LazyDocker: The Docker Management, User-Friendly Tool That Will Save Your Time (2024)

Seifeddine Rajhi

6 min read

Nov 16, 2023

I’ve Heard it, and I’ll Debunk it:

Docker is a black box, and I don’t know what’s going on inside it.
You can’t troubleshoot applications running in Docker.
I just want to run the application on my host server, why don’t they tell me how to do that?

LazyDocker is an amazing command line utility for managing Docker applications and services. It’s a cross-platform tool with a user-friendly CLI interface, so you can use it on Windows, macOS, and Linux systems. You can even navigate and take actions with either the mouse or keyboard shortcuts.

While Docker is a powerful tool for developing and running applications, it can be complex to use, especially in production environments. LazyDocker makes it easy to manage Docker applications and services, even if you’re not a Docker expert.

Lazy Docker, a minimalist CLI tool (unlike the advanced Portainer Web UI), is highly beneficial for Docker users who primarily focus on monitoring containers, images, volumes, and networks.

It provides a more interactive and user-friendly way to interact with Docker compared to the standard command-line interface (CLI).

Lazy Docker simplifies Docker container management with a visual interface, but it’s not a substitute for the standard Docker CLI or advanced front-ends like Portainer.

Lazy Docker could become your preferred Docker management tool if your primary requirements align with the following:

Quickly view the list of running/stopped containers, images, volumes, and networks.
Instantly track your container’s resource utilization (CPU, memory) and view live logs through real-time monitoring.
Easily manage containers using Lazy Docker’s user-friendly interface for starting, stopping, restarting, and removing them.
Support Docker Compose for easy management of multi-container applications defined in Compose files.
Launch a terminal session inside a running container directly from the LazyDocker interface.
Provides time-saving keyboard shortcuts for Docker commands, enhancing efficiency for power users.

Despite its many features, LazyDocker has limitations and may not excel at all Docker management tasks. Here are some things it cannot do or may not perform well in:

It lacks robust support for orchestrating containers using Docker Swarm or Kubernetes.
Advanced networking setups, such as custom bridge networks with complex routing, may necessitate the use of the standard Docker CLI since they cannot be configured here.
It isn’t meant for creating Docker images from Dockerfiles or other sources.
It doesn’t provide extensive tools for managing user accounts and permissions within running containers.
If you rely on Docker plugins for additional functionality, such as storage or network drivers, managing those plugins would generally require the standard Docker CLI.
It is best suited for single-host Docker setups; for distributed or multi-host Docker environments like Docker Swarm or Kubernetes clusters, different tools and configurations are needed.

Despite these limitations, if your requirements align with the features, you can give it a try.

Lazy Docker isn’t in the Linux repository but offers straightforward installation options for Linux, macOS, and even Windows.

To begin, choose one of the preferred methods for installing it on your Linux system.

Normally lazydocker formula can be found in the Homebrew core but we suggest you to tap our formula to get frequently updated one. It works with Linux, too.

Tap:

brew install jesseduffield/lazydocker/lazydocker

Core:

brew install lazydocker

Scoop (Windows):

You can install lazydocker using scoop:

scoop install lazydocker

Chocolatey (Windows):

You can install lazydocker using Chocolatey:

choco install lazydocker

Binary Release (Linux/OSX/Windows):

You can manually download a binary release from the release page.

Automated install/update, don’t forget to always verify what you’re piping into bash:

curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker/master/scripts/install_update_linux.sh | bash

The script installs the downloaded binary to $HOME/.local/bin directory by default, but it can be changed by setting DIR environment variable.

Go:

Required Go Version >= 1.16

go install github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker@latest

Required Go version >= 1.8, <= 1.17

go get github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker

Arch Linux AUR:

You can install lazydocker using the AUR by running:

yay -S lazydocker

Docker:

Click if you have an ARM device
Run the container

docker run - rm -it -v \ /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \ -v /yourpath:/.config/jesseduffield/lazydocker \ lazyteam/lazydocker

Don’t forget to change /yourpath to an actual path you created to store lazydocker's config
You can also use this docker-compose.yml
You might want to create an alias, for example:

echo "alias lzd='docker run --rm -it -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v /yourpath/config:/.config/jesseduffield/lazydocker lazyteam/lazydocker'" >> ~/.zshrc

For development, you can build the image using:

git clone https://github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker.git
cd lazydocker
docker build -t lazyteam/lazydocker \
 --build-arg BUILD_DATE=`date -u +"%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ"` \
 --build-arg VCS_REF=`git rev-parse --short HEAD` \
 --build-arg VERSION=`git describe --abbrev=0 --tag` \
 .

If you encounter a compatibility issue with Docker bundled binary, try rebuilding the image with the build argument --build-arg DOCKER_VERSION="v$(docker -v | cut -d" " -f3 | rev | cut -c 2- | rev)" so that the bundled docker binary matches your host docker binary version.

Call lazydocker in your terminal. I personally use this a lot so I've made an alias for it like so:

echo "alias lzd='lazydocker'" >> ~/.zshrc

Once you’ve successfully installed Lazy Docker, use this command to launch it:

$ lazydocker
#OR
$ lzd #If alias is created

Output:

When Lazy Docker is launched, you’ll use the interface displayed in the image above.

LazyDocker: The Docker Management, User-Friendly Tool That Will Save Your Time (4)

Let’s understand each section of this interface, starting with:

Project: will be the hostname of your Linux system (equivalent to hostname).
Containers: will list container names, running or exited status, resource utilization, and forwarded ports (equivalent to docker ps -a).
Logs: show the chosen container logs (equivalent to docker logs {container_name}).
Stats: show the live stream of container resource usage statistics in ascii graphs (equivalent to docker stats {container_name}).
Env: shows the chosen container environment variables (equivalent to docker inspect {container_name} --format "{{.Config.Env}}).
Config: displays concise container information, with an option for full details (equivalent to “docker inspect {container_name}“).
Top: displays the running process within the container (equivalent to docker top {container_name}).
Images: display saved Docker images in your system (equivalent to docker images).
Volumes: show container-created volumes (equivalent to “docker volume ls).
Networks: show all available Docker networks (equivalent to docker network ls).
Help section: displays keyboard shortcuts for scrolling, quitting, menu navigation, and more.

LazyDocker is a powerful and user-friendly command line utility for managing Docker applications and services. It’s a great tool for anyone who wants to make Docker easier to use, whether you’re a beginner or an expert.

If you’re looking for a way to save time and effort managing Docker, LazyDocker is the tool for you.

LazyDocker: The Docker Management, User-Friendly Tool That Will Save Your Time (5)

I hope this post gave you a better understanding of how to manage application secrets. 🇵🇸

Thank you for Reading !! 🙌🏻😁📃, see you in the next blog.🤘

🚀 Feel free to connect with me :

♻️🇵🇸 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rajhi-saif/

♻️ 🇵🇸 Twitter : https://twitter.com/rajhisaifeddine

The end ✌🏻🇵🇸