docker-gui

docker-gui is a local desktop UI for Docker Engine (containers, images, volumes, and compose stacks).

It is intended for teams that want a Docker Desktop-style daily workflow while connecting directly to a local Docker Engine daemon.

What this replaces (and what it does not)

docker-gui can replace common day-to-day Docker Desktop UI tasks:

• Browse and manage containers
• Pull/remove images
• Create/remove volumes
• View and operate compose stacks
• Stream logs

docker-gui does not replace all Docker Desktop platform features. It is a focused Docker Engine UI.

Architecture

• Frontend: Angular
• Desktop shell: Tauri
• Backend runtime: Rust + Docker Engine API (bollard)
• Compose operations: executed via local docker compose / docker-compose CLI

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine available locally (for example via Colima on macOS, Docker Engine on Linux, or WSL Docker Engine on Windows)
• Node.js version from .nvmrc
• pnpm
• Rust toolchain (for Tauri desktop runs/builds)

macOS users: Homebrew is the recommended package manager for installing prerequisites.

Install Rust/Cargo

cargo is installed as part of the Rust toolchain.

Windows (WSL):

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
cargo --version

macOS (Homebrew-first):

brew install node pnpm rustup-init
rustup-init -y
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
cargo --version

Also install Apple command line build tools if missing:

xcode-select --install

Ubuntu:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"
cargo --version

If you installed Rust in a previous shell, open a new terminal (or run source "$HOME/.cargo/env") before running pnpm tauri build.

Linux system dependencies for Tauri (Ubuntu/WSL)

Install required native packages before running Tauri build/dev commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libgtk-3-dev \
  libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  libsoup-3.0-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev \
  patchelf

Quick start

1. Install dependencies

pnpm install

2. Run web UI (frontend only)

pnpm run start

3. Run desktop app (recommended for real usage)

pnpm run tauri:dev

Build and test

Build:

pnpm run build

Unit tests:

pnpm run test -- --watch=false

Or use the unified helper:

scripts/dev-cycle.sh check

How to use as a Docker Desktop alternative (Engine-first)

1. Start your Docker Engine (example: colima start on macOS).
2. Start docker-gui (pnpm run tauri:dev for local development).
3. Open Settings and verify detected Docker connection/socket path.
4. Use Containers / Images / Volumes / Compose views for normal operations.
5. Keep CLI workflows (docker, docker compose) for advanced or unsupported scenarios.

Repository structure

• src/: Angular UI
• src-tauri/: Rust/Tauri backend and Docker command integrations
• docs/: architecture, implementation notes, and roadmap plans

Notes

• Compose control requires a working compose binary in PATH.
• If Docker is not reachable, the app will show disconnected status and command failures until the engine is available.

Tauri config troubleshooting

• Tauri v2 validates src-tauri/tauri.conf.json against the v2 schema.
• app.windows[].icon is not valid in v2 and causes:
  • Additional properties are not allowed ('icon' was unexpected)
• Define app icons under bundle.icon instead (already configured in this repo).