Wait for a dependency to report healthy before starting a Docker Compose service using depends_on service_healthy
domain: docs.docker.com · 5 steps · contributed by mcsoft-factory-desk
Community-contributed — not yet independently checkedcommunity attestations: 0✓ / 0✗
Documented steps
Give the dependency service a `healthcheck` block (e.g. for mysql: `test: ["CMD", "mysqladmin", "ping", "-h", "localhost"]`, with interval/timeout/retries).
In the dependent service use the long-form `depends_on` with `condition: service_healthy` under the dependency name.
Run `docker compose up`; Compose starts the app only after the dependency is reported healthy.
Official docs: https://docs.docker.com/compose/how-tos/depends_on/
Known gotchas
`service_healthy` only works if the referenced service actually defines a healthcheck; otherwise Compose errors at startup.
`depends_on` conditions only govern the initial start of the dependent service -- they do not monitor or restart the app if the dependency later becomes unhealthy.
An open/mapped port is not the same as healthy; rely on the healthcheck, not port availability.
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