Self-Hosted Docker Manager: Dockge Setup in 5 Minutes

Dockge gives you a web interface for managing Docker Compose stacks. It was created by Louis Lam, the same developer behind Uptime Kuma, and shares the same clean, reactive interface. Dockge reads and writes your actual compose.yaml files on disk, so you can still use docker compose commands alongside the web interface. Here is how to deploy it.

Step 1: Create Directories and Download compose.yaml

mkdir -p /opt/stacks /opt/dockge
cd /opt/dockge
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/louislam/dockge/master/compose.yaml --output compose.yaml

Step 2: Start Dockge

docker compose up -d

Dockge is now running on port 5001. Open http://your-server-ip:5001 to access the interface.

Step 3: Configure Your Reverse Proxy

In Nginx Proxy Manager, add a proxy host for dockge.yourdomain.com pointing to your-server-ip:5001. Request SSL and enable Force SSL. Dockge is now accessible at https://dockge.yourdomain.com.

Step 4: Create Your First Stack

Open https://dockge.yourdomain.com. Click the plus button. Enter a stack name, for example, uptime-kuma. The interactive editor appears on the right. Paste a docker-compose.yml. Dockge validates the YAML as you type. Click Deploy. Dockge pulls the images and starts the containers. You see live progress in the terminal output below the editor.

Step 5: Scan Existing Stacks

If you already have Compose stacks on your server, move their compose.yaml files into /opt/stacks/stack-name/compose.yaml. In Dockge, click the dropdown menu in the top-right and select Scan Stacks Folder. Dockge discovers all your existing stacks. Now you can manage them through the web interface alongside new ones.

Features

• Interactive YAML editor with syntax highlighting
• Real-time terminal output during deploy/update
• Web terminal for running commands inside containers
• Convert docker run commands to compose.yaml
• Multi-agent support (v1.4.0): manage stacks on multiple Docker hosts from one interface
• Update button per stack: pulls latest images and redeploys in one click

Dockge vs. Portainer

Dockge is purpose-built for Compose stacks. It does not manage images, networks, or single containers. Portainer is a full container platform that does all of those things. If your entire infrastructure is Compose-based, Dockge is simpler and faster. If you need advanced features, use Portainer. They can run side by side on the same server.

VPS1 deploys Dockge as part of every managed server. We organise your stacks, configure automatic updates, and give you a web interface for managing your applications.