Docker container auto-updater · free · open source · one 10 MB binary

Your containers update themselves. Safely.

freshdock pulls new images on your schedule and only keeps them if the healthcheck passes. If not, the old container is back in seconds. A maintained successor to Watchtower.

Get started Coming from Watchtower

homelab ~ freshdock checkv1.5.0

$ freshdock check

traefiktraefik:v3.1live up to date
nextcloudnextcloud:29nightly updated 04:00, healthy
jellyfinjellyfin/jellyfin:10.9nightly rolled back, healthcheck failed
postgrespostgres:16watch update available (16.4)
gluetunqmcgaw/gluetun:v3weekly up to date
vaultwardenvaultwarden/server:1.32nightly up to date

Broken updates roll back

A new image only stays if its healthcheck passes. Otherwise the previous container is restored and you get a message.

Opt-in by default

Nothing is touched until you label it. New labels start in watch mode: notify, never restart.

Understands Compose

A project updates as one unit. Migrations run first, services follow in depends_on order.

Drop-in for Watchtower

Reads your existing Watchtower labels. Works on Docker Engine 29, which Watchtower does not.

Set it up in a minute

Label a container

docker-compose.yml

labels:
  - "freshdock.enable=true"
  - "freshdock.mode=nightly"

Run freshdock next to it

shell

$docker run -d --name freshdock \
$  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
$  ghcr.io/turbootzz/freshdock run

Sleep

It checks at 04:00. Good images stay, bad ones are rolled back. Discord, Telegram, webhook or mail tells you what happened.

One mode per container

Your proxy can be live while the database is monthly. Set it with one label. Scheduling docs

live

Update on every new digest.

nightly · weekly · monthly

On a schedule, 04:00 by default. Or any cron.

watch

Notify only. Never restarts. The default.

off

Leave this one alone.

Coming from Watchtower? Keep your labels.

Watchtower was archived in December 2025. Swap the container, everything else stays. Full comparison or the migration guide.

Watchtower compared with freshdock
Capability	Watchtower	freshdock
Failed update	Container stays down	Rolled back automatically
Docker Engine 29+	Not supported (API 1.25)	Supported, API negotiated
Default behaviour	Updates everything	Opt-in, notify first
Image size	~100 MB	Under 10 MB
Maintained	Archived	Yes

Install

Docker

amd64, arm64, armv7

Cargo

From crates.io

Binary

Static builds on every GitHub release, with checksums.

No runtime, no dependencies

Read-only first: freshdock check changes nothing. Full install guide