What Happened: containrrr/watchtower Archived December 17, 2025
On December 17, 2025, the maintainers of the containrrr organization archived the containrrr/watchtower GitHub repository. The repository is now marked "Public archive" and is read-only. No further commits, releases, bug fixes, or security patches will be issued by the containrrr team.
This affects:
- The GitHub repository at
github.com/containrrr/watchtower - The Docker Hub image at
containrrr/watchtower— frozen at version v1.7.1 - All documentation hosted under the containrrr organization
Why Was It Archived?
The maintainers explained their reasoning directly in GitHub discussion #2135, "Goodbye containrrr/watchtower!" In their words: neither of the two maintainers are big Docker users anymore, and they "frankly lost interest (and time) in maintaining the project." That's the whole explanation — no controversy, no security incident, just limited maintainer time, which is one of the most common reasons open-source projects wind down.
In that same discussion, the maintainers noted a few things worth knowing if you're deciding what to do next:
- They did not officially recommend a successor project, and said they "can't really vouch for" the legitimacy of forks they haven't reviewed closely.
- They specifically warned that some of the forks they did look at were "full of AI slop" — evaluate any fork's code and commit history yourself rather than assuming a fork is automatically safe.
- Among the forks out there,
nickfedor/watchtower(GitHub: nicholas-fedor/watchtower) has the most visible ongoing activity, which is why we point to it below — not because it carries any official blessing.
Does Watchtower Still Work After the Archive?
Yes — for now. The frozen containrrr/watchtower:1.7.1 image still:
- Pulls successfully from Docker Hub
- Connects to the Docker daemon via the socket
- Detects new image digests and updates containers
- Sends notifications via Shoutrrr
However, its continued functionality is not guaranteed over time. The risks of running an archived image grow as:
- Docker Engine releases new API versions that may deprecate or change behavior the image relies on
- Docker Hub and registry APIs evolve — changes to authentication, manifest formats, or rate limiting may break polling
- Alpine Linux base accumulates unpatched CVEs in the Go runtime and OS packages
The image is safe to run today and is likely safe for the near term. It is not recommended for the long term without a migration plan.
What You Should Do
Option 1 — Migrate to nickfedor/watchtower
The nickfedor/watchtower fork (GitHub: nicholas-fedor/watchtower) appears to be the most actively maintained continuation of Watchtower, with regular commits and releases since the containrrr archive. Note that containrrr's own maintainers did not officially endorse any successor — in discussion #2135 they explicitly say they can't vouch for any fork and warn that some available forks are low-quality. Review the fork's commit history yourself before deploying it in a sensitive environment.
The migration is one line change in your Docker Compose file:
# Before (archived)
image: containrrr/watchtower
# After (active, recommended)
image: nickfedor/watchtowerAll environment variables, labels, volumes, and ports are identical. See the complete step-by-step migration guide for Docker Run, Docker Compose, and Docker Swarm.
Option 2 — Switch to a Notification-Only Tool
If the archive decision has made you reconsider whether auto-restart is right for your environment, this is a good time to evaluate notification-only tools:
- Diun — detects new images and sends alerts, never restarts automatically
- What's Up Docker — web UI with extensive notification routing, notify-only by default
See the 2026 alternatives guide for a full comparison.
Option 3 — Keep Running the Archived Image (Short Term)
If you cannot migrate immediately, the frozen containrrr image will continue to function in the near term. However, set a maintenance window to migrate within the next 1–3 months. Do not leave this as a permanent solution.
Migration Summary
| Setup Type | Change Required | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Docker Compose | Change image: line; run docker compose up -d | ~2 min |
| docker run | Update image name in command; stop old container first | ~3 min |
| Docker Swarm | Update service image with docker service update | ~5 min |
| Portainer Stack | Edit stack YAML, redeploy via Portainer UI | ~3 min |
Timeline of Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 2025 | containrrr/watchtower v1.7.1 released — final release |
| Mid 2025 | nickfedor/watchtower fork becomes publicly active with new releases |
| December 17, 2025 | containrrr/watchtower GitHub repository archived (read-only) |
| December 2025 – present | nickfedor/watchtower continues active development with patches and releases |
| June 2026 | nickfedor/watchtower is the most actively maintained fork available (not an official containrrr recommendation) |
Frequently Asked Questions
The original containrrr/watchtower project was archived on December 17, 2025 — that specific project is discontinued in the sense that no new releases will ship from the containrrr organization. The fork nickfedor/watchtower appears to be the most actively maintained continuation, though it isn't an officially endorsed successor. Watchtower as a tool is not dead — it changed hands.
Yes, for now. The frozen v1.7.1 image still runs and updates containers. However it receives no security patches, and long-term compatibility with evolving Docker Engine and registry APIs is not guaranteed. Migrating to an actively maintained fork such as nickfedor/watchtower is worth considering.
For automatic container updates: nickfedor/watchtower is a drop-in compatible fork with continued active development, and the one we've seen the most adoption of. For notification-only behavior, Diun and What's Up Docker are strong alternatives. See our full alternatives guide.
The maintainers said directly in discussion #2135 that they're no longer heavy Docker users themselves and lost interest and time in maintaining the project — a straightforward capacity issue, not a controversy.
It's the most actively maintained fork we've found, and it's fully open-source and auditable at github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower. That said, containrrr's original maintainers explicitly declined to endorse any fork and warned that some forks are low-quality (see discussion #2135). As with any image you grant Docker socket access to, review the commit history and recent activity yourself before deploying it in a sensitive environment — don't take our word or anyone else's for it.
Sources
- github.com/containrrr/watchtower — the archived repository (see the "Public archive" banner)
- GitHub Discussion #2135, "Goodbye containrrr/watchtower!" — the maintainers' own explanation, in their words
- github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower — the active fork referenced throughout this article
Last reviewed: July 26, 2026.
Migrate to nickfedor/watchtower — takes under 2 minutes
The actively maintained Watchtower fork. Fully compatible with your existing configuration.
Migration Guide →