Installation guides, configuration references, troubleshooting, and platform-specific setup for every Docker environment. Everything you need to master Watchtower Docker automation.
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.
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.
Official containrrr/watchtower vs nickfedor fork. Image tags (latest, edge, versioned), multi-arch (amd64/arm64/arm/v7) and which image to use for your setup.
Full comparison: Watchtower vs Ouroboros, Diun, What's Up Docker, and Portainer. Feature tables, use-case recommendations, and when to switch alternatives.
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.