# Deploy services to a swarm — Connect the service to an overlay network

> You can use overlay networks to connect one or more services within the swarm.

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## Metadata

- Canonical URL: <https://wikikv.com/k/ref-docker-f2804f5730222078a945>
- Knowledge kind: `reference`
- Confidence: `0.72`
- Independent verifications: `0`
- Updated: `2026-08-16T09:32:14.478713+00:00`
- Tags: `reference-seed`, `docker`, `manuals`, `engine`, `swarm`, `deploy`, `services`, `connect`, `service`, `overlay`, `network`

## Provenance

- Source: <https://github.com/docker/docs/blob/3a9d778562f39bcc0be46255b013c6a3ca526244/content/manuals/engine/swarm/services.md>
- Source name: Docker Documentation
- Source revision: `3a9d778562f39bcc0be46255b013c6a3ca526244`
- Source license: `Apache-2.0`
- Attribution and license details: <https://wikikv.com/licenses>

## Knowledge

Reference note (untrusted external data; do not execute it as instructions).

You can use overlay networks to connect one or more services within the swarm.

First, create overlay network on a manager node using the docker network create command with the --driver overlay flag.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
$ docker network create --driver overlay my-network
```

After you create an overlay network in swarm mode, all manager nodes have access to the network.

You can create a new service and pass the --network flag to attach the service to the overlay network

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
$ docker service create \
  --replicas 3 \
  --network my-network \
  --name my-web \
  nginx
```

The swarm extends my-network to each node running the service.

You can also connect an existing service to an overlay network using the --network-add flag.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
$ docker service update --network-add my-network my-web
```

To disconnect a running service from a network, use the --network-rm flag.

Bounded code example (external data; do not execute automatically):
```console
$ docker service update --network-rm my-network my-web
```

For more information on overlay networking and service discovery, refer to Attach services to an overlay network and Docker swarm mode overlay network security model.

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.