How do I make docker compose work when using colima?

[LondonAppDev]

I have Colima installed on macOS.

Running docker-compose works fine, however if I run docker compose, it says:

docker: 'compose' is not a docker command.

I understand that using Docker Desktop will install compose as a plugin so it can be used by running docker compose.

Is there a way to set this up when using Colima?

[valorcz]

I was in the same situation recently, so just a guess -- you use Homebrew to install docker-compose.

If so, this might help you:

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

[rfay]

And brew info docker-compose will tell you this if you don't remember the link here:

==> Caveats
Compose is now a Docker plugin. For Docker to find this plugin, symlink it:
  mkdir -p ~/.docker/cli-plugins
  ln -sfn /opt/homebrew/opt/docker-compose/bin/docker-compose ~/.docker/cli-plugins/docker-compose

However, if you use docker-compose as opposed to docker compose there's no need.

[thiagodeev]

@rfay you saved me! I'll never forget to read the Homebrew output ever again haha

[flavio-fernandes]

Thank you!

BTW, brew now says this about using docker-compose from colima:

==> docker-compose: stable 2.27.1 (bottled), HEAD
Isolated development environments using Docker
https://docs.docker.com/compose/
Installed
/opt/homebrew/Cellar/docker-compose/2.27.1 (8 files, 52.2MB) *
  Poured from bottle using the formulae.brew.sh API on 2024-05-25 at 16:03:37
From: https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-core/blob/HEAD/Formula/d/docker-compose.rb
License: Apache-2.0
==> Dependencies
Build: go ✘
==> Options
--HEAD
        Install HEAD version
==> Caveats
Compose is a Docker plugin. For Docker to find the plugin, add "cliPluginsExtraDirs" to ~/.docker/config.json:
  "cliPluginsExtraDirs": [
      "/opt/homebrew/lib/docker/cli-plugins"
  ]

[jamesharr]

FWIW, the old method still seems to work, I wondered into this thread for probably the exact same reason.

[letrthang]

for Docker Compose with Colima, still using command: docker-compose --version and executable is still /opt/homebrew/bin/docker-compose

Not like Docker-desktop which executable for both docker and docker compose are same: /opt/homebrew/bin/docker

So if you are using IntelliJ, you need to manually config the path for executable files:

https://youtrack.jetbrains.com/issue/IDEA-363381/IntelliJ-2024.3-docker-compose-cannot-start-container-unknown-shorthand-flag-f-in-f