Dockge: Why I switched from Portainer to this lightweight tool (and recommend it to you)

If you do self-hosting, run a home lab, or manage a small VPS, you’re probably familiar with Portainer. It’s the de-facto standard: a powerful, all-encompassing “Swiss Army knife” for Docker.

But let’s be honest: sometimes the Swiss Army knife is too heavy when you just need to peel an apple.

Recently I discovered Dockge — a tool from the same developer as the popular Uptime Kuma. It made me completely rethink how I manage containers. In this article I’ll explain why Dockge can be the perfect replacement for Portainer in many scenarios.

The problem with Portainer

I love Portainer. It can do everything: Kubernetes, Swarm, image, network and volume management. But there is one fundamental feature that often annoys: it hides configuration.

When you create a “Stack” in Portainer, your docker-compose.yaml lives in its internal database. If Portainer crashes or the database gets corrupted — configs are at risk. Of course, you can connect a Git repository, but that adds an extra step to a simple process.

What is Dockge?

Dockge (pronounced “Dodge” — from Docker + Dodge) is a reactive, modern and incredibly lightweight manager for docker-compose.yaml.

Its main philosophy: Your files are the source of truth.

Unlike Portainer, Dockge doesn’t hide configs in its DB. It simply reads and manages folders with compose.yaml on disk. Remove Dockge — containers and configs remain in place, neatly organized in folders.

5 reasons to switch to Dockge

Here are the key features that made me migrate:

1. File structure is the foundation
   Dockge works directly with the filesystem.

   • You create the /opt/stacks folder.
   • Dockge scans it.
   • You manually create /opt/stacks/my-app with compose.yaml inside — Dockge instantly sees the new stack.
   • You edit the file in the terminal (vim/nano) — changes are immediately reflected in the UI.

2. docker run → Compose converter
   Killer feature! How many times have you found a GitHub project with a huge docker run ... command?
   In Dockge you paste that command into a special field — and you get a ready valid YAML. No manual conversion.

3. Interactive editor
   Hybrid approach: left — raw YAML code, right — visual fields (ports, volumes, env). Change one — the other syncs. It works incredibly smoothly.

4. Lightweight and fast (Reactive UI)
   If you’ve used Uptime Kuma, you know that pleasant interface. Dockge is built on the same technologies: instant response, minimal clicks, no delays.

5. Multi-server support (agents)
   Dockge lets you manage multiple Docker hosts from a single interface while keeping setup simple.

Comparison: Dockge vs Portainer

How to install Dockge?

Installation is a vivid demonstration of the project’s philosophy: minimal steps.

# 1. Make dirs
mkdir -p /opt/stacks /opt/dockge
cd /opt/dockge

# 2. Download offical compose.yaml
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/louislam/dockge/master/compose.yaml --output compose.yaml

# 3. Starting 
docker compose up -d

Open http://ip-of-your-server:5001 — and everything is ready!

Tip: If you’re migrating from Portainer and your compose files are already on disk — just point Dockge to that folder and it will immediately pick up the stacks.

Conclusion: Is it worth switching?

Stay on Portainer if:

• You manage Kubernetes or Docker Swarm clusters.
• You need advanced RBAC (roles and access control).
• You require detailed GUI control over individual images and volumes.

Switch to Dockge if:

• You have one or several VPS/home servers.
• You like order in the filesystem.
• You want the interface to help rather than get in the way.
• You’re tired of Portainer’s “heaviness” for running a dozen containers.

Dockge brought back the joy of configuring containers for me. It’s a tool that does one thing, but does it perfectly — manages docker-compose files. Try it yourself — maybe your Portainer will go into a well-deserved retirement too.

🛠 Guide: Smooth migration from Portainer to Dockge

Many are stopped by the fear of breaking working services. Relax! Containers are isolated from the management tool, migration goes smoothly.

Step 0: Preparation and backup
Make sure where container data is stored (volumes).

• Bind mounts (/path/on/host:/path/in/container) — data on disk, safe.
• Named volumes — inside Docker, won’t disappear when recreating.

Make a backup of important data or a server snapshot.

Step 1: Export configuration from Portainer

1. Go to Stacks → select the stack → Editor.
2. Copy the entire YAML to the clipboard.

Step 2: Stop in Portainer

1. Stop the stack.
2. Optional: delete the stack later, when you’re sure everything works in Dockge (do not delete volumes!).

Step 3: Deploy in Dockge

1. Open Dockge (http://ip:5001).

2. Click + Compose → enter the stack name.

3. Paste the copied YAML.

4. Check volume paths:

   • Relative paths (./data) will be relative to the stack folder in Dockge (/opt/stacks/<name>/).
   • I recommend using absolute paths or moving data.

5. Save → Deploy.

Single containers (not from stacks)?

1. • Compose → paste the docker run ... command into the converter field.
2. Dockge will create the YAML automatically → Deploy.

Done! Now your configs are in plain text files, not in a “black box” database.

Good luck with the migration!