Shutdown and remove all Docker Compose containers subfolders within a directory

shutdown-all-docker-compose.md

Shutdown every Docker Compose stack in a directory tree

One-liner & script to stop (and remove) all Compose projects that live in sub-folders.

1. Quick copy-paste one-liner

find . -type f \( -name "docker-compose.yml" -o -name "compose.yaml" \) \
  -execdir sh -c 'echo "↓ Stopping in $(pwd)"; docker compose down' \;

Paste it at the root of your workspace.
It will descend into every sub-directory containing docker-compose.yml or compose.yaml and run docker compose down there.

2. Optional reusable script

shutdown-all-docker-compose.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# Shut down EVERY Docker Compose project below the current directory.

set -euo pipefail

find . -type f \( -name "docker-compose.yml" -o -name "compose.yaml" \) \
  -execdir sh -c '
    echo -e "\n\033[1;34m↓ Stopping Compose project in $(pwd)\033[0m"
    docker compose down
  ' {} \;

echo -e "\n✅  All Compose projects stopped."

1. Save, then give it permission: chmod +x shutdown-all-docker-compose.sh
2. Run from the directory that contains your projects: ./shutdown-all-docker-compose.sh

3. How it works - step-by-step

Piece	Purpose
find .	Start searching from the current directory downward.
-type f	Only look at files (not dirs).
\( -name "docker-compose.yml" -o -name "compose.yaml" \)	Match either Compose file name.
-execdir … \;	For each match, cd to the file’s directory and run the given command.
docker compose down	Stop & remove that stack’s containers, networks, and default volumes.

4. Safety & tweaks

Need	Adjustment
Dry-run first	Replace docker compose down with echo docker compose down to just list what would happen.
Remove named volumes too	Add --volumes: docker compose down --volumes
Remove images as well	Add --rmi all
Old Compose (v1)	Change docker compose → docker-compose

Tip: If you want an even deeper clean afterwards, run docker system prune manually.

5. Requirements

• Docker Compose v2 (CLI sub-command form: docker compose …).
• Bash or POSIX-compatible shell.
• File system where your projects live under a common parent folder.