diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile-netty-centos6 b/docker/Dockerfile-netty-centos6
deleted file mode 100644
index d6e2339f51..0000000000
--- a/docker/Dockerfile-netty-centos6
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-FROM centos:6
-MAINTAINER netty@googlegroups.com
-ENTRYPOINT /bin/bash
-
-ENV SOURCE_DIR $HOME/source
-ENV MAVEN_VERSION 3.5.2
-ENV JAVA_VERSION 1.8.0
-
-RUN mkdir $SOURCE_DIR
-WORKDIR $SOURCE_DIR
-
-# install dependencies
-RUN yum install -y \
- apr-devel \
- autoconf \
- automake \
- git \
- glibc-devel \
- java-$JAVA_VERSION-openjdk-devel \
- libtool \ 
- lksctp-tools \
- lsb-core \
- make \
- openssl-devel \
- tar \
- wget
-
-
-RUN wget -q http://archive.apache.org/dist/maven/maven-3/$MAVEN_VERSION/binaries/apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION-bin.tar.gz && tar xfz apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION-bin.tar.gz && mv apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION /opt/
-
-RUN echo 'PATH=/opt/apache-maven-$MAVEN_VERSION/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
-RUN echo 'export JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-$JAVA_VERSION/"' >> ~/.bashrc
-
-RUN rm -rf $SOURCE_DIR
diff --git a/docker/Dockerfile.centos b/docker/Dockerfile.centos
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4d88820902
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/Dockerfile.centos
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+ARG centos_version=6
+FROM centos:$centos_version
+# needed to do again after FROM due to docker limitation
+ARG centos_version
+
+# install dependencies
+RUN yum install -y \
+ apr-devel \
+ autoconf \
+ automake \
+ git \
+ glibc-devel \
+ libtool \
+ lksctp-tools \
+ lsb-core \
+ make \
+ openssl-devel \
+ tar \
+ wget
+
+ARG java_version=1.8
+ENV JAVA_VERSION $java_version
+# installing java with jabba
+RUN curl -sL https://github.com/shyiko/jabba/raw/master/install.sh | JABBA_COMMAND="install $JAVA_VERSION -o /jdk" bash
+
+RUN echo 'export JAVA_HOME="/jdk"' >> ~/.bashrc
+RUN echo 'PATH=/jdk/bin:$PATH' >> ~/.bashrc
diff --git a/docker/README.md b/docker/README.md
index 157236f5bb..9970aaed5d 100644
--- a/docker/README.md
+++ b/docker/README.md
@@ -1,15 +1,19 @@
-
-** Create a docker image **
-```
-docker build -f Dockerfile-netty-centos6 . -t netty-centos6
-```
-
-** Using the image **
+# Using the docker images
 
 ```
 cd /path/to/netty/
 ```
 
+## centos 6 with java 8
+
 ```
-docker run -it -v ~/.m2:/root/.m2 -v ~/.ssh:/root/.ssh -v ~/.gnupg:/root/.gnupg -v `pwd`:/code -w /code netty-centos6 bash
+docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml -f docker/docker-compose.centos-6.18.yaml run test
 ```
+
+## centos 7 with java 9
+
+```
+docker-compose -f docker/docker-compose.yaml -f docker/docker-compose.centos-7.19.yaml run test
+```
+
+etc, etc
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.110.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.110.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8b2674b4ab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.110.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.10
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "6"
+        java_version : "1.10-0"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.10
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.111.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.111.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ee178141e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.111.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.11
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "6"
+        java_version : "1.11.0-14"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.11
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.18.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.18.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..88f433a8d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.18.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.8
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "6"
+        java_version : "1.8"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.8
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.19.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.19.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8a5e7bbe27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-6.19.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.9
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "6"
+        java_version : "zulu@1.9.0"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-6-1.9
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.110.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.110.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..553720c30f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.110.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.10
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "7"
+        java_version : "1.10-0"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.10
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.111.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.111.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..903db9fdab
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.111.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.11
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "7"
+        java_version : "1.11.0-14"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.11
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.18.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.18.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d592aeada9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.18.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.8
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "7"
+        java_version : "1.8"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.8
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.19.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.19.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..186669ddb4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.centos-7.19.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.9
+    build:
+      args:
+        centos_version : "7"
+        java_version : "zulu@1.9.0"
+
+  test:
+    image: netty:centos-7-1.9
diff --git a/docker/docker-compose.yaml b/docker/docker-compose.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ec11d50727
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+version: "3"
+
+services:
+
+  runtime-setup:
+    image: netty:default
+    build:
+      context: .
+      dockerfile: Dockerfile.centos
+
+  common: &common
+    image: netty:default
+    depends_on: [runtime-setup]
+    volumes:
+      - ~/.ssh:/root/.ssh
+      - ~/.m2:/root/.m2
+      - ~/.gnupg:/root/.gnupg
+      - ..:/code
+    working_dir: /code
+
+  test:
+    <<: *common
+    command: /bin/bash -cl "./mvnw clean package -Dio.netty.testsuite.badHost=netty.io -DskipOsgiTestsuite=true"