diff --git a/docker/tests/conftest.py b/docker/tests/conftest.py
--- a/docker/tests/conftest.py
+++ b/docker/tests/conftest.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 
 from os.path import join
 import re
-import subprocess
 import time
 from typing import Generator, Mapping, Tuple
 from urllib.parse import urljoin
@@ -36,67 +35,78 @@
 </entry>
 """
 
+# wait-for-it timout
+WFI_TIMEOUT = 60
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def docker_host():
+    return testinfra.get_host("local://")
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
+def compose_cmd(docker_host):
+    try:
+        docker_host.check_output("docker compose version")
+        return "docker compose"
+    except AssertionError:
+        print("Fall back to old docker-compose command")
+        return "docker-compose"
+
 
 # scope='session' so we use the same container for all the tests;
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
-def docker_compose(request):
+def docker_compose(request, docker_host, compose_cmd):
     # start the whole cluster
-    subprocess.check_output(["docker-compose", "up", "-d"])
-    yield
-    # and stop it
-    subprocess.check_call(["docker-compose", "down", "-v"])
+    docker_host.check_output(f"{compose_cmd} up -d")
 
+    # small hack: add a helper func to docker_host; so it's not necessary to
+    # use all 3 docker_compose, docker_host and compose_cmd fixtures everywhere
+    docker_host.check_compose_output = lambda command: docker_host.check_output(f"{compose_cmd} {command}")
+    yield docker_host
 
-@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
-def wfi_timeout():
-    """
-    wait-for-it timeout in seconds
-    """
-    return 60
+    # and stop the cluster
+    docker_host.check_output(f"{compose_cmd} down -v")
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
-def scheduler_host(request, docker_compose, wfi_timeout):
+def scheduler_host(request, docker_compose):
     # run a container in which test commands are executed
     docker_id = (
-        subprocess.check_output(
-            ["docker-compose", "run", "-d", "swh-scheduler", "shell", "sleep", "1h"]
+        docker_compose.check_compose_output(
+            "run -d swh-scheduler shell sleep 1h"
         )
-        .decode()
         .strip()
     )
     scheduler_host = testinfra.get_host("docker://" + docker_id)
-    scheduler_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-scheduler:5008 -t {wfi_timeout}")
-    scheduler_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-storage:5002 -t {wfi_timeout}")
+    scheduler_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-scheduler:5008 -t {WFI_TIMEOUT}")
+    scheduler_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-storage:5002 -t {WFI_TIMEOUT}")
 
     # return a testinfra connection to the container
     yield scheduler_host
 
     # at the end of the test suite, destroy the container
-    subprocess.check_call(["docker", "rm", "-f", docker_id])
+    docker_compose.check_output(f"docker rm -f {docker_id}")
 
 
 # scope='session' so we use the same container for all the tests;
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
-def deposit_host(request, docker_compose, wfi_timeout):
+def deposit_host(request, docker_compose):
     # run a container in which test commands are executed
     docker_id = (
-        subprocess.check_output(
-            ["docker-compose", "run", "-d", "swh-deposit", "shell", "sleep", "1h"]
+        docker_compose.check_compose_output(
+            "run -d swh-deposit shell sleep 1h"
         )
-        .decode()
         .strip()
     )
     deposit_host = testinfra.get_host("docker://" + docker_id)
     deposit_host.check_output("echo 'print(\"Hello World!\")\n' > /tmp/hello.py")
     deposit_host.check_output("tar -C /tmp -czf /tmp/archive.tgz /tmp/hello.py")
     deposit_host.check_output(f"echo '{SAMPLE_METADATA}' > /tmp/metadata.xml")
-    deposit_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-deposit:5006 -t {wfi_timeout}")
+    deposit_host.check_output(f"wait-for-it swh-deposit:5006 -t {WFI_TIMEOUT}")
     # return a testinfra connection to the container
     yield deposit_host
 
     # at the end of the test suite, destroy the container
-    subprocess.check_call(["docker", "rm", "-f", docker_id])
+    docker_compose.check_output(f"docker rm -f {docker_id}")
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
@@ -105,7 +115,7 @@
 
 
 @pytest.fixture(scope="session")
-def git_origin(scheduler_host, git_url):
+def git_origin(docker_compose, scheduler_host, git_url):
     task = scheduler_host.check_output(f"swh scheduler task add load-git url={git_url}")
     taskid = re.search(r"^Task (?P<id>\d+)$", task, flags=re.MULTILINE).group("id")
     assert int(taskid) > 0
@@ -121,13 +131,13 @@
                 time.sleep(1)
                 continue
             if "[failed]" in status:
-                loader_logs = subprocess.check_output(
-                    ["docker-compose", "logs", "swh-loader"]
+                loader_logs = docker_compose.check_compose_output(
+                    "logs swh-loader"
                 )
                 assert False, (
                     "Loading execution failed\n"
                     f"status: {status}\n"
-                    f"loader logs: " + loader_logs.decode(errors="replace")
+                    f"loader logs: " + loader_logs
                 )
             assert False, f"Loading execution failed, task status is {status}"
     return git_url