Persistent state

Map persistent Docker state before planning backups

A mounted volume is only a location; recovery begins when every important state category has an independent copy and a tested restore path.

Name the state categories

Start with database data, user files, repository storage, attachments, certificates, and service configuration. Each workload has a different combination, so use a state map instead of assuming one volume contains everything important.

Separate rollback from recovery

A host snapshot can help undo a recent change. An independent destination serves a different job: recovering when the primary host or its account boundary is unavailable.

Restore a representative workload

Test enough state to prove that the application can use the restored database and files together. Record missing credentials, paths, and dependency order while the normal system is still available.

Continue planning

Apply this rule to a deployment boundary.

Build a deployment blueprintCheck a Compose file

Recovery

Provider snapshot or off-site backup?

Deployment boundary

Move a Docker Compose project to a single VPS

Editorial record

Maintained by Make Your Own Tools to turn “Validate a deployment” into a defined host, state, exposure, and recovery boundary. The references below provide the technical context for this planning path. Its calculation rules and planning assumptions are documented in the methodology, and affected calculations pass regression checks before the review date advances.

Last reviewed
Evidence set
3 primary references
Read methodology →View change history ↗
Planning scope
Single-host Docker Compose planning and the deployment boundary described by this guide.
Next check
Carry the boundary into the selected application’s current image, configuration, and release-specific documentation.
Docker Compose production guidanceProduction-specific Compose configuration, restarts, ports, logging, and deployment changes.Open source ↗Docker Compose quickstartNamed volumes, environment configuration, and validating rendered Compose configuration.Open source ↗Docker Compose volumes reference sourceMaintainer documentation source for service volume grants and a named-volume backup-access example.Open source ↗