diff --git a/.bumpversion.cfg b/.bumpversion.cfg
index 9e659135a..4876d3598 100644
--- a/.bumpversion.cfg
+++ b/.bumpversion.cfg
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [bumpversion]
-current_version = 2.1.0
+current_version = 2.1.1
 commit = True
 tag = False
 tag_name = {new_version}
@@ -30,11 +30,11 @@ search = {current_version}
 replace = {new_version}
 
 [bumpversion:file:RELEASE.txt]
-search = {current_version} 2024-02-23T20:32:41Z
+search = {current_version} 2024-03-06T22:15:17Z
 replace = {new_version} {utcnow:%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ}
 
 [bumpversion:part:releaseTime]
-values = 2024-02-23T20:32:41Z
+values = 2024-03-06T22:15:17Z
 
 [bumpversion:file(version):birdhouse/components/canarie-api/docker_configuration.py.template]
 search = 'version': '{current_version}'
diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index ceca39fe7..5e9e05a9e 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -17,6 +17,36 @@
 
 [//]: # (list changes here, using '-' for each new entry, remove this when items are added)
 
+[2.1.1](https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/tree/2.1.1) (2024-03-06)
+------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+## Changes
+
+- logging: decrease logging level for empty optional vars from WARN to DEBUG
+
+  To avoid drowning real WARN messages.  Many optional vars can be valid if empty.
+
+- config: add sample config to configure docker-compose to remove orphans
+
+  To remove orphans containers when components are disabled.  Also link to full
+  documentations if other env var can be used.
+
+- compose script: allow to pass extra options to `up` operation
+
+  The previous docker-compose built-in env var was not working so had to add
+  this homegrown solution.
+
+  When disabling components, their existing containers will not be removed
+  unless option `--remove-orphans` is given together with  `./pavics-compose.sh up -d`.
+
+  This change allow any additional options, not just `--remove-orphans`.
+
+- compose script: exit early when any errors occurred during invocation
+
+  Before, all the `post-docker-compose-up` would still execute after
+  `docker-compose` has an error.
+
+
 [2.1.0](https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/tree/2.1.0) (2024-02-23)
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 332c9177b..204be1887 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Generic variables
 override SHELL       := bash
 override APP_NAME    := birdhouse-deploy
-override APP_VERSION := 2.1.0
+override APP_VERSION := 2.1.1
 
 # utility to remove comments after value of an option variable
 override clean_opt = $(shell echo "$(1)" | $(_SED) -r -e "s/[ '$'\t'']+$$//g")
diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index ab9e92bd0..593d4ab9b 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@ for a full-fledged production platform.
     * - releases
       - | |latest-version| |commits-since|
 
-.. |commits-since| image:: https://img.shields.io/github/commits-since/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/2.1.0.svg
+.. |commits-since| image:: https://img.shields.io/github/commits-since/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/2.1.1.svg
     :alt: Commits since latest release
-    :target: https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/compare/2.1.0...master
+    :target: https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/compare/2.1.1...master
 
-.. |latest-version| image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/tag-2.1.0-blue.svg?style=flat
+.. |latest-version| image:: https://img.shields.io/badge/tag-2.1.1-blue.svg?style=flat
     :alt: Latest Tag
-    :target: https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/tree/2.1.0
+    :target: https://github.com/bird-house/birdhouse-deploy/tree/2.1.1
 
 .. |readthedocs| image:: https://readthedocs.org/projects/birdhouse-deploy/badge/?version=latest
     :alt: ReadTheDocs Build Status (latest version)
diff --git a/RELEASE.txt b/RELEASE.txt
index b77a8711e..426141716 100644
--- a/RELEASE.txt
+++ b/RELEASE.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-2.1.0 2024-02-23T20:32:41Z
+2.1.1 2024-03-06T22:15:17Z
diff --git a/birdhouse/components/canarie-api/docker_configuration.py.template b/birdhouse/components/canarie-api/docker_configuration.py.template
index 642d68127..df0c941c9 100644
--- a/birdhouse/components/canarie-api/docker_configuration.py.template
+++ b/birdhouse/components/canarie-api/docker_configuration.py.template
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ SERVICES = {
             # NOTE:
             #   Below version and release time auto-managed by 'make VERSION=x.y.z bump'.
             #   Do NOT modify it manually. See 'Tagging policy' in 'birdhouse/README.rst'.
-            'version': '2.1.0',
-            'releaseTime': '2024-02-23T20:32:41Z',
+            'version': '2.1.1',
+            'releaseTime': '2024-03-06T22:15:17Z',
             'institution': '${SERVER_INSTITUTION}',
             'researchSubject': '${SERVER_SUBJECT}',
             'supportEmail': '${SUPPORT_EMAIL}',
@@ -142,8 +142,8 @@ PLATFORMS = {
             # NOTE:
             #   Below version and release time auto-managed by 'make VERSION=x.y.z bump'.
             #   Do NOT modify it manually. See 'Tagging policy' in 'birdhouse/README.rst'.
-            'version': '2.1.0',
-            'releaseTime': '2024-02-23T20:32:41Z',
+            'version': '2.1.1',
+            'releaseTime': '2024-03-06T22:15:17Z',
             'institution': '${SERVER_INSTITUTION}',
             'researchSubject': '${SERVER_SUBJECT}',
             'supportEmail': '${SUPPORT_EMAIL}',
diff --git a/birdhouse/env.local.example b/birdhouse/env.local.example
index 1487ba44c..37a46e745 100644
--- a/birdhouse/env.local.example
+++ b/birdhouse/env.local.example
@@ -593,3 +593,20 @@ export CATALOG_PASSWORD="${__DEFAULT__CATALOG_PASSWORD}"
 export CATALOG_THREDDS_SERVICE="thredds"
 export PHOENIX_PASSWORD="${__DEFAULT__PHOENIX_PASSWORD}"
 export PHOENIX_PASSWORD_HASH="${__DEFAULT__PHOENIX_PASSWORD_HASH}"
+
+#############################################################################
+# Compose vars
+#   https://docs.docker.com/compose/environment-variables/envvars/
+#   https://docs.docker.com/compose/environment-variables/envvars-precedence/
+#   https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/cli/#environment-variables
+#############################################################################
+
+# Remove orphans containers, useful when disabling components.
+# Harmless when left enabled all the time.
+# Not working at the time of this writing, see https://github.com/docker/compose/issues/11374.
+# Use COMPOSE_UP_EXTRA_OPTS below as a work-around.
+#export COMPOSE_REMOVE_ORPHANS=true
+
+# Extra options for 'pavics-compose.sh up'.
+# --remove-orphans useful when disabling components.  Harmless when left enabled all the time.
+#export COMPOSE_UP_EXTRA_OPTS="--remove-orphans"
diff --git a/birdhouse/pavics-compose.sh b/birdhouse/pavics-compose.sh
index 9d7e47c63..0efdf722e 100755
--- a/birdhouse/pavics-compose.sh
+++ b/birdhouse/pavics-compose.sh
@@ -105,7 +105,10 @@ if [ x"$1" = x"info" ]; then
   exit 0
 fi
 
+COMPOSE_EXTRA_OPTS=""
+
 if [ x"$1" = x"up" ]; then
+  COMPOSE_EXTRA_OPTS="${COMPOSE_UP_EXTRA_OPTS}"
   for adir in $ALL_CONF_DIRS; do
     COMPONENT_PRE_COMPOSE_UP="$adir/pre-docker-compose-up"
     if [ -x "$COMPONENT_PRE_COMPOSE_UP" ]; then
@@ -115,9 +118,14 @@ if [ x"$1" = x"up" ]; then
   done
 fi
 
+log INFO "Executing docker-compose with extra options: $* ${COMPOSE_EXTRA_OPTS}"
 # the PROXY_SECURE_PORT is a little trick to make the compose file invalid without the usage of this wrapper script
-PROXY_SECURE_PORT=443 HOSTNAME=${PAVICS_FQDN} docker-compose ${COMPOSE_CONF_LIST} $*
+PROXY_SECURE_PORT=443 HOSTNAME=${PAVICS_FQDN} docker-compose ${COMPOSE_CONF_LIST} $* ${COMPOSE_EXTRA_OPTS}
 ERR=$?
+if [ ${ERR} -gt 0 ]; then
+  log ERROR "docker-compose error, exit code ${ERR}"
+  exit ${ERR}
+fi
 
 # execute post-compose function if exists and no error occurred
 type post-compose 2>&1 | grep 'post-compose is a function' > /dev/null
diff --git a/birdhouse/read-configs.include.sh b/birdhouse/read-configs.include.sh
index dd6a05bbc..50335f0e4 100644
--- a/birdhouse/read-configs.include.sh
+++ b/birdhouse/read-configs.include.sh
@@ -228,7 +228,7 @@ check_default_vars() {
         result=`echo "${d}" | grep -c "${default}"`
         if [ -z "`eval "echo ${v}"`" ]
         then
-            log WARN "Optional variable [${n}] is not set. Check env.local file."
+            log DEBUG "Optional variable [${n}] is not set. Check env.local file."
         fi
         if [ "${result}" -gt 0 ]
         then
diff --git a/docs/source/conf.py b/docs/source/conf.py
index 1b7e61354..60af40374 100644
--- a/docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/docs/source/conf.py
@@ -69,9 +69,9 @@
 # built documents.
 #
 # The short X.Y version.
-version = '2.1.0'
+version = '2.1.1'
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = '2.1.0'
+release = '2.1.1'
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.