Should I Run Plain Docker Compose in Production in 2026?

5 days ago

Plain Docker Compose can run production workloads in 2026 if operational gaps are addressed: cleanup, healing, image pinning, socket security, and updates.
Common issues include orphan containers, disk filling from logs, health checks not restarting containers, mutable image tags, and socket security risks.
Solutions: use '--remove-orphans', cap logs in daemon.json, run autoheal sidecars, pin images by digest, secure socket mounts, and manage updates with an agent.
Docker Compose fits single-node deployments like vendor-customer apps, internal services, or edge boxes with low operational overhead.
When outgrowing Compose, Kubernetes is recommended for its ecosystem and talent pool, while Swarm offers some built-in solutions.
Distr's Docker agent automates many operational tasks, such as orphan removal, image cleanup, and autoheal, for customer self-managed environments.

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