Add Indicator in docker ps for Containers Created with docker-compose

[kha84]

Description

It would be incredibly helpful if docker ps could include a built-in indicator showing whether a container was created using docker-compose or docker run directly, without requiring additional commands or manual inspection.

Problem

Currently, there is no straightforward way to immediately tell from docker ps whether a container was created with docker-compose. Users have to:

• Rely on naming conventions (which can be customized and aren’t always reliable).
• Run docker inspect to check for the com.docker.compose labels.

This extra step makes managing large sets of containers cumbersome, especially when both docker-compose and docker run are used in parallel within a project or environment.

Proposed Solution

Add an indicator in the output of docker ps to differentiate containers based on their creation method. For example, this could include:

• A new column (or a flag option to enable this column) that indicates Created by (docker-compose, docker run, etc.).
• For containers created with docker-compose, also show the Compose project name and service name as additional columns (e.g., PROJECT/SERVICE).

Example output

CONTAINER ID   IMAGE       COMMAND      CREATED       STATUS       PORTS    CREATED BY        NAMES
abc123         nginx       "nginx -g…"  10 hours ago  Up 5 hours   ...      docker-compose    myapp_web_1
def456         redis       "redis-server" 5 hours ago Up 3 hours   ...      docker run        redis-container

Benefits

1. Improved Clarity: Users can immediately tell which containers were created with docker-compose and which are standalone without needing to inspect each container manually.
2. Better Management: It would make it easier to manage containers in mixed environments, especially when troubleshooting or cleaning up containers.
3. Saves Time: This would eliminate extra steps like running docker inspect or setting up custom naming schemes to differentiate container origins.

Considerations

• This feature could be enabled by default or as an optional flag (e.g., docker ps --show-origin), depending on how cluttered the output might get in different scenarios.
• Compatibility with containers created by other orchestration tools could also be considered.

Closing Thoughts

This feature would significantly enhance usability, especially for users who work with both docker-compose and docker run. It would improve container management and make the docker ps command more informative and user-friendly.