---
title: Compose Networking
description: Inspect how a stack is networked and exposed, classify what its exposure should be, and see where the running containers disagree with the Compose file, all without opening a terminal.
---

The **Networking** tab in the right-hand **Anatomy** panel answers a Compose-first question: *is this stack networked and exposed the way the Compose file says it is, and are the dangerous or confusing parts visible before I deploy?* It renders the effective Compose model, the fully resolved result after interpolation, includes, profiles, `.env`, and `env_file` are applied, pairs it with the live Docker state when that node is reachable, and shows the result as plain facts.

The view is read-only with respect to the stack: it never changes a deployment. The one thing you can edit here is the stack's *exposure intent*, which is stored separately so Sencho can flag mismatches over time.

Compose Networking reads the structure of the model, network names, service-to-network membership, published ports, and the *names* of environment variables and labels, never their values, so a secret injected through `environment:` or `env_file:` never appears in the view or the logs. One caveat: a structural field built by interpolating a secret, such as a network name, a published port, or an `extra_hosts` entry assembled from a `${VAR}`, is resolved before the tab reads it, so its value does show. Keep secrets in `environment:` or `env_file:` rather than interpolating them into these fields. See [Environment and Secrets Guardrails](/features/environment-guardrails).

## Networks

The top of the tab lists the stack's networks with the facts that matter:

- The resolved Docker network name, and the Compose key it came from.
- **external** when the network is one the stack expects to already exist on the node.
- **internal** when the network has no outbound or host connectivity.
- **created by stack** when deploying the stack will create the network.

## Published ports and bindings

Each service lists its published ports with the interface they bind to:

- **all interfaces** marks a port published on `0.0.0.0`, reachable from every network the host is attached to.
- **loopback** marks a port bound only to `127.0.0.1`, reachable only from the host itself.
- A specific address is shown as-is.

A service running with `network_mode: host` is treated as **host-exposed**: it publishes every container port directly on the host, so it counts as exposed regardless of whether it declares any `ports:`. The exposure summary reflects that even when the port list is empty.

The tab also surfaces each service's network membership and aliases, `network_mode` (`host`, `none`, `service:`, and `container:` modes are called out), and `extra_hosts` entries.

## Exposure intent

Exposure intent is how you tell Sencho what a stack *should* be reachable from, so it can warn you when the Compose file says otherwise. Set it for the whole stack, or override it per service:

| Intent | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| **internal** | Not published to the host at all. |
| **same-node** | Reachable only from the host (loopback bindings). |
| **LAN** | Published for the local network. |
| **reverse proxy** | Reached through a reverse proxy, not a direct host port. |
| **public** | Intentionally reachable from the internet. |
| **temporary** | A short-lived exposure (a classification label only). |
| **unknown** | Not yet classified. |

A service with no intent of its own inherits the stack's. Clearing a service returns it to **inherit**; clearing the stack returns it to unclassified. Sencho stores the intent apart from the generated facts, so when the two drift apart the **Doctor** tab can point it out.

## Findings

Risk findings live in the **Doctor** tab, which reads the same model. On top of its existing deploy and security checks (host-port conflicts, missing external networks, host networking, broad exposure, and a mounted Docker socket), it adds exposure-aware findings:

- A service classified **internal** or **same-node** that publishes a host port.
- A database or admin image published on every interface.
- A stack that publishes ports but has no exposure intent set.
- A published port that the Stack Dossier's documented access URLs do not mention.
- Reverse-proxy labels with no documented URL or reverse-proxy intent.

## Runtime drift

When the node is reachable, the tab compares the running containers to the Compose file and reports where they disagree: a container on a network the file does not declare, a container on a network owned by another stack, and a declared network that no running service uses or that is missing from the runtime. These also appear on the **Drift** tab, where their history is tracked over time. When the node is not reachable, the tab shows the declared model only and says so.

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The Networking tab is not there">
    The tab appears once the node advertises support for it. A node running an older Sencho version hides the tab until it is updated.
  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="The view says the runtime is unavailable">
    Sencho could not reach Docker on that node, so it shows the declared Compose model only and skips runtime drift. The networks, ports, and exposure facts are still accurate; the live comparison resumes once the node is reachable.
  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="It says the model cannot render">
    `docker compose config` could not produce an effective model, usually a YAML error, an unresolved include or merge, or a required variable with no value. Fix the reported problem and reopen the tab.
  </Accordion>
  <Accordion title="I cannot change the exposure intent">
    Editing the intent needs stack edit access. With read access you can see the current classification but not change it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>
