We've all been there - you spin up services using docker-compose up -d, then later realize the YAML file is gone (maybe deleted, moved, or the terminal session changed directories). Now you need to clean up these resources properly.

Docker Compose actually maintains metadata even without the original YAML file. All resources created through Compose are tagged with:

com.docker.compose.project=your_project_name
com.docker.compose.service=service_name

You can verify this by inspecting any running container:

docker inspect --format '{{index .Config.Labels "com.docker.compose.project"}}' container_name

When you initially ran docker-compose up, Compose assigned a project name (either from the directory name or via -p flag). This is your key to proper cleanup.

To find all active projects:

docker ps --format '{{.Label "com.docker.compose.project"}}' | sort | uniq

Once you identify the project name, you can:

1. Change to any directory (doesn't need to be the original one)
2. Run: docker-compose -p project_name down

Alternatively for Docker v1.13+:

docker-compose --project-directory /nonexistent/path -p project_name down

If you must clean up manually:

# Find all containers for project
docker ps -a --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=project_name"

# Stop and remove containers
docker stop $(docker ps -q --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=project_name")
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=project_name")

# Remove networks
docker network rm $(docker network ls -q --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=project_name")

# Remove volumes (if needed)
docker volume rm $(docker volume ls -q --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=project_name")

Let's say you ran:

docker-compose -p my_web_app up -d

Later, you can clean up with:

# From any directory
docker-compose -p my_web_app down --volumes --remove-orphans

Make this foolproof by always explicitly naming projects:

docker-compose -p meaningful_name -f path/to/compose.yml up -d

This ensures reliable cleanup regardless of file location changes.

---

When working with Docker Compose in development environments, it's not uncommon to lose or modify the original docker-compose.yml file after spinning up containers. Here's what actually happens under the hood:

# Original command that started everything
docker-compose -f my_project.yml up -d

# Later... the YAML file gets deleted/moved
rm my_project.yml

Docker Compose actually stores metadata about each project in container labels. You can verify this by inspecting any running container:

docker inspect <container_id> | grep com.docker.compose

The key labels to look for are:

• com.docker.compose.project
• com.docker.compose.service
• com.docker.compose.oneoff

Option 1: Recreate the Minimal Compose File

If you remember the project name (or can find it via inspection), you can create a minimal compose file:

# minimal-compose.yml
version: '3'
services:
  # Dummy service to satisfy compose
  placeholder:
    image: alpine
    command: ["echo", "just for down"]

Then run:

docker-compose -p original_project_name -f minimal-compose.yml down

Option 2: Direct Docker Commands

For complete control without compose:

# Find all containers in the project
docker ps -a --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project"

# Stop and remove them
docker stop $(docker ps -q --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project")
docker rm $(docker ps -aq --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project")

# Remove networks
docker network ls --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project" -q | xargs docker network rm

Option 3: Using Compose Project Flag

If you know the project name but lost the file:

docker-compose -p my_project down

• Always commit your compose files to version control
• Use named projects consistently (-p flag)
• Consider using docker-compose config to validate files before execution

For particularly complex scenarios with volumes and orphaned resources:

# Clean up volumes
docker volume prune --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project"

# Full nuclear option (careful!)
docker system prune --filter "label=com.docker.compose.project=my_project"