# Support for context above docker-compose.yml

**URL:** <https://forums.balena.io/t/support-for-context-above-docker-compose-yml/17331>\
**Category:** balenaEngine\
**Created:** [June 27, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/support-for-context-above-docker-compose-yml/17331 "2019-06-27T22:01:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![incanus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/incanus/32/2143_2.png) [@incanus](https://forums.balena.io/u/incanus)\
**Post date:** [June 27, 2019, 10:01pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/support-for-context-above-docker-compose-yml/17331/1 "2019-06-27T22:01:51Z")

</div>

I am trying to share libraries between two different apps.

Local project structure looks like this:

```auto
├── Dockerfile-A
├── Dockerfile-B
├── app-libs
│ └── src
├── app-first
│ ├── docker-compose.yml
│ ├── container-first
│ │ └── src (an app)
│ ├── container-second
│ │ ├── Dockerfile
│ │ └── src (a daemon)
│ └── container-third
│ ├── Dockerfile
│ └── src (a daemon)
└── app-second
    └── src (an app)

```

The first app is a multicontainer and the second is a single.

The single container app works just fine when doing a `balena build -a app-second --dockerfile Dockerfile-B` from the top level. Both the libraries and the application get copied into the container.

`Dockerfile-B` relevant lines:

```auto
WORKDIR /app/app-libs
COPY ./app-libs ./
WORKDIR /app/app-second
COPY ./app-second ./

```

This is expected as the Docker context is inferred to be the current working directory, the top level, and all `COPY` paths are accessible below that.

The multicontainer app cannot copy things the same way for its first container as it requires a `docker-compose.yml`.

`Dockerfile-A` relevant lines:

```auto
WORKDIR /app/app-libs
COPY ./app-libs ./
WORKDIR /app/container-first
COPY ./app-first/container-first ./

```

`docker-compose.yml` relevant lines:

```auto
services:
  container-first:
    build:
      context: ../
      dockerfile: ./Dockerfile-A

```

That is, `balena build` can’t be run from the top level because the `docker-compose.yml` needs to be present and can’t be passed as an argument. And when not run from the top level, Docker complains about not being able to copy the `app-libs` folder since it’s above the Docker context.

A plain `docker build` for `app-second` or a `docker-compose build` for `app-first` work fine.

```auto
cd app-first && docker-compose build
cd .. && docker build -f Dockerfile-B .

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![afitzek](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/afitzek/32/359_2.png) [@afitzek](https://forums.balena.io/u/afitzek)\
**Post date:** [June 28, 2019, 9:21am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/support-for-context-above-docker-compose-yml/17331/2 "2019-06-28T09:21:19Z")

</div>

Hi,  
We are already working on supporting an option in balena cli to specify the docker-compose.yml file. ([https://github.com/balena-io/balena-cli/issues/1142](https://github.com/balena-io/balena-cli/issues/1142)) This should fix your problem.  
Another idea would be to make a base docker image that contains the libs and use this in the two Dockerfiles of the apps, would this work for you as well?  
Best regards,

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![incanus](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/incanus/32/2143_2.png) [@incanus](https://forums.balena.io/u/incanus)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/support-for-context-above-docker-compose-yml/17331/4 "2019-06-30T01:32:02Z")

</div>

Ok, I’ll stay tuned to the GitHub issue. In the meantime, I think I can accomplish this with some creative shell scripting around my push process. I’d like to avoid a docker image for the libs right now to streamline the workflow a bit more during local dev.