Configuration boundary

Separate Docker Compose configuration from sensitive values

A clean deployment begins by classifying values before they become an unreviewed environment block.

Classify every value

Hostnames, ports, feature flags, and deployment modes are configuration. Passwords, API tokens, certificates, and private keys require a more deliberate access boundary. Do not decide by filename alone.

Keep precedence visible

Compose can read variables from multiple places. Before deployment, render the final configuration and confirm which values the application will actually receive.

Grant sensitive values deliberately

Use a supported secret mechanism when the application can read it, and limit access to only the services that need the value. The application’s upstream documentation decides the final file path and integration pattern.

Continue planning

Apply this rule to a deployment boundary.

Build a deployment blueprintCheck a Compose file

Configuration

Environment variables or Compose secrets?

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
2 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 secrets guidanceExplicit secret access and file-backed secret patterns for Compose services.Open source ↗Docker Compose environment-variable guidanceEnvironment configuration and the distinction between variables and sensitive values.Open source ↗