What Portainer is
Portainer is a web-based container management platform that provides a graphical interface for Docker (and Kubernetes). It lets you manage containers, images, volumes, networks and stacks through a browser instead of the command line — useful for quick operations, monitoring running containers, viewing logs and deploying Compose stacks without SSH access.
Portainer supports multi-host management through agents, so you can control Docker instances across multiple machines from a single dashboard. It also provides role-based access control, container templates and webhook-based deployment.
Screenshot evidence
All three captures below show the Portainer web interface: the left navigation contains Portainer’s Containers, Images, Networks, Volumes and Stacks sections. Dockhand/Hawser screenshots are intentionally kept on the Dockhand project page.
Why I run it
I run Portainer because managing Docker across multiple hosts (HomeLab, TrueNAS, Docker VMs 1–5, AshleyMine) is much faster with a visual interface for routine tasks — checking container status, viewing logs, restarting services, deploying stacks. I still use the CLI for complex operations, but Portainer handles the 80% of daily container management that does not need a terminal.
Docker Compose
services:
portainer:
image: portainer/portainer-ce:latest
container_name: portainer
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "9443:9443"
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- ./data:/dataWhat this gives you
A clean, visual way to manage Docker across multiple hosts — container status, logs, deployments and stack management from a single browser tab, without needing SSH access for routine operations.