unraid gui vs docker-compose vs portainer

[SSMI]

I am thinking about rebuilding some of the docker infrastructure I have built up over the last 8 years.  In looking at what I want to change I have come across a bit of a dilemma.  Should I keep using the built-in docker management or change to something like docker-compose or portainer.  I have what I see as a few pros and cons.

 

Unraid Built-In

• (pro) the availability of the  community apps plugin
• (pro) the ability to easily get to the webui, console, or logs of a container
• (pro) docker-folders makes organizing easy
• (pro) ease of updates
• (cons) have to remember which containers start first

docker-compose

• (pro) the ability to quickly rebuild the setup with just a file
• (pro) the ability to use dependencies to adjust the autostart order
• (pro) appears like it shows up with the other dockers
• (cons) harder to access the webui, console, or logs of a container 

portainer

• (pro) all the abilities of docker-compose with a nice ui

 

I don't think I want to add another UI so portainer is out unless it offers something more.  All this leaves me more or less even between docker-compose and the unraid built-in.  I really like the ability of the dependencies and the recovery if something happens to my server that docker-compose provides.  However I use the webui button all the time and the logs in invaluable for troubleshooting.

 

Does any one here have any hands on experience to add that might sway this one way of the other?

Is there a feature or complication not listed here worth knowing?

[primeval_god]

Are you aware of this plugin?

 

[hinton]

What did you end up deciding?

 

I use docker-compose everywhere else on my home network except Unraid, am starting to need to use docker-compose on Unraid, and am undecided whether to use Portainer or the Docker Compose plugin for it... The plugin seems a bit unwieldy so far, but I've only just started diving in.

[sir_storealot]

 

On 3/7/2023 at 8:40 PM, hinton said:

What did you end up deciding?

 

I use docker-compose everywhere else on my home network except Unraid, am starting to need to use docker-compose on Unraid, and am undecided whether to use Portainer or the Docker Compose plugin for it... The plugin seems a bit unwieldy so far, but I've only just started diving in.

 

Same question

Any update/experiences you guys can share?

[bagican]

I am unable to make a decision either. Can you please provide an evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of these different approaches? Thank you.

I'm familiar with Portainer (on my mini home-lab on Raspberry Pi 5 with DietPi)

[kcossabo]

On 6/1/2022 at 2:43 PM, SSMI said:

Unraid Built-In

• (pro) the availability of the  community apps plugin
• (pro) the ability to easily get to the webui, console, or logs of a container
• (pro) docker-folders makes organizing easy
• (pro) ease of updates
• (cons) have to remember which containers start first

docker-compose

• (pro) the ability to quickly rebuild the setup with just a file
• (pro) the ability to use dependencies to adjust the autostart order
• (pro) appears like it shows up with the other dockers
• (cons) harder to access the webui, console, or logs of a container 

portainer

• (pro) all the abilities of docker-compose with a nice ui

So far I am at

 

Unraid Built-In

• (pro) the availability of the  community apps plugin
• (pro) the ability to easily get to the webui, console, or logs of a container
• (pro) ease of updates
• (cons) rebuilding is a webgui
• (cons) Can not document / comment what I did and why

docker-compose

• never used

portainer

• (pro) the ability to quickly rebuild the setup with just a file
• (pro) available on all my docker platforms (Ubuntu, unRAID, NAS)
• (cons) harder to access the webui, console, or logs of a container from unRAID GUI
• (pro) ability to integrate into GitHub (I write the compose with MS Code, then git it to gthub) and do version control
• (pro) Easy to port and relaunch
• (pro) can document the code with remarks

 

Result:

They all play well, so, I use unRAID super cool, easy apps (docker) and one is Portainer CE, that hosts my complex Compose/STACKs

Now if there was a way to expose the webUI to unRAID for a container built by Portainer, that would ROCK, and I might eliminate my 'homer' launch page.

[primeval_god]

2 hours ago, kcossabo said:

Now if there was a way to expose the webUI to unRAID for a container built by Portainer, that would ROCK, and I might eliminate my 'homer' launch page.

I think what you are looking for is the label "net.unraid.docker.webui". You can apply this label to a container created by Portainer (or any other container creation method) and set its value to the url of your container and unRAID will show a WebUi button for the container. There is also a "net.unraid.docker.icon" for setting an icon (url to the icon) and "net.unraid.docker.shell" for setting the shell option (bash for example).

 

Important to note there is a bit of buggy behavior with these labels in that unRAID caches the value and subsequent changes are not reflected in the ui. So essentially you get one shot at setting these things, make sure they are correct before spinning up a container with one (it is possible to wipe the cached value but its not as simple as a page refresh).