docker-docs/content/manuals/compose/install/standalone.md at 2388e9ea06184a9e2b897b2fa141934c5d9871cb

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David Karlsson 2388e9ea06 compose: clarify standalone install warning with recommended alternatives

The existing warning says standalone is "not recommended" but gives
no guidance on what to use instead. Add links to Docker Desktop and
the Compose plugin as the preferred alternatives, and clarify that
standalone is only appropriate when neither option is available.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>

2026-03-19 10:38:06 +00:00

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title, linkTitle, description, keywords, toc_max, weight

title	linkTitle	description	keywords	toc_max	weight
Install the Docker Compose standalone (Legacy)	Standalone (Legacy)	Instructions for installing the legacy Docker Compose standalone tool on Linux and Windows Server	install docker-compose, standalone docker compose, docker-compose windows server, install docker compose linux, legacy compose install	3	20

Warning

This install scenario is not recommended and is only supported for backward compatibility purposes. Use Docker Desktop or the Docker Compose plugin instead. Use the standalone binary only if you cannot use either of these options.

This page contains instructions on how to install Docker Compose standalone on Linux or Windows Server, from the command line.

Warning

The Docker Compose standalone uses the -compose syntax instead of the current standard syntax compose.
For example, you must type docker-compose up when using Docker Compose standalone, instead of docker compose up. Use it only for backward compatibility.

On Linux

To download and install the Docker Compose standalone, run:

$ curl -SL https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/{{% param "compose_version" %}}/docker-compose-linux-x86_64 -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

Apply executable permissions to the standalone binary in the target path for the installation.
```
$ chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
```
Test and execute Docker Compose commands using docker-compose.

Tip

If the command docker-compose fails after installation, check your path. You can also create a symbolic link to /usr/bin or any other directory in your path. For example:
$ sudo ln -s /usr/local/bin/docker-compose /usr/bin/docker-compose

On Windows Server

Follow these instructions if you are running the Docker daemon directly on Microsoft Windows Server and want to install Docker Compose.

Run PowerShell as an administrator. In order to proceed with the installation, select Yes when asked if you want this app to make changes to your device.
Optional. Ensure TLS1.2 is enabled. GitHub requires TLS1.2 for secure connections. If you’re using an older version of Windows Server, for example 2016, or suspect that TLS1.2 is not enabled, run the following command in PowerShell:
```
[Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [Net.SecurityProtocolType]::Tls12
```
Download the latest release of Docker Compose ({{% param "compose_version" %}}). Run the following command:
```
 Start-BitsTransfer -Source "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/{{% param "compose_version" %}}/docker-compose-windows-x86_64.exe" -Destination $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker\docker-compose.exe
```
To install a different version of Docker Compose, substitute {{% param "compose_version" %}} with the version of Compose you want to use.

Note

On Windows Server 2019 you can add the Compose executable to $Env:ProgramFiles\Docker. Because this directory is registered in the system PATH, you can run the docker-compose --version command on the subsequent step with no additional configuration.

Test the installation.

$ docker-compose.exe version
Docker Compose version {{% param "compose_version" %}}

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On Linux

On Windows Server

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