Quick Verdict

Overview

Feature Comparison

The Version Pinning Conflict

Use Cases

Use Dockge For...

Use Watchtower For...

Use Both When...

Final Verdict

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Dockge have built-in update checking?

Can Watchtower update Dockge-managed containers?

Should I use Watchtower with pinned image versions?

Related ⚠️ Watchtower is deprecated. The containrrr/watchtower repository is archived and no longer maintained. Consider DIUN or What's Up Docker as actively maintained alternatives. This comparison remains available for reference. These are complementary tools. Dockge is a Docker Compose management UI for deploying and managing stacks. Watchtower is a background service that automatically updates running containers. You can use Dockge for management and add Watchtower for automated updates — but be aware that Watchtower's auto-updates can conflict with Dockge's version-pinned compose files. Dockge is a web-based Docker Compose manager with a YAML editor, stack lifecycle controls, and container log viewing. Created by the Uptime Kuma developer. Current version: 1.5.0 (last release March 2025). Watchtower is a background service that monitors running containers, pulls new image versions, and recreates containers automatically. Current version: v1.7.1 (last release November 2023, maintenance mode). There's a practical tension between Dockge and Watchtower. Dockge encourages managing explicit Docker Compose files with pinned image versions (e.g., image: jellyfin/jellyfin:10.11.6). Watchtower pulls the latest image and recreates the container — but the compose file still says the old version. This creates a mismatch: the running container uses a newer image than what's specified in the compose file. If you use both: Consider either: Dockge for management, Diun over Watchtower for update awareness. The combination of Dockge for stack management plus Diun for update notifications is a better pairing than Dockge + Watchtower, because Diun's notify-only approach avoids the version pinning conflict entirely. If you specifically want automatic updates (accepting the version mismatch risk), Dockge + Watchtower works — just be aware that Watchtower will update containers beyond what's specified in your compose files. No. Dockge manages stacks but doesn't monitor registries for new versions. Pair it with Diun for update notifications. Yes, but the compose file in Dockge won't reflect the new version. The container runs the updated image while the compose file shows the old version. This can cause confusion if you later redeploy from the compose file. Generally no. Watchtower works best with :latest tags. If you pin versions in compose files (good practice), use Diun for notifications and update the version in the compose file manually. Templates let you quickly answer FAQs or store snippets for re-use. Are you sure you want to ? It will become hidden in your post, but will still be visible via the comment's permalink. Hide child comments as well For further actions, you may consider blocking this person and/or reporting abuse