Managing Multiple Docker Compose Projects Was Driving Me Crazy So I Built a Small GUI for It

Yingbo Miao — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 05:10:11 +0000

I often work on several projects at the same time.

Almost every project has its own docker-compose.yml. Some of them share common services like PostgreSQL or Redis, while others expose different ports or run slightly different configurations.

After a while, things started getting messy.

Typical problems I kept running into:

I couldn't easily see which compose stacks were running
I forgot which ports were already taken
Starting and stopping environments meant jumping between multiple folders
Sometimes I accidentally ran duplicate services across projects

It felt like there should be a central place to manage all of them.

The Idea

What I really wanted was something simple:

A small interface where I could:

register multiple compose projects
see which stacks are currently running
start or stop environments quickly
check which ports are already in use

So I built a small macOS app called Compose Launcher.

What Compose Launcher Does

Compose Launcher lets you manage multiple Docker Compose projects from a single place.

Instead of jumping between directories and running commands manually, you can register your projects and control them from one interface.

Main features:

Manage multiple docker-compose projects
Start or stop stacks quickly
See which services are currently running
Avoid port conflicts by seeing which ports are already taken
Keep a central overview of your local environments

Why I Built It

When you work on several services or microservice-style projects, it's common to have multiple compose files across different repositories.

But there isn't really a lightweight tool focused specifically on managing multiple compose environments locally.

Most tools focus on container management in general, while I mainly wanted something that helps with development workflows across multiple projects.

Example Use Case

Imagine working on three different projects:

Project A: PostgreSQL + Redis
Project B: MySQL + API
Project C: PostgreSQL + Worker

With multiple compose files running, it becomes hard to keep track of:

which stacks are active
which ports are already used
what services are currently running

Compose Launcher provides a simple overview so you can manage all of them from one place.

The Project

The project is open source and still in an early stage.

You can check it out here:

https://github.com/yingbo/compose-launcher

Feedback is very welcome.

If you regularly work with multiple docker-compose environments, I’d be interested to hear how you currently manage them and what features would make a tool like this useful.