docs/compose/envvars-precedence.md

title	description	keywords
Environment variables precedence	Scenario Overview illustrating how environment variables are resolved in Compose	compose, environment, env file

This page contains information on how how interpolation works when using environment variables in Compose.

When you set the same environment variable in multiple files, there’s a precedence rule used by Compose. It aims to resolve the value for the variable in question.

The order of precedence is as follows:

1. Passed from the command line docker compose run --env <KEY[=[VAL]]>.
2. Passed from/set in compose.yaml service's configuration, from the environment key.
3. Passed from/set in compose.yaml service's configuration, from the env_file key.
4. Passed from/set in Container Image in the ENV directive.

Example scenario

The following table uses TAG, an environment variable defining the version for an image, as an example.

The columns

Each column represents a context from where you can set or pass TAG, or environment variables in general.

Table column's description:

• run --env sets the environment variable using the command line instruction docker compose run -e <KEY[=[VAL]]>.
• compose.yaml:environment key. In environment key from the service section in the compose.yaml file.
• compose.yaml:env_file key. In env_file key from the service section in the compose.yaml file.
• Image ENV - ENV directive in the Dockerfile for the image.
• Host OS environment. The environment where the Docker Engine is running.
• .env file. The .env file in the project root.
• Resolved as. Gives the final result of how TAG is resolved for each scenario according to the precedence rule.

The rows

Each row represents a combination of contexts where TAG is set or passed simultaneously.

#	run --env	compose.yaml:environment key	compose.yaml:env_file key	Image ENV	Host OS environment	.env file	Resolved as
1	-	-	-	-	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	-
2	-	-	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.5
3	TAG	-	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.4
4	-	-	TAG	TAG=1.5	-	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.3
5	TAG	-	-	TAG=1.5	-	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.3
6	TAG=1.8	-	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.8
7	-	TAG	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.4
8	TAG	TAG=1.7	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.4
9	TAG=1.8	TAG=1.7	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.8
10	-	TAG	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.4
11	TAG=1.8	-	TAG=1.6	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.8
12	TAG=1.8	TAG=1.7	TAG=1.6	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	TAG=1.3	TAG=1.8
13	-	-	TAG=1.6	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	-	TAG=1.6
14	-	TAG=1.7	-	TAG=1.5	TAG=1.4	-	TAG=1.7

Note

The columns Host OS environment and .env file is listed only for lookup. These columns can't result in a variable in the container by itself.