, networks, and volumes before sharing setup instructions or reviewing a generated Compose file.

The diagram is a review surface: it explains declared topology but does not prove runtime readiness, health, or connectivity.

Demo: visualize a Compose web stack

Docker Compose files describe a local architecture in YAML. A diagram makes service dependencies, exposed ports, networks, and volumes easier to review before onboarding or debugging.

  • Show depends_on separately from actual runtime readiness.
  • Mark public ports and internal-only services.
  • Group observability, app, and data services when the file grows.
services:
  web:
    build: .
    depends_on: [api]
    ports: ["3000:3000"]
  api:
    image: acme/api
    depends_on: [db]
  db:
    image: postgres:16

Review checklist: Compose diagrams are not readiness guarantees

The diagram helps explain topology, but Compose depends_on does not always mean a dependency is ready for traffic. Pair the visual review with healthchecks and environment checks.

  • Add healthcheck for databases and queues.
  • Check whether ports expose services unintentionally.
  • Review named volumes when data persistence matters.
healthcheck:
  test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "postgres"]
  interval: 10s
  retries: 5

Security note: sanitize Compose before publishing

Compose files often include environment variables, host paths, private registry names, and internal service names. A diagram makes topology easier to share, but the source should still be reviewed first.

  • Remove secrets and tokens from environment blocks.
  • Replace private registry URLs or internal hostnames when publishing externally.
  • Keep volume paths generic when they expose local machine structure.
environment:
  DATABASE_URL: postgres://user:***@db:5432/app
volumes:
  - ./data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

Review checklist for Docker Compose Diagram

Use Docker Compose Diagram when you need to inspect source content visually before it becomes documentation, a pull request note, an incident write-up, or a handoff artifact. Convert Docker Compose services and dependencies into a readable architecture diagram.

Before exporting, check that labels are readable, relationships match the source, generated examples do not contain private data, and the preview still makes sense after you edit the input.

Limits and troubleshooting

If the preview fails, reduce the input to the smallest complete example, confirm the format syntax, and then add sections back one at a time. Many rendering failures come from partial files, indentation mistakes, missing diagram headers, or copied snippets that depend on hidden context.

Treat the preview as a review surface rather than a source of truth. Generated diagrams, converted files, dashboards, and rule examples should be checked before they are used in production documentation or operations.

Example inputs to test

  • Web stack: services: web: image: node:22 depends_on: - api networks: - app api: image: node:22 depends_on: - db - redis networks: - app db: image: postgres:16 networks: - app redis: image: re...
  • Queue workers: services: api: image: app-api depends_on: - queue worker: image: app-worker depends_on: - queue - database queue: image: rabbitmq:3 database: image: postgres:16
  • Observability: services: app: image: app depends_on: - prometheus prometheus: image: prom/prometheus grafana: image: grafana/grafana depends_on: - prometheus

Tool maturity

Advanced preview

Advanced parser

This tool extracts useful structure and relationships from developer input. Complex edge cases should still be checked against the source.

The maturity label is not a quality score. It tells visitors whether the tool is best for stable export, deeper debugging, quick parsing, or AI-assisted generation.