Create a systemd service for your docker-compose project in 10 seconds

Run this in the directory where docker-compose.yml is located:

curl -fsSL https://techoverflow.net/scripts/create-docker-compose-service.sh | sudo bash /dev/stdin

This script will automatically create a systemd service that starts docker-compose up and shuts down using docker-compose down. Our script will also systemctl enable the script (i.e. start automatically on boot) and systemctl start it (start it immediately).

How it works

The command above will download the script from TechOverflow and run it in bash:

#!/bin/bash
# Create a systemd service that autostarts & manages a docker-compose instance in the current directory
# by Uli Köhler - https://techoverflow.net
# Licensed as CC0 1.0 Universal
SERVICENAME=$(basename $(pwd))

echo "Creating systemd service... /etc/systemd/system/${SERVICENAME}.service"
# Create systemd service file
sudo cat >/etc/systemd/system/$SERVICENAME.service <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=$SERVICENAME
Requires=docker.service
After=docker.service

[Service]
Restart=always
User=root
Group=docker
TimeoutStopSec=15
WorkingDirectory=$(pwd)
# Shutdown container (if running) when unit is started
ExecStartPre=$(which docker-compose) -f docker-compose.yml down
# Start container when unit is started
ExecStart=$(which docker-compose) -f docker-compose.yml up
# Stop container when unit is stopped
ExecStop=$(which docker-compose) -f docker-compose.yml down

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

echo "Enabling & starting $SERVICENAME"
# Autostart systemd service
sudo systemctl enable $SERVICENAME.service
# Start systemd service now
sudo systemctl start $SERVICENAME.service

The service name is the directory name:

SERVICENAME=$(basename $(pwd))

Now we will create the service file in /etc/systemd/system/${SERVICENAME}.service using the template embedded in the script

The script will automatically determine the location of docker-composeusing $(which docker-compose) and finally enable and start the systemd service:

# Autostart systemd service
sudo systemctl enable $SERVICENAME.service
# Start systemd service now
sudo systemctl start $SERVICENAME.service