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Terminal UI > DockMate

Lightweight terminal-based Docker and Podman manager with a text-based user interface,.

Package 300 stars GitHub

DockMate 🐳

A lightweight Docker & Podman TUI - manage containers and Compose projects from your terminal.

Note: Previously named DockWatch.

DockMate demo gif

📥 Installation

🍺 Homebrew (Recommended)

Works on Linux & macOS.

brew install shubh-io/tap/dockmate

📦 Quick Install Script

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shubh-io/DockMate/main/install.sh | sh
Click for Manual Install, Source Build & Verification

User-local Installation

If you lack sudo access or prefer local bins:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shubh-io/DockMate/main/install.sh | INSTALL_DIR=$HOME/.local/bin sh

Ensure $HOME/.local/bin is in your PATH.

Build from Source

Requires Go 1.24+:

git clone 'https://github.com/shubh-io/DockMate'
cd DockMate
go build -o dockmate
sudo mv dockmate /usr/local/bin/

Verifying Downloads

Releases include SHA256 checksums.

# Example verification
curl -fsSL -o dockmate https://.../dockmate-linux-amd64
curl -fsSL -o dockmate.sha256 https://.../dockmate-linux-amd64.sha256
sha256sum -c dockmate.sha256
Click for Update Guide 🔄

Standard Methods

Method Command
Homebrew brew upgrade shubh-io/tap/dockmate
Built-in dockmate update

🛠️ Force Re-install / Troubleshooting

If dockmate update reports success but the version does not change, re-run the installer to force-replace the binary:

# curl
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shubh-io/DockMate/main/install.sh | sh

# wget
wget -qO- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shubh-io/DockMate/main/install.sh | sh

Custom Directory Users: If you originally installed to a custom location (e.g., ~/.local/bin), you must specify it again to avoid installing to the default path:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shubh-io/DockMate/main/install.sh | INSTALL_DIR="$HOME/.local/bin" sh
Click for Troubleshooting Guide❗

Troubleshooting

"Permission Denied" when running Compose actions

If the app fails to enter a directory, it is likely a filesystem permission mismatch between your current user and the project folder.

Symptoms

You see an error similar to this in the logs or terminal:

Error: compose error (docker up): chdir /home/dockertest/my-app: permission denied

The Fix

Ensure your user has ownership of the project directory.

Example Case: If your project is located at ~/path/to-your-folder/, run:

# Replace '~/path/to-your-folder/' with your actual project path
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER ~/path/to-your-folder/

Technical Note: This command recursively (-R) changes the owner to your current logged-in user ($USER). This grants DockMate the necessary permissions to execute compose commands within that directory.

After Installation

Once installed, launch Dockmate using:

dockmate

🚀 Key Features

DockMate is the htop for Docker-lightweight, keyboard-driven, and zero-config.

  • ⚡ Real-time Monitoring: Stats for CPU, Memory, Disk I/O, Network, etc.
  • 📦 Compose Management: Full lifecycle control for Docker Compose and Podman Compose projects.
  • ⌨️ Instant Control: Start (s), Stop (x), Restart (r), and Remove (d) containers with single keystrokes.
  • 🔍 Debugging: View logs (l) or spawn an interactive shell (e) instantly.
  • 🐳 Multi-Runtime: Native support for Docker and Podman.
  • 📂 Deep Info Panel: View Compose metadata, project directories, and source paths.
  • ⚙️ Persistent Settings:
    • Custom Shell: Defaults to /bin/sh, but configurable to /bin/bash, /bin/zsh, etc.
    • Refresh Rates: Configurable Refresh Interval.
    • State Saving: Remembers your runtime (Docker/Podman) and column layouts on restart.

⌨️ Controls

Navigation & Global

Key Action
↑/↓ or j/k Move cursor up/down
←/→ Navigate pages
Tab Toggle column selection mode
Enter Sort by selected column
l / i / c Toggle Logs / Info / Compose view
F1 Help Menu
F2 Settings
Esc / q Back / Quit

Container Actions (Single)

Key Action
s Start container
x Stop container (Exit)
r Restart container
d Delete container
e Open interactive shell (Exec)

Compose Project Actions (Grouped)

Key Action
u / U Up (Create & Start all services)
x / X Stop all services
r / R Restart entire project
p / P Pause / Unpause project
d / D Down (Stop & Remove containers/networks)

🛠️ Configuration & Runtimes

Switching Runtimes (Docker ⇄ Podman)

  • In-App: Open Settings, toggle Runtime, and Save.
  • CLI: Run dockmate --runtime to launch the interactive selector.

Configuration File Settings are saved to ~/.config/dockmate/config.yml. You can manually edit this to change defaults for refresh rates, preferred shell, and column visibility.

🆚 Why DockMate?

DockMate vs LazyDocker

Feature DockMate LazyDocker
Philosophy ⚡ Speed & Simplicity 🧰 Feature-rich Power User
Engine Support ✅ Docker + Podman (Native) ⚠️ Docker (Podman via workaround)
Performance 🚀 Instant (<2s) / Minimal Deps 🐢 Variable / Heavy Deps
Tech Stack 🆕 Bubble Tea (Modern) 👴 gocui (Legacy, old)
Maintenance 🔄 Built-in (dockmate update) ❌ Manual updates
Input & UI ⌨️ Keyboard-only / Text-based 🖱️ Mouse + Key / ASCII Graphs
Scope 🎯 Containers & Compose 📦 Containers + Images + Layers

Choose DockMate if you:

  • Want a fast, "install and go" tool.
  • Need native Podman support.
  • Prefer htop-style simplicity over complex dashboards.

Alternatives

If DockMate isn't for you, check out lazydocker, dry, or ctop.

🗺️ Roadmap

  • Docker Compose integration
  • Docker Compose management
  • Podman Support
  • Homebrew distribution
  • Custom Key-Bindings
  • Container search/filter
  • Containers Network Management
  • Resource monitoring alerts
  • Image management

Author

Shubhransh Nath - Creator of Dockmate TUI
GitHub: @shubh-io

🤝 Contributing & License

License: MIT. Do whatever you want, just keep the license intact.

If DockMate saves you keystrokes, consider dropping a ⭐ on the repo!

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