Arcane is a web interface for managing Docker: containers, Docker Compose projects, images, networks, and volumes, without needing the terminal for day-to-day tasks. It has become a popular lighter alternative to Portainer.

Features

• Manage containers, Compose stacks, images, networks, and volumes
• Live graphs of CPU, memory, and network usage
• Vulnerability scanning of images from the dashboard
• A REST API with OpenAPI 3.1 documentation
• A modern, responsive interface

Deployment

Arcane runs as a container with access to the Docker socket. Follow the documentation at getarcane.app for the current compose file.

A word on that socket: access to /var/run/docker.sock is effectively root on the host. Anything that can talk to it can start a privileged container that mounts the host filesystem. So:

• Never expose Arcane directly to the internet; reach it over a VPN or behind an authenticating proxy such as Tinyauth
• Consider a filtering proxy like docker-socket-proxy
• Keep it updated

Our container security hardening guide and rootless containers explainer cover the wider picture.

How it compares

• Portainer: the most established option, with Kubernetes support and a business edition, but heavier
• Dockge: focused on Compose files specifically, very simple
• Komodo: aimed at managing many servers and build pipelines

Arcane lands in the middle: broader than Dockge, lighter than Portainer.

License

BSD-3-Clause.

Links

• Repository
• Documentation