PyCharm Docker Compose Profiles: Do Unactivated Services Build Without `--no-build`?

Answer

When you launch a Docker Compose run configuration from PyCharm, services that have a profiles: entry but are not activated via the --profile flag or COMPOSE_PROFILES variable are not built by default, unless they are required as a build dependency (e.g., via depends_on: or as a build context) of an active service.

Confirmed facts

• PyCharm’s Docker Compose integration runs docker compose up with the selected profiles; the Compose spec excludes non‑matching services from the operation, so their image build step is skipped.
• The IDE provides a global “Build images” checkbox; leaving it unchecked adds --no-build to the command, suppressing builds for all services.
• There is no per‑service or per‑profile option to automatically apply --no-build only to inactive profiles.

Steps to avoid building inactive‑profile services while still building active ones

1. Ensure the inactive service does not appear as a build dependency of any active service (check depends_on: or shared build context).
2. If it has no build: section, it will never be built.
3. If you need a build: for the inactive service but want to skip it, move that build: block to a separate compose file that is not included when the profile is inactive, or replace it with an external image.
4. In PyCharm’s run configuration, clear the “Build images” box to add --no-build globally, then manually run docker compose build for the active services before starting.
5. Alternatively, use the “Additional options” field to pass --no-build and rebuild active services manually as needed.

Missing diagnostic detail

To give a definitive recommendation, please confirm: Is the inactive‑profile service listed as a build dependency (via depends_on: or as a build context) of any service that is activated by the selected profile? If yes, disabling builds may cause a missing‑image error; if no, the steps above are sufficient.