Installation guides, configuration references, troubleshooting, and platform-specific setup for every Docker environment. Everything you need to master Watchtower Docker automation.
Honest 2026 safety review: the docker.sock risk, unattended-update danger for databases, and the hardening checklist — monitor-only mode, socket proxy, pinned tags.
Every Watchtower update leaves the old image behind — gigabytes pile up fast. How WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP works, when to enable it, and how to reclaim disk safely.
Watchtower fails on private images with 'pull access denied'? Mount your Docker config.json for GHCR, GitLab, Docker Hub and self-hosted registries — step by step.
Watchtower updates containers automatically; Diun only notifies you. Head-to-head 2026 comparison of philosophy, features and safety — plus the power combo of running both.
containrrr/watchtower was archived December 17, 2025. Understand what changed, whether it still works, and what to do next — including the 2-minute migration to nickfedor/watchtower.
The containrrr image is archived. Migrate to the active nickfedor/watchtower fork in under 2 minutes. Covers Docker Compose, docker run, Docker Swarm, and Portainer. Zero config changes beyond the image name.
Complete installation guide covering Docker Run, Docker Compose, and Docker Swarm methods. First-time configuration, private registry setup, and uninstall.
Full Docker Compose watchtower configuration — WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP, schedules, notifications, and working compose file examples for production use.
Every Watchtower environment variable: WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP, WATCHTOWER_SCHEDULE, WATCHTOWER_POLL_INTERVAL, notifications, private registry auth, HTTP API, and debug settings.
Deep-dive into the 4-step auto-update cycle — how Watchtower detects new images, stops containers, pulls updates, and restarts. Selective updates with labels.
6-field cron expressions, simple polling intervals, timezone configuration, run-once mode, and HTTP API for triggering immediate updates.
Use com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.enable labels to opt containers in or out. WATCHTOWER_LABEL_ENABLE opt-in mode and per-container monitor-only labels.
Configure Slack, email SMTP, Telegram, Discord, Gotify, ntfy, and Teams via Shoutrrr URLs. Monitor-only mode for passive update alerting without restarts.
Run commands before and after a container update with WATCHTOWER_LIFECYCLE_HOOKS and the pre-update/post-update labels, including timeout overrides.
Point Watchtower at a remote Docker host with DOCKER_HOST instead of the local socket, and secure the connection with TLS client certificates.
Enable the /v1/update webhook endpoint with WATCHTOWER_HTTP_API_TOKEN to trigger updates from CI right after a build, instead of waiting for the poll schedule.
Enable the /v1/metrics endpoint and scrape containers-scanned, updated, and failed counts into Prometheus and Grafana.
Run more than one Watchtower on the same host without them stopping each other, using WATCHTOWER_SCOPE and the scope label.
Exclude containers, authenticate ECR/GHCR/GitLab registries, monitor multiple Docker hosts, socket proxy security, rootless Docker, and multi-instance scoping.
Immediate updates with --run-once, HTTP API for CI/CD pipelines, WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP for old image removal, and Watchtower self-update behavior.
Deploy Watchtower as a global Docker Swarm service for cluster-wide updates. Stack YAML, rolling restarts, and Swarm-specific considerations.
Auto-update n8n, Ollama, Vaultwarden, Jellyfin, Plex, Home Assistant on any Docker host. Per-app safety ratings, exclusion guide for databases, macOS setup.
Fix: cannot connect to Docker daemon, containers not updating, unauthorized registry errors, keeps restarting, Docker Hub rate limits, and login failures.
containrrr/watchtower is archived (Dec 2025). Use nickfedor/watchtower instead. Image tags, comparison table, migration steps, and which image to use for your setup in 2026.
containrrr archived. Post-archive comparison: nickfedor fork, Diun, What's Up Docker, dockcheck, Portainer, and Ouroboros. Feature tables and 2026 recommendations for every use case.
Install via SSH, Docker Compose, or Container Manager GUI on DSM 7.x. Permission fixes, unhealthy container status, and Synology-specific considerations.
Deploy Watchtower via Portainer Stacks, configure via Portainer UI, view logs in the Portainer dashboard, exclude Portainer from auto-updates.
Community Applications install, Docker tab manual setup, or SSH. Container exclusion labels, Unraid vs Watchtower update comparison, and per-container recommendations.
Run Watchtower inside Proxmox LXC (nesting) or VMs. tteck helper scripts, Docker Compose setup, multi-LXC notification tagging, and common issues.
Native ARM64/arm/v7 multi-architecture support. Install on Pi OS or Ubuntu ARM, SD card optimization, ARM image availability checks, Pi homelab stack examples.
Shell, Custom App UI, or Docker Compose on TrueNAS SCALE. SCALE vs CORE Docker differences, ZFS pool storage paths, and App catalog coexistence strategy.
Docker Desktop for Windows WSL2 setup, PowerShell commands, Linux containers mode requirement, auto-start on boot, and Windows credential management.
SSH + Docker Compose or the Container Station 3 Create Application screen — no SSH required. Socket paths, permission fixes, and common QNAP-specific issues.
Which DXP-series NASync models support Docker, SSH + Compose setup, and how far the built-in UGOS Container Manager app actually gets you.