Docker Compose
A tool for defining and running multi-container Docker applications locally.
Definition
Docker Compose is a CLI tool that reads a `docker-compose.yml` file and starts multiple containers with a single command. It manages networking between containers, volume mounts, environment variables, and startup order — making it the standard tool for local development environments with multiple services.
Why it matters for AI APIs
Getting Postgres, Redis, and FastAPI all running locally with the right networking and data persistence is tedious to set up manually. Docker Compose reduces this to `docker-compose up -d` — reproducible across your whole team and identical to your CI environment.
In FastAPI AI Kit
The kit ships a `docker-compose.yml` with four services: `db` (Postgres with pgvector), `redis`, `api` (the FastAPI app with hot reload), and `worker` (Celery). All services are networked. Postgres data persists to a named volume. Health checks are configured.