What is docker-compose up vs docker-compose start?

docker compose up creates and starts all services defined in docker-compose.yml. If containers don't exist, it creates them; if images need to be built (services with build), it builds them; if containers already exist and haven't changed, it starts them. It also creates any defined networks and volumes. Options: -d runs in detached (background) mode; --build forces rebuild of images; --force-recreate recreates containers even if config/image haven't changed. This is the go-to command for starting your application. docker compose start starts existing stopped containers — it does NOT create containers or networks; those must already exist. If you ran docker compose up, then docker compose stop, you can use docker compose start to restart without recreation. Practical workflow: first run or after changes → docker compose up --build -d; resume after stop → docker compose start; restart everything fresh → docker compose down && docker compose up -d. docker compose down stops and removes containers and networks (but not volumes by default — add -v to also remove volumes).