Docker Volumes Explained with docker-compose

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When working with containers, managing data is just as important as running the app.

Docker offers multiple ways to handle data persistence and sharing—volumes.

Let’s break down the different types of volumes and how to use them with docker-compose.

1. Named Volumes

Docker manages these under /var/lib/docker/volumes. You define and reference them by name.

Example:

version: '3.8'

services:
  db:
    image: postgres:15
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data

volumes:
  pgdata:

• Volume pgdata will persist even if the container is removed.
• It can be reused by other services too.

2. Anonymous Volumes

No name given. Docker generates a random volume ID.

Example:

version: '3.8'

services:
  app:
    image: myapp
    volumes:
      - /var/www/data

• The /var/www/data path in the container is backed by a randomly created volume.
• These are not easily reusable and can pile up if not managed.

3. Bind Mounts

Mounts a specific path from the host directly into the container.

Example:

version: '3.8'

services:
  web:
    image: nginx
    volumes:
      - ./html:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro

• Changes on your host (./html) reflect live inside the container.
• Ideal for local development and live reloading.

4. tmpfs Mounts

A mount in RAM. Fast and volatile—data disappears after container stops.

Example:

version: '3.8'

services:
  scratch:
    image: alpine
    command: sleep 3600
    tmpfs:
      - /tmp/cache

• Good for scratch space, secrets, build caches, or anything ephemeral.

5. Volume Plugins / External Volumes

For using storage from NFS, cloud providers, etc.

Example with external NFS volume:

version: '3.8'

services:
  app:
    image: myapp
    volumes:
      - nfs-data:/data

volumes:
  nfs-data:
    driver: local
    driver_opts:
      type: nfs
      o: addr=192.168.1.100,rw
      device: ":/exported/path"

• Useful in cluster setups or multi-host Docker environments.

Quick Recap

Type	Persist	Host Access	Good For
Named Volume	✅	❌	App data (db, logs)
Anonymous Volume	✅	❌	Ephemeral container data
Bind Mount	✅	✅	Local dev, config files
tmpfs	❌	❌	Temp data, secrets, cache
Plugin/Remote	✅	varies	Multi-host or cloud storage

Final Tip

To inspect volumes:

docker volume ls
docker volume inspect <volume_name>

To clean up unused:

docker volume prune

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