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General

Dockhand is a modern Docker management UI that provides real-time container management, Docker Compose stack orchestration, and multi-environment support. It’s built with SvelteKit and Bun, offering a lightweight, fast, and privacy-focused alternative to other Docker management tools.
Dockhand stands out with:
  • Modern tech stack (Svelte 5, SvelteKit 2, Bun runtime)
  • Custom OS layer built from Wolfi packages for enhanced security
  • Native Git integration with webhook support
  • Real-time updates via WebSockets
  • Both SQLite and PostgreSQL support
  • Privacy-focused with no telemetry or tracking
  • Business Source License ensuring long-term sustainability
Dockhand uses the Business Source License 1.1 (BSL 1.1), which allows free use for most purposes but restricts offering it as a commercial SaaS service. The license will convert to Apache 2.0 on January 1, 2029, making it fully open source.

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Licensing

Yes! Dockhand is free for:
  • Personal use and home labs
  • Internal business use (any size organization)
  • Non-profit organizations
  • Educational and research purposes
  • Evaluation and testing
The only restriction is offering Dockhand itself as a commercial hosted/managed service to third parties.
The Business Source License (BSL 1.1) is a license that:
  • Grants you the right to use, modify, and redistribute the software
  • Includes an “Additional Use Grant” that permits most production uses
  • Restricts offering the software as a competing commercial SaaS service
  • Automatically converts to an Open Source license (Apache 2.0) after the Change Date (January 1, 2029)
For full details, see the License page.
Yes! Managed service providers (MSPs) can use Dockhand to manage Docker infrastructure on behalf of their clients, provided they don’t offer Dockhand itself as the primary service product.
You only need a commercial license if you want to offer Dockhand as a commercial hosted service, managed service, or SaaS offering where Docker container management is the primary value proposition. For commercial licensing inquiries, visit dockhand.pro.

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Installation & Setup

Minimal requirements:
  • Docker Engine 20.10 or newer
  • 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
  • 100 MB disk space
  • Any modern web browser
Supported platforms:
  • Linux (amd64, arm64)
  • macOS with Docker Desktop
  • Windows with Docker Desktop or WSL2
Installation is simple with Docker:
docker run -d \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v dockhand_data:/app/data \
  --name dockhand \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  fnsys/dockhand:latest
Then access at http://localhost:3000For detailed instructions, see the Installation Guide.
No, Dockhand is distributed as a Docker image and requires Docker to run. This ensures consistent deployment across all platforms and simplifies updates.
Update to the latest version:
docker pull fnsys/dockhand:latest
docker stop dockhand
docker rm dockhand
# Run the installation command again
Your data is preserved in the dockhand-data volume.

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Features & Usage

Yes! Dockhand supports managing multiple environments:
  • Local Docker host
  • Remote Docker hosts via SSH
  • Docker hosts with TCP/TLS
Add environments in Settings > Environments.
Currently, Dockhand focuses on Docker and Docker Compose. Swarm and Kubernetes support are not available in the current version.
Dockhand can deploy Docker Compose stacks directly from Git repositories:
  1. Provide a Git repository URL (HTTPS or SSH)
  2. Specify the compose file path
  3. Configure environment variables
  4. Set up webhooks for auto-deployment on push
Supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and self-hosted Git servers.
Yes! Dockhand includes a scheduler for:
  • Starting/stopping containers on a schedule
  • Automated backups
  • Periodic maintenance tasks
Schedules use cron syntax for flexible timing.
Dockhand supports:
  • SQLite (default, no configuration needed)
  • PostgreSQL (for high-availability deployments)
Configure via environment variables on startup.

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Security & Authentication

Best practices:
  1. Use strong passwords or SSO
  2. Run behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS
  3. Restrict network access (firewall/VPN)
  4. Keep Dockhand updated
  5. Enable audit logging
  6. Use read-only Docker socket if appropriate: 
    -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro
  • Local user accounts with password authentication
  • OIDC/OAuth2 Single Sign-On (SSO)
  • LDAP integration
  • Optional Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
  • Role-Based Access Control (Enterprise)
Yes, for security you can mount the Docker socket as read-only if you only need monitoring capabilities. However, management operations (start, stop, create) will not be available.
No. Dockhand is completely privacy-focused and does not send any telemetry, analytics, or usage data to external servers. All data stays on your infrastructure.

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Deployment

Yes! Dockhand is production-ready. Recommended setup:
  • Use PostgreSQL for database
  • Deploy behind reverse proxy (nginx/Traefik) with HTTPS
  • Configure backups for database
  • Set resource limits
  • Enable authentication
  • Use health checks
For SQLite:
docker exec dockhand sqlite3 /data/dockhand.db ".backup /data/backup.db"
docker cp dockhand:/data/backup.db ./backup.db
For PostgreSQL, use standard PostgreSQL backup tools (pg_dump).
While possible, Dockhand is primarily designed for single-node deployment. For HA deployments, use PostgreSQL for shared database state and load balance multiple instances.

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Development & Contributing

Yes! Contributions are welcome. See the Contributing Guide for details on:
  • Setting up development environment
  • Submitting pull requests
  • Code standards
  • CLA requirements
  • Frontend: SvelteKit 2, Svelte 5, shadcn-svelte, TailwindCSS
  • Backend: Bun runtime with SvelteKit API routes
  • Database: SQLite or PostgreSQL via Drizzle ORM
  • Base OS: Wolfi packages via apko
  • Docker API: Direct API calls (no SDK dependency)
git clone https://github.com/Finsys/dockhand.git
cd dockhand
bun install
bun dev
Access at http://localhost:5173See Contributing Guide for full setup.

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Troubleshooting

Common solutions:
  1. Verify Docker socket is mounted correctly
  2. Check user permissions on Docker socket
  3. Ensure Docker daemon is running
  4. Try: docker exec dockhand docker ps
See Troubleshooting for detailed solutions.
docker logs dockhand

# Follow logs in real-time
docker logs -f dockhand

# Last 100 lines
docker logs --tail 100 dockhand
  1. Check existing GitHub Issues
  2. Create a new issue with:
    • Dockhand version
    • Docker version
    • Host OS
    • Steps to reproduce
    • Error messages/logs

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Support & Community

Yes! Join discussions on:
You can support Dockhand by:
  • Using it and providing feedback
  • Contributing code or documentation
  • Reporting bugs
  • Sharing with others
  • Buy me a coffee

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