Rancher 2 CLI: What is the purpose of `rancher up`, which works with 'compose' files?

The Rancher CLI has this intriguing command that appears to work with Compose files. Is this command intended for cluster operations only, or can it be used for Compose-style application stacks instead? I can’t tell from the information provided, and I only see one page that references this command. This may have been asked before, but it’s hard to search for a phrase like “rancher up” in the forums or in https://rancher.com/docs/

# rancher help up
apply compose config

Usage: 
  rancher up [OPTIONS] [arg...]

Options:
   --file value, -f value  The location of compose config file

What have you tried, and what behaviour did you observe (it’s easier to answer when the OP provides some context and has experienced some unexplained behaviours) ?

I don’t want to run an unknown command against my cluster without some context about what it does, which is why I am posting here. Since there isn’t a --dry-run flag, I don’t want to accidentally make unintended changes to my cluster.

Why don’t you just set up a local disposable cluster on your laptop using k3s or k3d, then you can experiment in safety.