compose: TypeError: environment can only contain strings when using run with .env file

Description of the issue

docker-compose run fails to run when non-empty “.env” file is present, printing TypeError: environment can only contain strings. docker-compose up works correctly.

This started happening when I upgraded today from older Docker Desktop release with docker-compose 1.24.0.

Context information (for bug reports)

Output of docker-compose version

docker-compose version 1.25.2, build 698e2846
docker-py version: 4.1.0
CPython version: 2.7.16
OpenSSL version: OpenSSL 1.0.2q  20 Nov 2018

Output of docker version

Client: Docker Engine - Community
 Version:           19.03.5
 API version:       1.40
 Go version:        go1.12.12
 Git commit:        633a0ea
 Built:             Wed Nov 13 07:22:37 2019
 OS/Arch:           windows/amd64
 Experimental:      true

Server: Docker Engine - Community
 Engine:
  Version:          19.03.5
  API version:      1.40 (minimum version 1.12)
  Go version:       go1.12.12
  Git commit:       633a0ea
  Built:            Wed Nov 13 07:29:19 2019
  OS/Arch:          linux/amd64
  Experimental:     true
 containerd:
  Version:          v1.2.10
  GitCommit:        b34a5c8af56e510852c35414db4c1f4fa6172339
 runc:
  Version:          1.0.0-rc8+dev
  GitCommit:        3e425f80a8c931f88e6d94a8c831b9d5aa481657
 docker-init:
  Version:          0.18.0
  GitCommit:        fec3683

Output of docker-compose config

services:
  ubuntu:
    image: ubuntu:bionic
version: '2.1'

Steps to reproduce the issue

Create docker-compose.yml file:

version: '2.1'
services:
  ubuntu:
    image: ubuntu:bionic

Create .env file:

A=a

(I made sure that it contains only these three characters, i.e. 41 3D 61) 3. Run docker-compose run ubuntu - fails with “TypeError: environment can only contain strings”. Removing/emptying this file letsdocker-compose to run correctly.

Observed result

Fails to start

Expected result

Runs container using environment variables from .env

Stacktrace / full error message

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "docker-compose", line 6, in <module>
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 72, in main
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 128, in perform_command
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 865, in run
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 1349, in run_one_off_container
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 1469, in call_docker
  File "subprocess.py", line 172, in call
  File "subprocess.py", line 394, in __init__
  File "subprocess.py", line 644, in _execute_child
TypeError: environment can only contain strings
[19220] Failed to execute script docker-compose

Additional information

OS: Windows 10 Pro 1909 (18363.592) - up to date docker-compose from Docker Desktop (stable, 2.2.0.0 42247).

Result is the same regardless of used shell: Power Shell / bash from Git for Windows / cmd

About this issue

Original URL
State: closed
Created 4 years ago
Reactions: 61
Comments: 32

Most upvoted comments

OK, I got workaround using earlier docker-compose v1.24.1 while awaiting a fix for Docker Desktop

Steps:

Download docker-compose v1.24.1 please looking for the file docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe from this tag https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/tag/1.24.1
Rename docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe to docker-compose.exe
Place docker-compose.exe anywhere in your working environement e.g. E:\dev\docker-compose\docker-compose.exe
Override docker-compose v1.25.2 shipped with Docker Desktop using older version of docker-compose (v1.24.1) by going to Windows Environment Variables / System variables / Path as screenshot

please ensure e:\dev\docker-compose comes before C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin

Go to cmd and test if docker-compose v1.24.1 is literally active

$ docker-compose -v
docker-compose version 1.24.1, build 4667896b

Phew! the issue TypeError: environment can only contain strings is gone

+65

atthakorn on Jan 22, 2020

Fixed by https://github.com/docker/compose/pull/7183

You can find a new release with the fix at https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/tag/1.25.3

+21

ulyssessouza on Jan 23, 2020

Confirm same issue.

+18

michaljusiega on Jan 22, 2020

Confirmed after upgrade to Docker Desktop for Windows 2.2.0.0.

Workaround worked: Replaced docker-compose.exe v 1.25.2 with v 1.24.1 in C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin

+16

manierim on Jan 22, 2020

Override docker-compose v1.25.2 shipped with Docker Desktop using older version of docker-compose (v1.24.1) by going to Windows Environment Variables / System variables / Path as screenshot

please ensure e:\dev\docker-compose comes before C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin

In my case in my PATH I didn’t have C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin, so I did the old hack of renaming new docker-compose.exe to docker-compose-1.25.exe and paste the docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe as docker-compose.exe. Everything works like before 😃

Thanks for the tip @atthakorn !

+14

phlisg on Jan 22, 2020

This issue also happened on my side, the workaround i use is by SSH into the containers directly using docker command, not to be confused with docker-compose.

Example: Usually i use command

docker-compose exec [service-name] bash # SSH to container

The workaround i use is

docker ps # to find out the container id
docker exec -it [container-id] bash # SSH to container

+11

gusdecool on Jan 23, 2020

My case, it happens on Windows CMD after upgraded the Docker desktop to v2.2.0.0 (42247) with docker compose v1.25.2 this morning

docker-compose exec container bash

Here is stack trace

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "docker-compose", line 6, in <module>
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 72, in main
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 128, in perform_command
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 491, in exec_command
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 1469, in call_docker
  File "subprocess.py", line 172, in call
  File "subprocess.py", line 394, in __init__
  File "subprocess.py", line 644, in _execute_child
TypeError: environment can only contain strings
[6136] Failed to execute script docker-compose

However, when use docker-compose v1.24.1 in WSL against docker desktop v2.2.0.0 (42247), it runs succesfully.

+11

atthakorn on Jan 22, 2020

Same issue.

nickwizard on Jan 22, 2020

Got it to work for me by following steps 1 & 2 from the quoted answer below. then for step 3 what I did was to go to C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin, made a backup copy of existing docker-compose.exe, then pasted the file from step 2 (the one that’s v1.24.1)

after that, docker-compose works again:

docker-compose -v
docker-compose version 1.24.1, build 4667896b

OK, I got workaround using earlier docker-compose v1.24.1 while awaiting a fix for Docker Desktop

Steps:

Download docker-compose v1.24.1 please looking for the file docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe from this tag https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/tag/1.24.1

Rename docker-compose-Windows-x86_64.exe to docker-compose.exe

Place docker-compose.exe anywhere in your working environement e.g. E:\dev\docker-compose\docker-compose.exe

Override docker-compose v1.25.2 shipped with Docker Desktop using older version of docker-compose (v1.24.1) by going to Windows Environment Variables / System variables / Path as screenshot

please ensure e:\dev\docker-compose comes before C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin

Go to cmd and test if docker-compose v1.24.1 is literally active
$ docker-compose -v
docker-compose version 1.24.1, build 4667896b
Phew! the issue TypeError: environment can only contain strings is gone

daryledesilva on Jan 23, 2020

Also confirming this error for any exec interaction with containers, replacing the docker-compose with 1.24.1 in C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin as sugested by @atthakorn and @mstellingwerff fixed the issue for the time being.

Starbugstone on Jan 22, 2020

My case, it happens on Windows CMD after upgraded the Docker desktop to v2.2.0.0 (42247) with docker compose v1.25.2 this morning docker-compose exec container bash Here is stack trace
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "docker-compose", line 6, in <module>
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 72, in main
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 128, in perform_command
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 491, in exec_command
  File "compose\cli\main.py", line 1469, in call_docker
  File "subprocess.py", line 172, in call
  File "subprocess.py", line 394, in __init__
  File "subprocess.py", line 644, in _execute_child
TypeError: environment can only contain strings
[6136] Failed to execute script docker-compose
However, when use docker-compose v1.24.1 in WSL against docker desktop v2.2.0.0 (42247), it runs succesfully.
sir. how do you downgrade docker-compose to v1.24.1

@gamenic-ramesh try this, or download the 1.24.1 tag… download—> Last release: https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/tag/1.25.3 overwrite—> C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin

pzajacz on Jan 30, 2020

The same problem on MAC

uraankhayayaal on Jan 23, 2020

Same issue.

lswierzewski on Jan 22, 2020

@z3niths Could you please open a new issue including your docker-compose.yml and all the environment files, including the .env? From the feedback here, the issue is solved by 1.25.3. Note that a even newer release (1.25.4) is available with a fix on environment variables with no value. Maybe that’s your issue.

Thanks, I’ve found a root problem already. Seem like my .env contain some environment key without a value.

1.25.3 : won’t work and display the problem similar to https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/7169#issuecomment-583193149
1.25.4 : work perfectly!

z3niths on Feb 11, 2020

@z3niths Could you please open a new issue including your docker-compose.yml and all the environment files, including the .env? From the feedback here, the issue is solved by 1.25.3. Note that a even newer release (1.25.4) is available with a fix on environment variables with no value. Maybe that’s your issue.

ulyssessouza on Feb 7, 2020

I override the docker-compose.exe with this release in this folder (Win10), and it’s working: C:\Program Files\Docker\Docker\resources\bin Last release: https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/tag/1.25.3

pzajacz on Jan 29, 2020

Same issue for me when using docker-compose via pycharm. Windows docker 19.03.5 Compose v1.25.2.

johnmreynolds on Jan 23, 2020

Oh, it seems that while I was trying to work around this and preparing my bug report somebody already did that in https://github.com/docker/for-win/issues/5517

piotrp on Jan 21, 2020