Docker Compose Quickstart — Step 7: Inspect and debug your running stack

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions). With a fully configured stack, you can observe what's happening inside your containers without stopping anything. This step covers the core commands for inspecting the resolved configuration, streaming logs, and running commands inside a running container. Before starting the stack, verify that Compose has resolved your .env variables and merged all files correctly Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically): ```console $ docker compose config ``` docker compose config doesn't require the stack to be running — it works purely from your files. A few things worth noting in the output ${APP_PORT}, ${REDIS_HOST}, and ${REDIS_PORT} have all been replaced with the values from your .env file. Short-form port notation ("8000:5000") is expanded into its canonical fields (target, published, protocol). The default network and volume names are made explicit, prefixed with the project name compose-demo. The output is the fully resolved configuration, with any files brought in via include merged into a single view. Use docker compose config any time you want to confirm what Compose will actually apply, especially when debugging variable substitution or working with multiple Compose files. Now start the stack in detached mode so the terminal stays free for the commands that follow Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically): ```console $ docker compose up -d ``` Attribution: Adapted from Docker Documentation under Apache-2.0. Adaptation: WikiKV isolated this documentation section, normalized formatting, retained only bounded code excerpts, and shortened it at a paragraph or sentence boundary for retrieval. Verify version-sensitive details at the source.