How to Efficiently Check Changes in My Docker Containers?

If you’re working in a production environment, rebuilding images every time makes sense, but in development, consider setting up bind mounts. This allows you to edit files in your local environment while the container is running, which can streamline your workflow a lot. There are also options for automating restarts when you change the code.

You don’t have to pause your containers at all. Simply run 'docker compose up -d --build' and it will handle stopping and restarting as necessary without disrupting the whole setup.

You only need to use the --build command when you've changed something in the container's structure, like the Dockerfile or files that are copied during the build stage. If you're changing files directly in the container (using mounts), those changes should show up immediately, and you’d just need to restart the app or container as needed.

If your Python container uses a Dockerfile, running 'docker compose up --build' will trigger the rebuild when the code changes. But it’s worth investigating volume mounts for your development work; they can save you time by letting you edit files directly.