Containers
Manage Docker containers from Arcane.
The Containers page lists every container on the host and lets you create, inspect, edit, and remove them one at a time. To manage Compose services as a group, use Projects.
Browse containers
Section titled “Browse containers”Open Containers in the sidebar. The table shows name, ID, image, and status for containers on the host.
If you have a lot of published ports, the table collapses long port lists behind a +N expander. The view options menu can also hide exposed-only ports so you only see published host mappings.
Select a row checkbox, then hold Shift and select another to select the rows between them on the current page.
Filter by Docker label
Section titled “Filter by Docker label”Use the Labels filter to enter a label key, such as com.example.team, or an exact key and value, such as com.example.team=media. A key on its own matches containers that have that label, regardless of its value.
To keep a container out of the default list and dashboard counts, give it the com.getarcaneapp.arcane.hidden=true label or set x-arcane.hidden in Compose. Hide containers has examples, project-wide defaults, and how to show hidden containers again.
Create a container
Section titled “Create a container”- Click Create Container.
- Fill in name and image. The other fields (ports, volumes, environment variables, restart policy, and so on) are optional.
- Click Create.
Start, stop, restart, pause, kill
Section titled “Start, stop, restart, pause, kill”- Start / Stop / Restart — change the running state.
- Pause / Unpause — suspend and resume all processes in the container. Requires
containers:pause. - Kill — send a signal to the container’s main process. Requires
containers:kill. - Redeploy — pull the latest image and recreate the container with the same name, mounts, labels, networks, and restart policy. Use this to update a single container in place.
Edit a container
Section titled “Edit a container”Choose Edit from a container’s detail page or row menu to change its image, ports, mounts, variables, restart policy, networks, resource limits, or Linux capabilities. Network options include static IPv4 addresses and aliases. Editing requires containers:edit; network connections also require networks:connect / networks:disconnect.
Applying changes recreates the container. Arcane asks you to confirm, then stops it, recreates it with the new configuration, and starts it with a new container ID. If recreation fails, Arcane restores the original container. Containers that use auto-remove can’t be restored this way.
- Options of existing mounts are preserved.
- The new image is only pulled if it is not already present locally.
Convert a container to a Compose project
Section titled “Convert a container to a Compose project”This is an experimental feature. To turn it on, click the version number at the bottom of the sidebar and switch on Experimental Features (requires settings:write). Standalone containers then offer Convert to Compose on their detail page, row menu, or in bulk from the table. Converting requires projects:create.
The action opens the new-project page with a generated Compose file in the editor. Check the bind mounts, networks, and environment values, make any changes you need, then click Create Project.
Original containers keep running by default. Stop them before deploying to avoid name and port conflicts. With containers:delete, select Remove original container(s) after creation to delete them at project creation, before deployment. Deletion can’t be undone.
Commit a container to an image
Section titled “Commit a container to an image”Open a container detail page and click Commit to create a new image from the container’s current filesystem. You can set:
- repository and tag
- commit comment
- author
- whether Docker should skip its default pause during commit
The new image appears on the Images page after the commit finishes. Committing requires images:commit.
Inspect a container
Section titled “Inspect a container”Click a container’s name or its Inspect button to open the detail view. Tabs cover configuration, network settings, mounts, and logs.
The Overview tab’s volume and network counts open their respective tabs. Network details show both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses when assigned.
Compose tab
Section titled “Compose tab”If the container belongs to an Arcane-managed Compose project, the detail view also shows a Compose tab with the source compose file:
- the root compose file when the service is defined there
- an included compose file when the service comes from a Compose
include
For Git-synced projects, this tab is read-only.
Updates
Section titled “Updates”The Overview tab’s Auto Update toggle turns automatic installation on or off for this container; it is still checked for updates either way. Labels that control this, and how to stop checks too, are covered in Per-container labels.
When a newer image is available, the detail header shows an Update available badge and an Update action to apply it on the spot (requires the containers:autoupdate permission). If the container belongs to a project, the header links to that project too.
View logs
Section titled “View logs”Open a container’s detail view and switch to the Logs tab. The viewer:
- detects JSON and logfmt logs and renders them as structured rows
- groups multiline messages so a stack trace stays together
- shows small CPU and memory monitors alongside the log stream
Download logs
Section titled “Download logs”Click Download in the log viewer to save a plain-text .log file. The download includes timestamps and all stdout and stderr output Docker still retains for the container, regardless of the viewer’s current filters or line limit. Logs already removed by Docker’s rotation policy aren’t included.
Remove a container
Section titled “Remove a container”- Click the trash icon on the container row.
- Confirm.