So let me start with what I think is going on and then you guys/girls can correct me:

  1. Docker can be run on the command line to creates containers based on command line input including any settings needed by the container.
  2. Compose files are files that hold all the settings needed to both create the container(s) and the settings they need. They basically keep a permanent record of what you want done. This would allow users to share their compose files to facilitate someone else setting up the same containers. 3.Portainer is a GUI for all things Docker. It creates compose files for containers that were created within it’s framework.

So my questions are:

  1. I assume that any container(s) I create will show up in portainer whether I create them in docker manually, process them using a docker compose file, or create them in portainer itself.

  2. Is there a compose file generated whenever you deploy a container or stack if one was not used to create the container(s). It seems like this would be a nice feature to have since there are more than a few ways to create a container.

  3. Where are all these compose files stored? I get to decide where to store compose files I create, but where are the compose file generated by portainer? I read that they exist within the portainer container but I don’t know how to access them. opening a console in portainer didn’t work.

Yes, I am trying to run before walking but that’s just how I learn. Thanks