To create a custom app template in Portainer, open Templates, select Custom, choose Add Custom Template, define the template metadata, select a source method, and click Create custom template. You can paste a Compose file, upload a local docker-compose.yml, or pull the file from Git. Portainer then presents that predefined container or stack configuration for repeatable deployment.
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What a Portainer custom app template does
A Portainer application template packages a container or stack with predetermined configuration values. The person deploying it can still adjust the options that the template exposes, such as environment variables. This makes a template useful when several people need to deploy the same application without rebuilding its configuration manually each time.
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- Built-in application templates are supplied through Portainer’s existing catalog.
- Custom templates are authored by your team and can be created from a Compose file or a Git repository.
Portainer’s documentation identifies custom templates and their configurable variable controls as Business Edition features. If the Custom option or variable editor is missing, check which Portainer edition you are running and whether your account has permission to manage templates.
A custom template can be used to help streamline the deployment of a container or stack.
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What you need before creating one
- Access to a Portainer environment where custom templates are available.
- A tested Compose file, a local
docker-compose.yml, or a Git repository containing the Compose file. - A decision about which settings deployers may change.
- Stable image references and a plan for updating the template later.
- No production passwords or private keys embedded in the file.
For a Git-backed template, collect the repository URL, the branch, tag, or commit reference you want Portainer to use, and the path to the Compose file inside that repository. Portainer also documents Git authentication fields and an optional TLS-verification bypass field. Use the bypass only when you understand the certificate problem and have accepted the security consequences.
Create a custom template in the Portainer interface
- Open Templates. In the Portainer environment where the template should be available, open the Templates area.
- Switch to Custom. Choose the Custom view, then select Add Custom Template.
- Enter the identity fields. Add a descriptive title. Write a description that states what the application does and what the deployment creates. Add an optional note for operational details and an optional logo if your catalog uses one.
- Choose the platform. Select the platform that matches the target Portainer environment. A template intended for Docker should not be presented as a Swarm deployment unless its Compose and deployment settings support that target.
- Choose the template type. Select the container or stack type appropriate to the source file. A single-service definition and a multi-service Compose application should be labelled consistently so deployers know what will be created.
- Select a build method. Choose the web editor, local upload, or Git repository method described below.
- Review the source. Check image names, ports, volumes, networks, restart behavior, and environment variables. Remove credentials and machine-specific paths before saving.
- Create the template. Select Create custom template. The new entry should then appear in the custom-template list for deployment.
Choose how Portainer receives the Compose file
All three methods create a reusable template, but they differ in ownership, review, and update workflow.
| Method | Where the source lives | How updates happen | Review and version control | Credential considerations | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web editor | Inside the Portainer template definition | Edit the template in Portainer and save a new version | Convenient for a small definition; no external Git history | Uses Portainer access; no repository authentication | A quick internal template or a short Compose file |
| Local upload | A local docker-compose.yml uploaded during creation |
Upload a revised file and update the template | The file can be reviewed locally, but Portainer does not provide the repository history | Uses Portainer access; no repository authentication | A file already maintained on an administrator’s workstation |
| Git repository | A repository containing the Compose file | Change the repository and reference selected by the template | Provides normal code review, history, branches, tags, and commit-based auditing | May require Git authentication; Portainer documents repository URL, reference, Compose path, and optional TLS-verification bypass fields | A team-owned application that needs repeatable review and controlled releases |
Method 1: Paste a Compose file into the web editor
Choose the web-editor option when the definition is short and the Portainer administrators are comfortable reviewing changes in the Portainer UI. Paste the complete Compose content, check its indentation, and verify that every service has the settings needed for deployment. This method keeps the source with the template, so a later administrator can inspect it without finding another file.
The trade-off is change tracking. Portainer is the editing location, not a substitute for a Git review process. Record who changed the template and why, especially when it controls a shared database, persistent volume, or exposed port.
Method 2: Upload a local docker-compose.yml
Choose upload when the Compose file already exists locally and you want Portainer to import it without copying and reformatting the contents in a browser editor. Before uploading, open the file in a text editor and check that it does not contain real secrets, host-specific bind paths, or development-only overrides.
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An upload is a snapshot. If the local file changes later, the Portainer template does not automatically know about that change; upload the revised file and update the template deliberately. Keep the authoritative copy in a location your team can review, even if Portainer receives the file by upload.
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Method 3: Use a Git repository
Git is the most maintainable choice when the application is owned by a team or deployed in more than one environment. In the Git method, enter the repository address, select the reference Portainer should use, and specify the path to the Compose file. A reference can represent the branch, tag, or commit policy your team has chosen. Pinning the template to a reviewed tag or commit prevents an unexpected change on the default branch from altering future deployments.
Configure authentication when the repository is private. If Portainer reports a certificate-validation problem, investigate the server certificate and trust chain first. The documented TLS-verification bypass field should be treated as an exception, not as a routine setting, because it weakens transport verification.
A minimal Compose template with safe variables
The following example shows the structure of a small two-service stack. The image names are illustrative placeholders; replace them with the pinned images that your application actually uses. The password is deliberately represented by a Portainer variable rather than a real credential.
services:
database:
image: example/database:1.0.0
environment:
MYSQL_PASSWORD: "{{MYSQL_PASSWORD}}"
app:
image: example/app:1.0.0
depends_on:
- database
ports:
- "8080:8080"Use the double-brace syntax exactly where Portainer should substitute a deployment-time value. Do not commit a real password as the default in the Compose file or in the repository. Keep the image tag explicit rather than silently following a moving tag, then review and update that tag as part of a planned maintenance change.
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Expose editable variables to the person deploying the template
For a stack, place a variable expression such as {{MYSQL_PASSWORD}} in the Compose content. When Portainer recognizes the expression, the template author can configure a label, description, and default value for that variable. The person deploying the stack can then edit the configured value in the deployment form instead of changing the Compose file.
Portainer’s documentation marks this variable feature as available only in Business Edition. A template can therefore contain ordinary fixed values in environments without that feature, but the documented label, description, default-value controls and deployment-time editing require the supported Business Edition capability.
Design variables deliberately
- Expose values that legitimately differ by environment: passwords, hostnames, ports, storage locations, and feature switches are common examples.
- Keep the variable name stable: changing
MYSQL_PASSWORDto another name later can break deployment instructions and existing automation. - Describe the expected value: state whether the field expects a hostname, numeric port, filesystem path, or secret.
- Do not use a real secret as a convenience default: a default value can be copied into logs, exports, or screenshots.
- Validate the resulting Compose file: a variable that expands to an invalid port, empty image name, or malformed path will fail at deployment time.
Build a shared templates.json catalog
A custom template created in the UI belongs to the Portainer environment where it was created. For a shared catalog, create a valid JSON file and host it somewhere the Portainer Server can reach. Portainer documentation names GitHub, a web server, and an nginx container as hosting options.
The important reachability detail is the Portainer Server, not merely the administrator’s browser. A URL that opens on your workstation can still fail if the Portainer Server cannot resolve the host, route to it, or complete the HTTP request. Check firewall rules, DNS, authentication requirements, and whether the server is allowed to make outbound connections.
Host the file with a web server or nginx
- Create the JSON document with the required top-level
versionproperty and atemplatesarray. - Validate the JSON before publishing it. A missing quote or trailing comma can make the entire catalog unreadable.
- Publish the file at an HTTP URL that the Portainer Server can access.
- Use the Portainer application-template configuration available in your edition to point at that URL.
- Deploy a test entry from the catalog and confirm that its source repository, Compose path, and variables behave as expected.
Portainer’s documented nginx example clones the templates repository, edits templates.json, builds an nginx image, and serves the file over HTTP. The file can also be mounted into the nginx container so edits are reflected without rebuilding the image. That live-edit arrangement is useful while developing the catalog; use a reviewed, controlled publication process for a production catalog.
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Understand the templates.json structure
The official format uses a top-level object containing version and templates. Every template object requires type and title. Stack entries can additionally define description, repository, platform, categories, administrator_only, logo, note, and env.
| Type value | Deployment represented | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
1 |
Container | Use the container-specific properties required by the Portainer format. |
2 |
Swarm stack | Target a Swarm environment and test the stack there. |
3 |
Compose stack | Limited to the version 2 stack format because of a Docker/libcompose limitation documented by Portainer. |
For a repository-backed stack, the repository object carries the public Git URL and the path to the Compose file in its stackfile property. This separates the catalog metadata from the deployable Compose content: the JSON tells Portainer what to display, while Git remains the source for the stack definition.
{
"version": 2,
"templates": [
{
"type": 1,
"title": "Container example"
},
{
"type": 3,
"title": "Compose stack example",
"description": "Deploy a reviewed Compose application",
"platform": "linux",
"categories": ["example"],
"administrator_only": true,
"repository": {
"url": "your public Git URL",
"stackfile": "docker-compose.yml"
},
"note": "Review variables before deployment"
}
]
}The code above illustrates the documented keys and type values. Replace the example text with your real catalog data, and include the deployment properties required by the template type you publish. Keep the JSON syntax strict; comments are not valid JSON.
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Pin and review image versions
Use explicit image versions instead of an unbounded latest-style reference. When an image must be upgraded, change the tag in a reviewed commit or template edit, deploy it in a non-production environment, and record the result before promoting the change.
Review repository references
A Git-backed template is only as reproducible as its selected reference. Review the branch, tag, or commit configured in Portainer, verify that the Compose path still exists, and check that a repository move or rename has not invalidated the template.
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- Parse
templates.jsonwith a JSON validator. - Check that every entry has a title and the correct numeric type.
- Confirm that repository-backed entries use a reachable public Git URL and a correct
stackfilepath. - Check that each Compose file uses the format supported by its selected deployment type.
- Test one container deployment and one stack deployment outside production.
- Verify that exposed variables produce valid values and do not reveal credentials in notes or descriptions.
Troubleshoot the common failure points
The Custom option is missing
Confirm the Portainer edition and the permissions of the signed-in account. The documented custom-template and variable workflow is tied to Business Edition, while the standard application-template catalog is a separate concept.
The template saves but deployment fails
Inspect the rendered Compose content, image references, volume paths, ports, and variable values. A template can be syntactically accepted while still referring to an image that the target host cannot pull or a path that does not exist there.
Git cannot retrieve the Compose file
Check repository authentication, the selected reference, and the exact Compose path. If the failure is certificate-related, repair trust configuration before considering the documented TLS-verification bypass option.
The shared catalog does not appear
Test the catalog URL from the Portainer Server’s network, not only from a browser on your workstation. Confirm that the response is valid JSON, that the top-level object contains version and templates, and that the server is not blocked by DNS, routing, firewall, or HTTP authentication.
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Check the template type. Portainer documents type 3 Compose stacks as limited to the version 2 stack format because of a Docker/libcompose limitation. A file using newer Compose features may need to be adapted, deployed through another supported path, or represented with a different deployment type.
Which method should you use?
- Choose the web editor for a small, stable internal definition that administrators can review directly in Portainer.
- Choose local upload when a prepared Compose file needs a one-time import and the authoritative file is maintained elsewhere.
- Choose Git when you need peer review, history, controlled references, repeatable releases, or deployment across multiple environments.
- Choose a shared templates.json catalog when several Portainer environments need the same discoverable collection and the Portainer Servers can reach its hosting URL.
The safest workflow is to keep the Compose source under review, expose only intentional variables, pin image references, validate the catalog, and test every template outside production before making it available to other deployers.
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