Add import or similar orchestration capability for working with decoupled microservices

[hoIIer]

Currently Im working on a new project using both docker and microservices for the first time... compose is a neat and convenient tool but the one thing I wish it had were the ability to decouple extended services/repos more cleanly, aka not have to put the links in the top level docker-compose.yml.

This would allow having a single "master" compse.yml that simple imports the necessary services and then builds them via their own docker-compose.yml...

When working with microservices this would allow spinning up an entire multi-service/app project in one command AND also allow still spinning up any individual service on it's own when working on that specific service... As it is right now you are forced to put links in the top-level repo/compose.yml and use extends, which makes it not possible to run compose locally unless you make a separate file...

Something like this would be sweet:

orchestrate.yml

service-content:
  import:
    file: ../service-content/docker-compose.yml

service-auth:
  import:
    file: ../service-auth/docker-compose.yml

service-accounting:
  import:
    file: ../service-accounting/docker-compose.yml

logger:
  image: voodoo/logger

discovery:
  image: voodoo/findme

OR

orchestrate.yml

include:
    name: service-content
    file: ../service-content/docker-compose.yml

include:
    name: service-auth
    file: ../service-auth/docker-compose.yml

include:
    name: service-accounting
    file: ../service-accounting/docker-compose.yml

logger:
  image: voodoo/logger

discovery:
  image: voodoo/findme

service-content/docker-compose.yml

web-db:
  image: postgres:latest

web:
  build: .
  command: python manage.py runserver 0.0.0.0:8000
  volumes:
    - .:/code
  ports:
    - "8000:8000"
  links:
    - web-db

Which would make containers prefixed by the top-level import name e.g. service-content_web-db_1

What are your thoughts on something like this?

[dnephin]

The new http://docs.docker.com/compose/extends/#multiple-compose-files feature is kind of like this idea

[hoIIer]

@dnephin ok cool ill check it out thanks