What command is used to stop and remove containers defined in a Docker Compose project?

The command used to stop and remove containers defined in a Docker Compose project is "docker compose down." This command does two key actions: it stops all running services defined in the Docker Compose file and removes the associated containers, networks, and optionally volumes.

When using Docker Compose, the "down" command is particularly important because it helps to clean up resources when you are done with them. It removes the containers that were created for the services, ensuring that there are no lingering processes or unused resources on your system. Additionally, this command is more comprehensive than merely stopping the containers, as it completely dismantles the Docker environment set up by the Compose file.

The other options serve different purposes. For example, stopping the containers is done with "docker compose stop," which merely halts the running services without removing any resources. The command "docker remove" is not valid in the context of Docker Compose, as it refers to removing standalone containers in Docker, not through Compose. Lastly, "docker compose end" is not a recognized command in Docker's suite of commands. Thus, the use of "docker compose down" is the correct approach for entirely stopping and removing the designated containers and associated resources within a Docker Compose project.