Custom Compose Overrides

The platform runs as a set of Docker Compose services. On every upgrade, the base docker-compose.yml and docker-compose.prod.yml files are overwritten with the latest versions. Any manual edits to those files will be lost.

To make persistent customizations, create a custom override file that is automatically merged during upgrades.

How It Works

Place a file at:

/data/coolify/source/docker-compose.custom.yml

During startup and upgrades, the upgrade script checks for this file. If it exists, the containers are started with:

docker compose \
  -f docker-compose.yml \
  -f docker-compose.prod.yml \
  -f docker-compose.custom.yml \
  up -d

Docker Compose merges these files in order — properties in later files override the same properties in earlier files. You only need to specify the keys you want to change.

tip

The base files are re-downloaded on every upgrade. Your docker-compose.custom.yml is never touched by the upgrade process, so your customizations persist automatically.

Corelix Enhanced

The Corelix addon installation uses this exact mechanism — it creates a docker-compose.custom.yml that overrides the Coolify image with the enhanced image. This is why your Corelix customizations survive Coolify upgrades.

Service Names

Service name	Container name	Description
coolify	coolify	Main application
postgres	coolify-db	PostgreSQL database
redis	coolify-redis	Redis cache
soketi	coolify-realtime	WebSocket server

Examples

Set Resource Limits

services:
  coolify:
    cpus: 2.0
    mem_limit: 2G
    mem_reservation: 512M

Change Port Binding

Bind to localhost only:

services:
  coolify:
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:8000:8080"

Adjust Database Configuration

services:
  postgres:
    command: postgres -c max_connections=200 -c shared_buffers=512MB

Combine Multiple Customizations

services:
  coolify:
    mem_limit: 2G
    labels:
      com.example.monitoring: "true"

  postgres:
    mem_limit: 1G

  redis:
    mem_limit: 256M

Important Considerations

danger

A malformed docker-compose.custom.yml can prevent the platform from starting. Always validate your YAML:

cd /data/coolify/source
docker compose \
  -f docker-compose.yml \
  -f docker-compose.prod.yml \
  -f docker-compose.custom.yml \
  config

If the output is valid merged YAML with no errors, your file is safe.

• Service names must match exactly — use coolify, postgres, redis, and soketi
• Do not redefine the image property unless you know what you are doing
• Scalar properties are replaced, list properties are merged
• To apply changes immediately, re-run the upgrade script:

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash