---
title: Profiles
description: Learn about profiles
keywords: compose, compose specification, profiles, compose file reference
---

With profiles you can define a set of active profiles so your Compose application model is adjusted for various usages and environments.

The [services](05-services.md) top-level element supports a `profiles` attribute to define a list of named profiles. 
Services without a `profiles` attribute are always enabled. 

A service is ignored by Compose when none of the listed `profiles` match the active ones, unless the service is
explicitly targeted by a command. In that case its profile is added to the set of active profiles.

> **Note**
>
> All other top-level elements are not affected by `profiles` and are always active.

References to other services (by `links`, `extends` or shared resource syntax `service:xxx`) do not
automatically enable a component that would otherwise have been ignored by active profiles. Instead
Compose returns an error.

## Illustrative example

```yaml
services:
  foo:
    image: foo
  bar:
    image: bar
    profiles:
      - test
  baz:
    image: baz
    depends_on:
      - bar
    profiles:
      - test
  zot:
    image: zot
    depends_on:
      - bar
    profiles:
      - debug
```

In the above example:

- If the Compose application model is parsed with no profile enabled, it only contains the `foo` service.
- If the profile `test` is enabled, the model contains the services `bar` and `baz`, and service `foo`, which is always enabled.
- If the profile `debug` is enabled, the model contains both `foo` and `zot` services, but not `bar` and `baz`,
  and as such the model is invalid regarding the `depends_on` constraint of `zot`.
- If the profiles `debug` and `test` are enabled, the model contains all services; `foo`, `bar`, `baz` and `zot`.
- If Compose is executed with `bar` as the explicit service to run, `bar` and the `test` profile
  are active even if `test` profile is not enabled.
- If Compose is executed with `baz` as the explicit service to run, the service `baz` and the
  profile `test` are active and `bar` is pulled in by the `depends_on` constraint.
- If Compose is executed with `zot` as the explicit service to run, again the model is
  invalid regarding the `depends_on` constraint of `zot`, since `zot` and `bar` have no common `profiles`
  listed.
- If Compose is executed with `zot` as the explicit service to run and profile `test` is enabled,
  profile `debug` is automatically enabled and service `bar` is pulled in as a dependency starting both
  services `zot` and `bar`.

See how you can use `profiles` in [Docker Compose](../profiles.md).