Install Watchtower to automatically Update Docker Containers

Watchtower is a tool that automatically monitors and updates running Docker containers when new image versions are available.

To prevent updating critical containers you can make it monitor them only or ignore them

Watchtower web site

Docker Repository

Installation

Run these commands :

sudo su -

mkdir /opt/stacks/watchtower -p

cd /opt/stacks/watchtower

We will use the Docker Compose file

Create the compose file:

nano compose.yaml

Put this in the file:

version: "3"
services:
  watchtower:
    image: containrrr/watchtower
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

Starting Watchtower in Detached mode

docker compose up -d

Stopping Watchtower

Please note we prefer not to down this container just stop it

docker-compose stop watchtower

Looking at the logs

docker compose logs -f watchtower

To manage containers automatically updating them

Add the following lines to their Docker Compose files:

    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.enable=true

Like this :

services:
  my_service:
    image: my_image
    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.enable=true

To Monitor containers only without automatically updating them

Add the following lines to their Docker Compose files:

    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.monitor-only="true"

Like this :

services:
  my_service:
    image: my_image
    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.monitor-only="true"

To Exclude Containers NEVER UPDATING THEM

Add the following lines to their Docker Compose files:

    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.enable=false

Like this :

services:
  my_service:
    image: my_image
    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.enable=false

We will make Vaultwarden Automatically update

**run these commands: **

sudo su -

ls -la /opt/stacks/

cd /opt/stacks/watchtower

# check to see if this container is running
docker ps

# If this container is running
docker compose down

Edit the compose file:

nano compose.yaml

Put this in the file:

services:
  vaultwarden:
    image: vaultwarden/server:latest
    labels:
      - com.centurylinklabs.watchtower.monitor-only="true"
    container_name: vaultwarden
    restart: always
    environment:
      SIGNUPS_ALLOWED: "true"
    ports:
      - 8073:80
    volumes:
      - ./vw-data:/data
networks: {}

Now start the Container in detached mode:

docker compose -d up

If you found this useful then :

Please subscribe to our channel as we have not reached our target