Arcane: The Modern, Self-Hosted Docker Management UI for Everyone

Arcane is an open-source, self-hosted Docker management platform designed for simplicity and performance. Loved by the self-hosted and DevOps community, Arcane offers a clean, intuitive interface to manage all your containers, images, volumes, and networks — making Docker accessible for beginners and power users alike.

With more than 1.6k GitHub stars, Arcane is rapidly emerging as a strong alternative to Portainer, Dockge, and other container GUIs. In this post, you’ll learn all about Arcane’s features, benefits, how to install it, and why it’s a standout choice for managing your home lab or production Docker environments.

Key Features of Arcane

• Container Management
• Real-time dashboard of all running, stopped, and unhealthy containers
• Start, stop, restart, inspect, and view logs in one click
• View resource usage: CPU, RAM, Network and disk in real-time
• Edit environment variables, ports, and volumes easily
• Image Management
• Browse, pull, and prune Docker images
• See image details and maturity for safer deployments
• Networks & Volumes
• Easily create and manage Docker networks and volumes
• Mount and organize volumes through the UI
• Docker Compose Projects
• Upload or edit docker-compose.yml files and deploy entire stacks
• Manage compose projects directly without CLI
• Mobile-responsive & Dark Mode
• Clean, modern design with dark/light toggle
• Fast SvelteKit+Go backend, optimized for performance
• Multi-language Support
• Translate via Crowdin
• Switch UI languages on the fly

Why Choose Arcane for Docker Management?

• User-Friendly: Designed for everyone, from homelab enthusiasts to sysadmins. No more intimidating CLI commands!
• Self-Host & Secure: Run Arcane on your own server and keep full data control. BSD-3 Licensed.
• Smooth Updates: Update to the latest version with a simple docker compose pull & restart.
• Community Driven: Actively developed, with helpful GitHub and Reddit support threads.

How to Install Arcane (Step by Step)

These instructions cover Ubuntu 24.04+, but Arcane works on any Docker-enabled OS.

1. Prerequisites

• Docker Engine & Docker Compose plugin
• 2GB+ RAM recommended
• Open TCP port 3000 (default)

2. Create Arcane Directory and Compose File

mkdir -p ~/arcane && cd ~/arcane

Create compose.yml:

version: '3.9'
services:
  arcane:
    image: ghcr.io/ofkm/arcane:latest
    container_name: arcane
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - ./arcane-data:/app/data
    environment:
      - APP_ENV=production
      - PUBLIC_SESSION_SECRET=yourRandomGeneratedSecret   # Recommend: openssl rand -base64 32
    restart: unless-stopped

3. Start Arcane

docker compose up -d

• Arcane will now be running on http://your-server-ip:3000/

Default login:

• Username: arcane
• Password: arcane-admin (change immediately after first login!)

Using Arcane: Quick Start Guide

1. Log in at http://your-server-ip:3000/

2. View all containers. Use Start/Stop/Restart as needed.

3. Pull new images or delete unused ones from the Images tab.

4. Manage volumes/networks in their respective menus.
5. Deploy or update docker-compose stacks in the Projects section.
6. Customize UI, enable Dark Mode, or change language from Settings.

Tips & Troubleshooting

• Permission Issues: Ensure /var/run/docker.sock is mounted, and your Arcane user is in the docker group.
• Update Arcane:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

• Backup the Arcane data directory (./arcane-data) to save settings and projects.

Arcane vs Portainer vs Dockge

Final Thoughts

Arcane is the perfect solution for anyone seeking a minimalist, open-source, and powerful Docker dashboard. Whether you’re a self-hosting hobbyist or a professional DevOps engineer, Arcane streamlines your workflow and puts you in full control of your containers.