The Art of the Minimal Docker Compose Stack

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve seen compose files that span three hundred lines, define seventeen networks, and require a dedicated README just to explain the environment variables. I’ve also written a few of them. That era is over. Every stack I deploy now follows a small set of principles that I’ve refined through a lot of painful rollbacks.

The Problem with Bloat

Configuration drift is silent and cumulative. A commented-out service here, an undocumented environment variable there — and six months later, no one (including you) knows what’s load-bearing and what’s vestigial. The compose file stops being documentation and becomes archaeology.

DevOps on Thyago Seugling

The Art of the Minimal Docker Compose Stack

The Problem with Bloat