How to Install Watchtower Docker (Run, Compose, Swarm) — 2026 Guide

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine 20.10 or later installed
• Access to Docker Hub (or your container registry)
• Linux or macOS host (Windows WSL2 supported)
• User must be in the docker group or have sudo access

Method 1: Install Watchtower with Docker Run

The fastest way to install watchtower docker is a single docker run command pulling the official containrrr/watchtower image from Docker Hub:

# Minimal install
docker run -d \
  --name watchtower \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  containrrr/watchtower

# Recommended: with cleanup and 6-hour interval
docker run -d \
  --name watchtower \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -e WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP=true \
  -e WATCHTOWER_POLL_INTERVAL=21600 \
  containrrr/watchtower

Method 2: Setup Watchtower Docker Compose

For persistent, version-controlled deployments, add Watchtower to your docker-compose.yml:

version: "3.8"
services:
  watchtower:
    image: containrrr/watchtower
    container_name: watchtower
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    environment:
      - WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP=true
      - WATCHTOWER_POLL_INTERVAL=21600

# Then start with:
# docker compose up -d

See the full Docker Compose setup guide for production configuration including notifications and scheduling.

Method 3: Docker Watchtower Install on Swarm

# Deploy as a global service on every Swarm node
docker service create \
  --name watchtower \
  --mode global \
  --constraint 'node.role == worker' \
  --mount type=bind,source=/var/run/docker.sock,target=/var/run/docker.sock \
  --env WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP=true \
  containrrr/watchtower

For full Swarm configuration, see the Docker Swarm guide.

Verify the Installation

# Check container is running
docker ps | grep watchtower

# View startup logs
docker logs watchtower

# Expected output:
# time="..." level=info msg="Starting Watchtower and scheduling first run: 2026-05-26 04:00:00 +0000 UTC"
# time="..." level=info msg="Checking all containers (except explicitly disabled ones)"

First-Time Configuration

After a successful docker watchtower setup, configure these options based on your needs:

Use Case	Environment Variable	Value
Free up disk after updates	WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP	true
Check every 6 hours	WATCHTOWER_POLL_INTERVAL	21600
Update at 4 AM only	WATCHTOWER_SCHEDULE	0 0 4 * * *
Slack alerts	WATCHTOWER_NOTIFICATIONS	slack
Only update labeled containers	WATCHTOWER_LABEL_ENABLE	true

Private Registry Authentication

To install watchtower docker against a private registry (AWS ECR, GHCR, GitLab), mount your Docker credentials:

docker run -d \
  --name watchtower \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v $HOME/.docker/config.json:/config.json:ro \
  -e DOCKER_CONFIG=/config.json \
  containrrr/watchtower

First run docker login registry.example.com on your host to populate ~/.docker/config.json with credentials.

Uninstall Watchtower Docker

# Stop and remove the container
docker stop watchtower && docker rm watchtower

# Remove the image
docker rmi containrrr/watchtower