Docker Operations Guide

Docklift is a container management platform, so understanding the underlying Docker operations is crucial.

Core Containers

The main Docklift platform consists of exactly 4 containers (defined in docker-compose.yml):

Note: There is NO docklift-db container. SQLite is a file (/app/data/docklift.db) inside the backend container.

Viewing Logs

CLI

docker logs docklift-backend -f --tail 100
docker logs docklift-frontend -f --tail 100
docker logs docklift-nginx -f --tail 100
docker logs docklift-nginx-proxy -f --tail 100

UI

Navigate to /logs in the Docklift dashboard. This provides real-time SSE-streamed logs with:

• Timestamps per line
• Color-coded output (errors=red, warnings=amber, success=green)
• Search functionality
• Download capability

Inspecting Deployed User Projects

User deployments follow the naming convention: dl_<shortId>_<serviceName>.

# List all user containers
docker ps --filter "name=dl_"

# View logs for a specific user container
docker logs dl_2d165805_app -f

Debugging Deployments

1. Check Build Logs: In the UI, check the deployment logs under the project's Deployments tab.
2. Inspect Container:

   docker inspect <container_name_or_id>
   

3. View Container Logs:

   docker logs <container_name_or_id>
   

4. Enter Container Shell:

   docker exec -it <container_name_or_id> /bin/sh
   

Network

All Docklift containers + user deployments are on the docklift_network bridge network.

# Inspect the network
docker network inspect docklift_network

Volume Management

Pruning

# Clean up unused resources (careful in production!)
docker system prune -a

Docklift also has built-in purge APIs at /api/system/purge/*.