docker: 'compose' is not a docker command when installing using convenience scripts

[jamshid]

Description of the issue

I'm confused by the instructions for installing compose V2 on Linux and the convenience scripts don't result in a working docker compose.
This is kinda complicated just to get a working docker compose, would be nice if it all worked with convenience scripts.
Really my goal is to add the alias docker-compose (from https://github.com/docker/compose-switch) but I think I need docker compose working first?

Context information (for bug reports)

• [X ] Using Compose V2 docker compose ...
• Using Compose V1 docker-compose ...

Output of docker(-)compose version

none yet trying to install

Output of docker version

Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?
Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Cloud integration: 1.0.17
 Version:           20.10.8
 API version:       1.41
 Go version:        go1.16.6
 Git commit:        3967b7d
 Built:             Fri Jul 30 19:54:27 2021
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default
 Experimental:      true

Steps to reproduce the issue

I'm assuming I should be able to install the docker / docker compose command line client inside a Linux container (I do that with docker and V1 docker-compose). Of course I'm only trying to run the docker client, the docker server is not running in the container.

1. Create a Linux container on which you want the docker cli with the V2 compose subcommand. Btw it seems important that these convenience scripts work on centos/compatible too.

% docker run -ti ubuntu:20.04 bash

root@d8f753341dec:/# apt-get update && apt-get install -y curl

root@d8f753341dec:/# docker version
Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           20.10.8
 API version:       1.41
 Go version:        go1.16.6
 Git commit:        3967b7d
 Built:             Fri Jul 30 19:54:27 2021
 OS/Arch:           linux/amd64
 Context:           default
 Experimental:      true
Cannot connect to the Docker daemon at unix:///var/run/docker.sock. Is the docker daemon running?

2. Install the V2 docker compose cli:

root@d8f753341dec:/# curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docker/compose-cli/main/scripts/install/install_linux.sh | sh     
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                                 Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
Running checks...  0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0
100  5982  100  5982    0     0  31650      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:-- 31819
Checks passed!
Downloading CLI...
Downloaded CLI!
Installing CLI...
Done!

3. I'd expect that to make docker compose work, but it does not.

root@d8f753341dec:/# docker compose version
docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.
See 'docker --help'

Observed result

docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.

Expected result

% docker compose version
Docker Compose version v2.0.0-rc.3

Additional information

Docker for Mac 4.0.2

[ndeloof]

Compose Switch is indeed a translator to offer a smooth transition for docker-compose commands to actually run Compose V2, so the later need to be installed first.

Linux installation is documented here: https://github.com/docker/compose/tree/v2#linux
Basically, as a CLI plugin, you just need to download the Compose V2 binary and place it in the cli-plugins directory as docker-compose.

[jamshid]

Thanks @ndeloof ok I get it now. FYI this is what I'm using in my Dockerfile to get a working docker client and V2 docker compose with the alias docker-compose.

ENV DOCKER_VERSION 20.10.7
RUN curl -sSLf https://download.docker.com/linux/static/stable/x86_64/docker-${DOCKER_VERSION}.tgz | tar -xzvf - docker/docker && chmod +x docker/* && mv docker/* /bin

RUN test "$(uname -m)" = "aarch64" && TARGET_ARCH=arm64 || TARGET_ARCH=amd64 ; \
    mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins && \
    curl -fsSL "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/${DOCKER_COMPOSEV2_VERSION-v2.0.0-rc.3}/docker-compose-linux-${TARGET_ARCH}" -o ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose && \
    chmod +x ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose && \
    curl -fsSL -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose https://github.com/docker/compose-switch/releases/download/v1.0.2/docker-compose-linux-${TARGET_ARCH} && \
    chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose && \
    docker --version && docker compose version && docker-compose version

Build outputs:

Docker version 20.10.7, build f0df350
Docker Compose version v2.0.0-rc.3
Docker Compose version v2.0.0-rc.3

[keunes]

@ndeloof @jamshid Sorry to bug you - I am trying to install docker compose V2 on Raspberry Pi OS, and I am experiencing the same issue: I get docker: 'compose' is not a docker command. despite following the steps in the docs.

From the OP's reaction it seems a solution is suggested above, but it's too cryptic for me to understand :) It would be great to have some further instructions, if anything needs to be done differently than what is written in the docs, or if I need to do something extra after.

All the best

[nathan-osman]

@keunes

From the OP's reaction it seems a solution is suggested above, but it's too cryptic for me to understand :) It would be great to have some further instructions, if anything needs to be done differently than what is written in the docs, or if I need to do something extra after.

The instructions on the website assume installation on an x86_64 platform. Your Raspberry Pi will instead require an armhf / aarch64 binary. You'll need to run these commands instead:

1. DOCKER_CONFIG=${DOCKER_CONFIG:-$HOME/.docker}
   mkdir -p $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins

2. For Raspberry Pi 1, 2, or later versions running a 32-bit (armv7) operating system:

   curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.3.3/docker-compose-linux-armv7 -o $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

   For Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 running a 64-bit (aarch64) operating system:

   curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.3.3/docker-compose-linux-aarch64 -o $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

3. chmod +x $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

[keunes]

Thank you so much @nathan-osman, that worked :)
So it seems that just the URL to the artifact in the docs is 'wrong' (for a specific architecture). The instructions for V1 contain $(uname -m) in the download URL, which automatically injects the right architecture in the URL. I'll make a PR to update the V2 link with that as well.

[nathan-osman]

The instructions for V1 contain $(uname -m) in the download URL, which automatically injects the right architecture in the URL.

Keep in mind that for Ubuntu on a Raspberry Pi 2, at least, $(uname -m) will return armv7l instead of armv7. The binary will run on the platform, regardless.

[keunes]

Note to self and others: if when trying to run docker compose you get an error like below, then set your system to Manage Docker as a non-root user. After that I didn't have the error any-more.

pi@raspberry:/nextcloud-docker $ docker compose up
Got permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket at unix:///var/run/docker.sock: Get "http://%2Fvar%2Frun%2Fdocker.sock/v1.24/containers/json?all=1&filters=%7B%22label%22%3A%7B%22com.docker.compose.project%3Dnextcloud-docker%22%3Atrue%7D%7D&limit=0": dial unix /var/run/docker.sock: connect: permission denied

[mrfy]

Thank you @nathan-osman ! 👍

[ruurtjan]

Since this page is now ranking for docker: 'compose' is not a docker command on Google, here's how you fix it on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

[dmshvetsov]

in case you installed docker and docker-compose v2 with homebrew on OSX and getting docker: 'compose' is not a docker command

then you need to run these commands:

$ mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
$ ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/docker-compose/bin/docker-compose ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

[KrystalZhang612]

in case you installed docker and docker-compose v2 with homebrew on OSX and getting docker: 'compose' is not a docker command

then you need to run these commands:

$ mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
$ ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/docker-compose/bin/docker-compose ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

[goldblade]

thanks @ruurtjan It's worked

[anhtuank7c]

Since this page is now ranking for docker: 'compose' is not a docker command on Google, here's how you fix it on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

Thanks

[MarceloLeite2604]

in case you installed docker and docker-compose v2 with homebrew on OSX and getting docker: 'compose' is not a docker command

then you need to run these commands:

$ mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
$ ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/docker-compose/bin/docker-compose ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Adding to @dmshvetsov answer, if you use Homebrew to install docker-compose you can use its CLI to define the docker-compose installation directory during the symlink creation.
Also, it is necessary to create DOCKER_CONFIG environment variable as described on "Install The Plugin Manually" section on Docker Compose documentation

DOCKER_CONFIG=${DOCKER_CONFIG:-$HOME/.docker}
mkdir -p $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins
ln -sfn $(brew --prefix docker-compose)/bin/docker-compose $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

You can also add DOCKER_CONFIG on your shell rc file (like .zshrc or .bashrc) to prevent setting it every time you want to use Docker Compose.

echo -e "\nexport DOCKER_CONFIG=\${DOCKER_CONFIG:-\$HOME/.docker}" >> ~/.zshrc

[PSNAppz]

DOCKER_CONFIG=${DOCKER_CONFIG:-$HOME/.docker}
mkdir -p $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins
curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.12.2/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 -o $DOCKER_CONFIG/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Install it using

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/lib/docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

Test it

docker compose version

Source

[jamesbright]

Since this page is now ranking for docker: 'compose' is not a docker command on Google, here's how you fix it on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

Thanks, worked like a charm.

[jrsmarcilio]

I checked that the 'docker-compose' plugin was installed in the root user.

sudo ls /root/.docker/cli-plugins
# docker-compose

In that case:

sudo cp -r /root/.docker/cli-plugins /home/$USER/.docker/
docker compose version
# Docker Compose version v2.3.3

sorry for my english

[hillaryomondi]

The command below worked:

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin

[gopalmani]

Any help on mac, tried Installing both docker and docker-compose via homebrew, still no luck.

[paoloose]

arch: pacman -S docker-compose

[lucasjinreal]

sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
E: Unable to locate package docker-compose-plugin

[engrjislam]

Try with (Ubuntu 20.04.6):

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install docker-compose-v2

[ndeloof]

@engrjislam please note docker-compose-v2 is a canonical-maintained system package, not the official one from Docker Inc distributed on https://download.docker.com (see https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/)

[deepfriedmind]

Any help on mac, tried Installing both docker and docker-compose via homebrew, still no luck.

@gopalmani If you have installed docker-compose you can use that command instead of docker compose. Alternatively, you can remove both docker and docker-compose, then brew install docker --cask to install Docker Desktop, which also installs the CLI tools needed to run docker compose.

[mhomesh]

With Apple macbook Air you can directly install the same using the following dmg file easy setup and it works 100%
https://docs.docker.com/desktop/install/mac-install/

[dinshaw]

Still not working. Just installed 4.26.1 (131620) on new M2 MacbookPro with Sonoma 14.2.1 (23C71).

  docker compose
docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.
See 'docker --help'

[simibac]

None of the solutions above worked for me. The official documentation worked: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/debian/

[ps-dmaksimovic]

I had this problem because I use 2 users on macos. I had to manually run Docker Desktop on the 2nd user and go through initial setup before docker-compose started working on this user too.

[its-bessner]

This did the trick for me on Ubuntu:

sudo apt install -y docker.io docker-compose-v2

After that I was able to use docker compose like this:

docker compose up -d

Hope this helps

[RobertoGDev]

Just to add information. You must make sure you have Docker Desktop open, otherwise the Docker engine and its plugins will not run.

[ivantoniev]

For Mac, if you install docker and the compose plugin with homebrew, the post install prompt helpfully gives the answer to add the below to ~/.docker/config.json

"cliPluginsExtraDirs": [
  "/opt/homebrew/lib/docker/cli-plugins"
]

But the above symlink solution from dmshvetsov also worked. I went with the config.json though as advised by the plugin install.