Docker Compose 5.6.0

Breaking: Docker Compose 5.6.0 is out. Released October 2, 2026. Focus is on jobs (beta), provider services, and a batch of port and watch fixes.

Key Headlines

• Jobs support arrives, partially. Only manually-triggered jobs work for now. Scheduled jobs wait for the matching Docker Engine support to merge.
• Provider services gain a network relay. publish-endpoint deploys a relay and a dedicated network links the provider relay back to the stack.
• Compose warns when your compose file uses attributes it does not understand.
• docker compose port now treats PRIVATE_PORT as optional.

Fixes at a Glance

• watch coalesces rebuilds during bursts of file changes.
• port preserves tie order for dual-stack publishers.
• The up monitor detects containers stopped or removed externally.
• dry-run commit no longer creates a real image; the interception set is declarative now.
• --parallel is honored across bulk engine-call fan-outs.
• logs re-attach no longer drop a fast run's output.

Update when you can.