containrrr/watchtower Archived — What This Means
Running an archived, unmaintained container image carries real risk over time. The primary concerns are:
- Security vulnerabilities in the Go runtime or Alpine base image will not be patched
- Docker API compatibility — future Docker Engine versions may introduce breaking API changes that the archived image cannot handle
- Registry API changes (e.g., Docker Hub, GitHub Container Registry) may break image checking in the unpatched codebase
For new deployments in 2026, use nickfedor/watchtower. For existing deployments, plan a migration — the process takes under 2 minutes. See What Happened to Watchtower Docker for full context.
The containrrr/watchtower Image (Legacy/Archived)
containrrr/watchtower was the original official Watchtower Docker image, hosted on Docker Hub by the containrrr organization. With 100M+ pulls, it became the de facto standard for Docker container auto-updates. As of December 17, 2025 this image is archived and receives no further updates.
# Pull the archived containrrr image (still works, not recommended for new installs)
docker pull containrrr/watchtower
# Specific version — the last release
docker pull containrrr/watchtower:1.7.1containrrr Image Tags (Frozen)
| Tag | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
latest | Frozen at v1.7.1 (Dec 2025) | ⚠️ No updates |
1.7.1 | Last release before archive | ◑ Pinned, no patches |
edge | Development build — frozen | ✗ Do not use |
mtdowling | Legacy tag from original author | ✗ Deprecated |
nickfedor/watchtower — The Active Replacement
The nickfedor/watchtower image is maintained by Nicholas Fedor (GitHub: nicholas-fedor), who forked the project before the containrrr archive and has continued active development. It is published on Docker Hub under two equivalent names:
nickfedor/watchtowernicholas-fedor/watchtower
# Pull the actively maintained fork
docker pull nickfedor/watchtower
# Or using the GitHub username variant
docker pull nicholas-fedor/watchtower
# Specific version
docker pull nickfedor/watchtower:latestKey properties of the nickfedor fork:
- Full API compatibility with
containrrr/watchtower— all environment variables and labels work identically - Active releases with security patches and bug fixes
- Additional features and environment variables not yet merged upstream before the archive
- Same Alpine Linux base, same multi-architecture support (amd64, arm64, arm/v7)
- Open-source — full source available and auditable at github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower
containrrr vs nickfedor — 2026 Comparison
| Aspect | containrrr/watchtower | nickfedor/watchtower |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance status | ✗ Archived Dec 2025 | ✓ Actively maintained |
| Security patches | ✗ None going forward | ✓ Yes |
| New releases | ✗ Frozen at v1.7.1 | ✓ Regular releases |
| Docker Hub pulls | 100M+ (historical) | Growing |
| API compatibility | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes (drop-in replacement) |
| Env variable compatibility | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes (fully compatible) |
| Architecture support | amd64, arm64, arm/v7 | amd64, arm64, arm/v7 |
| Recommended for new installs | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Migration effort | — | ✓ Change image name only |
Which Image Should You Use in 2026?
Use nickfedor/watchtower for all deployments in 2026. It is the only actively maintained Watchtower image available. The migration from containrrr/watchtower is a single-line change in your Docker Compose file or docker run command.
If you are already running containrrr/watchtower:
- Your existing containers will continue to be updated for now — the archived image still works
- However, you should migrate to
nickfedor/watchtowerat your next maintenance window - See the step-by-step migration guide — it takes under 2 minutes
Use containrrr/watchtower only if you are pinning a specific version for reproducibility in an air-gapped environment and have explicitly accepted the no-patch-support tradeoff.
Image Size and Architecture
Both images are built on Alpine Linux and are approximately 12–15 MB compressed. Both support:
linux/amd64(x86_64)linux/arm64(Apple Silicon, AWS Graviton, Raspberry Pi 4+)linux/arm/v7(Raspberry Pi 3 and earlier)
Frequently Asked Questions
The containrrr/watchtower project was archived by its maintainers on December 17, 2025. The GitHub repository is now read-only — no new releases, security patches, or bug fixes will be issued. The recommended active replacement is nickfedor/watchtower, which is fully API-compatible. See What Happened to Watchtower Docker for the full story.
Yes. Nicholas Fedor is a known contributor to the container tooling community and the fork is open-source at github.com/nicholas-fedor/watchtower. It is the most actively maintained Watchtower image available as of 2026, with regular security patches and bug fixes. As with any container image, review recent commits before deploying in sensitive production environments.
Change the image name in your docker run command or docker-compose.yml from containrrr/watchtower to nickfedor/watchtower. All environment variables, labels, and volumes work identically — no other changes needed. Run docker compose pull && docker compose up -d to apply. Full steps are in the migration guide.
Yes, for now. The frozen v1.7.1 image still pulls and runs, and it will continue to update containers as long as Docker's API remains compatible and Docker Hub's registry API doesn't change in ways that break the image's polling logic. However, it will not receive security patches, and compatibility is not guaranteed as Docker continues to evolve. Plan your migration to nickfedor/watchtower at the next opportunity.
Migrate to nickfedor/watchtower in under 2 minutes
The actively maintained Watchtower fork. Fully compatible with all your existing configuration.
Migration Guide