Manage Docker containers with Portainer

Introduction to Portainer

Managing Docker containers can be a daunting task, especially when dealing with multiple containers across various environments. Portainer simplifies this process by providing a user-friendly interface to manage Docker environments. Whether you are running a small home lab or managing enterprise-scale deployments, Portainer offers the tools and features to streamline container management.

Key Features of Portainer

• Intuitive User Interface: Portainer provides a simple and clean web-based UI that makes managing Docker containers, images, networks, and volumes straightforward.
• Multi-environment Support: Manage multiple Docker environments from a single interface, including Docker Swarm and Kubernetes.
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Implement fine-grained access control to ensure that users have the appropriate level of access.
• Application Templates: Quickly deploy common applications with pre-defined templates.
• Monitoring and Logging: Access real-time stats and logs for your containers, helping you monitor performance and troubleshoot issues.

Deploy Portainer with Docker

Create a Docker Volume for Portainer Data

docker volume create portainer_data

Deploy Portainer

docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce:latest

Access the Portainer UI

Open your web browser and navigate to http://<your-server-ip>:8443. You will be prompted to create an admin user and password.

After logging in successfully, you can manage stacks list, containers, images, etc on the UI.

Create a container using the Portainer interface

Create a Docker container using a Docker image

• Add Container: Click on Containers > Add Container.
• Container Details:
  • Name: Provide a name for your container.
  • Image: Specify the Docker image (e.g., nginx:latest).
  • Port mapping: Configure port mappings to expose container ports on the host.
• Optional Settings: Configure volumes, environment variables, and network settings as needed.
• Deploy: Click Deploy the container to start the container.
• Verify: Ensure the container is deployed successfully in Portainer.

Create a stack of containers using Docker Compose

• Prepare your docker-compose.yml file
• Add Stack: Click on the Add Stack button.
• Upload the docker-compose.yml file:
  • Enter a name for your stack.
  • Paste the content of your docker-compose.yml file into the Stack file contents text area.
  • Alternatively, you can upload your docker-compose.yml file directly if it's located on your machine.
• Deploy the Stack: Click on the Deploy the stack button.

Revisit docker-compose.yml files in Portainer

Sometimes you might want to revisit the original docker-compose.yml files that you used in Portainer, then by default you can get them here

sudo -i
cd /var/lib/docker/volumes/portainer_data/_data/compose

Summary

Portainer offers a user-friendly interface for managing Docker containers on a home server, streamlining deployment, monitoring, and scaling. It enables users to effectively orchestrate container environments, enhancing productivity and optimizing infrastructure for modern application needs.