Question 1

Is my container log data stored outside my server?

Accepted Answer

No. Logs stay on your machine. DockLog reads from the Docker socket and streams to your browser over WebSockets. Nothing gets sent to us. No telemetry, no analytics.

Question 2

Is DockLog free and open source?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Self-host it wherever you want. Your box, your data.

Question 3

Can I use DockLog without authentication?

Accepted Answer

Set DISABLE_AUTH=true and the login screen goes away. Fine for a laptop or a locked-down LAN. Don't do that on anything reachable from the internet.

Question 4

Does DockLog require a database?

Accepted Answer

With auth on, DockLog keeps users, RBAC rules, audits, and metrics in a SQLite file at DB_PATH. Turn auth off and skip DB_PATH, and it runs in memory. Handy for a quick local UI, but everything disappears when the container restarts.

Question 5

What are the default admin credentials?

Accepted Answer

Fresh install seeds admin / admin123. You'll be asked to change it on first login. Please actually change it before exposing the UI anywhere.

Question 6

Can I manage containers directly from DockLog?

Accepted Answer

Start, stop, restart, inspect, remove from the UI, if your permissions allow it.

Question 7

Can I monitor multiple Docker hosts?

Accepted Answer

One DockLog instance talks to one Docker daemon, whatever's behind /var/run/docker.sock or DOCKER_HOST. Pointing DOCKER_HOST at a remote daemon works; flipping between hosts in the UI doesn't yet. That's on the roadmap.

Question 8

Can I restrict which containers users can access?

Accepted Answer

Per-user allowed_containers patterns control what staff see: exact names, wildcards, or full regex. More examples in the RBAC docs at /docs#rbac.

Question 9

Are audit logs available?

Accepted Answer

With auth and a real DB_PATH, yes. Logins, container actions, and admin edits land in SQLite. No-auth with in-memory DB? Audits vanish on restart.

Question 10

Does DockLog support Docker Compose applications?

Accepted Answer

Compose containers show up like any other workload. Deeper Compose tooling is on the roadmap.

Question 11

Can DockLog be exposed to the public internet?

Accepted Answer

You can, but put it behind HTTPS and something sensible: reverse proxy, VPN, whatever you already use. Don't hang raw DockLog on port 8888.

Question 12

Why does DockLog need access to the Docker socket?

Accepted Answer

That's how it talks to Docker: list containers, tail logs, pull CPU/memory stats, run lifecycle actions. Mounting /var/run/docker.sock (or using DOCKER_HOST) is basically root on the host. Only run DockLog on machines you trust.

Question 13

Does DockLog support SSL certificates?

Accepted Answer

DockLog doesn't terminate TLS itself. Put Nginx, Traefik, or Caddy in front and let them handle certificates.

Question 14

Can I monitor resource usage?

Accepted Answer

Host and per-container CPU and memory, live over WebSocket, with about 30 days of history kept in SQLite.

Question 15

How much memory does DockLog consume?

Accepted Answer

Usually under 30MB. It's a thin Go binary, not another Elastic cluster.

Question 16

What happens if I lose my admin password?

Accepted Answer

Run docker exec docklog ./docklog reset-password admin 'YourNewPassword123' (see /docs#security). If the DB is locked, stop the container and use docker compose run --rm. Or delete the DB file and re-seed admin / admin123.

Question 17

How is DockLog different from traditional observability stacks?

Accepted Answer

Most stacks want agents, brokers, and a search index before you see a line of logs. DockLog just attaches to Docker and streams. Less plumbing, less bill.

Question 18

How do I run DockLog behind Nginx or a reverse proxy?

Accepted Answer

Your proxy has to pass WebSocket upgrades or live logs will die mid-stream. In Nginx, add proxy_set_header Upgrade and Connection Upgrade to the location block. Copy-paste configs in the reverse proxy docs at /docs#proxy.

Question 19

Does it support Docker Swarm or Kubernetes?

Accepted Answer

Built for a single Docker engine. On Swarm you can run DockLog per node with the local socket and watch that node's stacks. Kubernetes isn't native yet. It's on the roadmap.

Question 20

How do I upgrade to the latest version of DockLog?

Accepted Answer

docker pull aimldev/docklog:latest, then docker compose up -d --force-recreate. That's it.

Question 21

Can DockLog monitor stopped containers?

Accepted Answer

Running and stopped both show up: status, logs, whatever Docker still has.

Question 22

Can multiple team members use DockLog simultaneously?

Accepted Answer

Yeah, several people can be in at once. That's what the auth bits are for.

Question 23

Does DockLog support ARM devices?

Accepted Answer

ARM64 builds work on Pi, Graviton, Oracle ARM, and the usual suspects.

Question 24

Does DockLog require internet access?

Accepted Answer

After the image pull, no. It runs entirely on your side.

Question 25

Can I run DockLog on a home server or NAS?

Accepted Answer

Synology, Unraid, a Proxmox VM, homelab box, tiny VPS. All fine.

Question 26

What happens if Docker restarts?

Accepted Answer

DockLog reconnects once the daemon's back. No manual step.

Question 27

Can I search within container logs?

Accepted Answer

There's filter/search in the log viewer so you're not scrolling forever hunting a stack trace.

Question 28

Does DockLog support log auto-scrolling?

Accepted Answer

Live tails follow new lines. Pause when you need to read something without it jumping.

Question 29

Can I monitor hundreds of containers?

Accepted Answer

No separate indexing layer to feed. On a decent VPS people run large single-host setups without drama. Your mileage depends on the box.

Question 30

Can I disable destructive actions such as delete or restart?

Accepted Answer

Auth mode uses two layers: set ALLOW_START, ALLOW_STOP, ALLOW_RESTART, ALLOW_DELETE, or ALLOW_SHELL on the server, then grant matching can_* flags per user in Admin. Both must be true. No-auth mode only checks the ALLOW_* environment variables. Leave either layer false to block the action.

Question 31

Can I open a shell inside a container?

Accepted Answer

Set ALLOW_SHELL=true (ALLOW_BASH works too) on the server, then grant can_shell to each user who needs it — including the admin account.

Question 32

Does DockLog support dark mode?

Accepted Answer

Auto, light, or dark. Auto picks up your OS setting.

Question 33

Can I view container health check status?

Accepted Answer

Health status from Docker shows in the UI.

Question 34

How are user sessions managed?

Accepted Answer

JWT signed with SECRET_KEY, 24-hour lifetime. First login makes you change the default password. Bumping password_version on reset kills existing tokens (SESSION_INVALIDATED). Brute force gets capped at 10 tries per IP per 15 minutes.

Question 35

What is CLIENT_ACCESS=strict?

Accepted Answer

Default for production. Blocks /api and /ws from random browser origins unless the request carries X-DockLog-Client: web and a whitelisted Origin. Mobile apps use JWT, not Origin. CLIENT_ACCESS=off is for local debugging only.

Question 36

What does ENV=production do?

Accepted Answer

Won't boot with the default SECRET_KEY. Also kills the localhost Origin shortcut from dev. Use a real secret, keep CLIENT_ACCESS=strict, put HTTPS in front.

Question 37

Can I download full container logs?

Accepted Answer

If you can see the container, you can download the full log file. It's logged in the audit trail.

Question 38

Does no-auth mode persist users or audit data?

Accepted Answer

DISABLE_AUTH without DB_PATH = in-memory SQLite. Restart wipes users, audits, everything. Want to keep stuff? Set DB_PATH.

Question 39

Can I migrate DockLog to a new server?

Accepted Answer

Move your compose config and the data volume (SQLite, whatever you mounted). Users and audits come along.

Question 40

Does DockLog modify my containers?

Accepted Answer

DockLog won't touch your apps unless someone with permission clicks restart, delete, etc.

Question 41

Can I use DockLog in production environments?

Accepted Answer

People run it in prod. Auth, RBAC, audit logs. The boring stuff you'd expect.

Question 42

Does DockLog support container labels and metadata?

Accepted Answer

Whatever Docker exposes on inspect, you can see in DockLog.

Frequently Asked Questions