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How to Monitor Docker Containers With Uptime Kuma

A practical guide to monitoring Docker containers with Uptime Kuma, covering Compose installation, local socket mounts, remote Docker TCP with TLS, alerts, application checks and security.
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Uptime Kuma can watch Docker container state, alert you when a container stops, and monitor the application inside it with separate HTTP, TCP, ping, or keyword checks. For containers on the same Docker host, mount /var/run/docker.sock into Kuma; for another host, use a Docker TCP endpoint protected with TLS. Keep the Kuma interface on a trusted network or VPN because Docker access gives Kuma control of the daemon.

What Uptime Kuma can and cannot tell you

Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted monitoring tool that includes a Docker-container monitor. Its Docker check reads information from the Docker daemon, so it can tell whether a selected container is running and report daemon-level state. The current project README also lists HTTP, TCP, ping, keyword and other monitor families, checks at 20-second intervals, status pages, two-factor authentication and more than 90 notification services, including Telegram, Discord, Gotify, Slack, Pushover and SMTP email.

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A container can be running while the service inside it is broken. A game server, web panel or API may have a healthy process but refuse connections, return errors or serve the wrong content. For dependable coverage, pair one Docker monitor with an application-level monitor:

  • Docker monitor: detects a stopped, restarting or otherwise unhealthy container as reported by the daemon.
  • HTTP or keyword monitor: requests a URL and can check a status code, response text or keyword.
  • TCP monitor: verifies that a port accepts connections, useful for database or game-server ports.
  • Ping monitor: checks host reachability, not whether a particular application works.

This two-layer approach distinguishes “the process is alive” from “players or users can actually reach the service.”

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Choose a deployment pattern first

There are two supported ways to give Kuma Docker visibility. The local method is simplest: Kuma runs on the same Docker host and receives the host’s Unix socket through a bind mount. The remote method keeps Kuma on one machine and connects it to a Docker daemon on another through TCP. TLS is the appropriate choice when traffic leaves a tightly controlled network.

Decision point Local Unix socket Remote Docker TCP with TLS
Where Kuma runs On the Docker host being monitored On a different host from the monitored daemon
Connection Bind mount /var/run/docker.sock Docker TCP endpoint, normally port 2376 when TLS is enabled
Network exposure No Docker port needs to be opened Requires a reachable daemon endpoint and firewall rules
Credentials and certificates No separate Docker certificate set CA, client certificate and private key must be stored and maintained
Compromise impact Kuma can control the local Docker daemon Kuma can control the remote daemon allowed by its credentials
Operational complexity Low Higher: daemon configuration, TLS files, routing and rotation

Do not treat an unauthenticated Docker TCP listener as an Internet service. Port 2375 is suitable only as an example for a closed, trusted network and carries no TLS protection. A remotely reachable deployment should use TLS on port 2376 (or another deliberately chosen port) and restrictive firewall rules.

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Install Uptime Kuma with Docker Compose

The official Compose path creates a directory, downloads the project’s Compose file and starts Kuma in the background:

  1. Create a working directory and enter it:
    mkdir uptime-kuma
    cd uptime-kuma
  2. Download the current Compose definition:
    curl -o compose.yaml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/louislam/uptime-kuma/master/compose.yaml
  3. Start the service:
    docker compose up -d

Kuma listens on port 3001 according to the project README. Open http://your-server:3001 from the trusted network, create the initial administrator account and complete the first-run setup.

The equivalent Docker CLI example is:

docker run -d --restart=always -p 3001:3001 -v uptime-kuma:/app/data --name uptime-kuma louislam/uptime-kuma:2

The /app/data mount is essential: it stores monitors, notification settings, users and status-page data outside the container’s writable layer. Use a local Docker volume or local directory. The project README explicitly warns that Network File System (NFS) storage is not supported; map the data path to local storage instead.

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Add Docker-daemon access to the Compose service

A default container is isolated from the host. To let a local Kuma instance inspect Docker, add this volume under the Kuma service in compose.yaml:

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volumes:
  - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

Keep the existing persistent /app/data volume as well. Apply the change by recreating the service:

docker compose up -d

For a CLI deployment, add the equivalent argument when creating the container:

-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

After the container has been recreated, sign in to the Kuma interface. If the Docker monitor cannot list containers, first confirm that the mount appears in the running container and that the Kuma process can read the socket.

Read this socket warning before enabling the monitor

Mounting the socket is not a read-only telemetry shortcut. The Uptime Kuma Docker-monitoring guidance states: “Exposing the Docker socket or TCP port to Uptime Kuma, gives that full control over the Docker daemon on the host.” It also warns: “If the container is compromised, an attacker could gain control over it.” A process with Docker-daemon access can generally create, stop, replace or inspect containers and mount host paths.

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For that reason, the same guidance says it is “NOT recommended to expose Uptime Kuma to the Internet when using this monitor type.” Put the Kuma UI behind a trusted LAN, private management network or VPN. Do not publish port 3001 directly to the public Internet merely because the page has a password. Use firewall rules or an access proxy that limits who can reach the interface, keep Kuma updated, enable its two-factor authentication and give administrator access only to people who need it.

The same risk applies to a remote TCP connection: TLS protects the connection and authenticates clients, but a client certificate that can control the daemon still represents powerful authority. Restrict the daemon listener to the monitoring network and issue a certificate only for Kuma.

Add a local Docker container monitor

Once the socket is mounted and Kuma is reachable, create the monitor in the web interface:

  1. Open the Kuma dashboard and choose Add Monitor.
  2. Set Monitor Type to the Docker-container option.
  3. Select the Docker host or daemon made available to Kuma.
  4. Choose the container whose state you want to track.
  5. Set the interval. Kuma supports 20-second monitoring intervals; use a slower interval if your environment does not need rapid detection.
  6. Choose one or more notification channels, save the monitor and stop or restart a test container during a maintenance window to verify the alert and recovery message.

The monitor is concerned with the container object exposed by Docker, not the correctness of the software listening inside it. If a container repeatedly restarts, the daemon may report it as running for a moment between failures; an application-level check helps reveal that instability.

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Monitor a game server container correctly

Suppose a game server runs in a container and exposes a dedicated port. Create a Docker monitor for the container so you know when the process exits. Then add a TCP monitor for the published game port to verify that the service accepts connections. If the server has an HTTP status endpoint or query page, add an HTTP or keyword monitor as a third check. These checks answer three different questions: is the container present, is the port reachable, and is the application returning the expected response?

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Monitor a Docker host on another machine

Remote monitoring uses the Docker daemon’s TCP interface rather than a socket bind mount. The Docker-monitoring guide describes adding a TCP host entry to the daemon configuration, restarting Docker and then creating a Docker host in Kuma with the TCP option.

Plan the network boundary

  • Place the monitored host and Kuma on a private network, site-to-site VPN or equivalent management segment.
  • Allow the Docker TCP port only from the Kuma host’s address.
  • Do not forward the daemon port from a home or office router to the public Internet.
  • Use TLS certificates for any connection that is not fully isolated and trusted.

Understand the port examples

Port 2375 is an insecure, unauthenticated example for a closed network. It should not be used as a normal Internet deployment. Port 2376 is the conventional TLS-enabled example. The exact listener address and firewall syntax depend on the operating system and Docker installation, so make the TCP host entry in the daemon configuration used by your distribution, restart Docker, and verify locally that the daemon is listening only where intended.

Configure the Docker host in Kuma

  1. In Kuma, open the Docker-host management area and choose Add Docker Host (the label may appear alongside monitor creation in the current interface).
  2. Select the TCP connection type.
  3. Enter the remote host name or private IP address and the configured port.
  4. For TLS, enable certificate authentication and provide the CA, client certificate and private key files.
  5. Save the host, confirm that Kuma can enumerate containers, then create a Docker monitor against the desired container.

Test the connection before relying on alerts. A host that resolves by DNS but is blocked by a firewall, presents a certificate for a different name or has an incorrect client-key pair will fail before Kuma can see any container.

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Set up TLS files for a remote daemon

For TLS connections, Kuma looks under data/docker-tls/ by default. You can change that base location with the DOCKER_TLS_DIR_PATH environment variable. Within the directory named for the Docker host, Kuma can load:

  • ca.pem — the certificate authority used to verify the daemon certificate.
  • cert.pem — Kuma’s client certificate.
  • key.pem — the private key matching the client certificate.

The directory must match the host entry used in Kuma so the application can find the corresponding certificate set. Keep the private key readable only by the Kuma service account or container, back up the files securely and replace them before expiration or revocation. If you move the Kuma data directory, ensure the Docker-TLS directory moves with it or set DOCKER_TLS_DIR_PATH to its new location.

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TLS failure checklist

  • “Certificate signed by unknown authority”: verify that ca.pem is the CA that issued the daemon certificate.
  • Hostname mismatch: connect using a name covered by the daemon certificate, or issue a certificate containing the private host name or address you actually use.
  • Client rejected: check that cert.pem and key.pem are a matching client pair and that the daemon trusts their issuing CA.
  • Files not found: confirm the host-named directory, permissions and DOCKER_TLS_DIR_PATH value inside the Kuma container.
  • Timeout: test routing and firewall rules before changing certificates; TLS cannot work if the TCP port is unreachable.

Configure notifications and escalation

Open Kuma’s notification settings, add a provider and use its test function before attaching it to monitors. The project README lists Telegram, Discord, Gotify, Slack, Pushover and SMTP email among more than 90 supported notification services. Choose a channel that someone will actually acknowledge outside office hours, and keep a second channel for high-impact failures if your operations require redundancy.

Use clear monitor names that identify both the host and workload, such as eu1 — game-server — container and eu1 — game-server — TCP 25565. Configure notifications for both downtime and recovery so a transient Docker restart does not leave operators guessing whether the service returned.

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Reduce noisy alerts

  • Do not create several identical Docker monitors for one container unless separate recipients genuinely need them.
  • Pair a container check with an application check instead of treating every symptom as a separate alert.
  • Use the 20-second interval only when that detection speed matters; a less aggressive interval can reduce alert churn during planned restarts.
  • Record maintenance windows and pause monitors before intentional container replacement.

Diagnose common setup failures

The Docker monitor cannot see any containers

Check that the Kuma container was recreated after adding the socket mount, that the source path is exactly /var/run/docker.sock on the host and that the socket exists. A socket mounted into a stopped or different container will not help the running Kuma service. Review Kuma’s container logs and verify that the Docker daemon itself is running.

The socket exists but access is denied

On Linux, the socket’s owner and group permissions may not match the user running Kuma. Correct the container’s access according to your host’s Docker security policy rather than making the socket world-writable. Remember that granting access is granting Docker-daemon authority, not merely read access.

Kuma reports a container down while it is being updated

Container replacement naturally creates a stop-and-start window. Pause the monitor during planned deployments, or schedule maintenance so the alert reflects an unexpected outage rather than an intentional rollout. For recurring restart loops, keep the Docker monitor enabled and investigate the container logs; add an application-level monitor to expose failures that do not stop the process.

Remote host connection times out

Confirm the daemon’s TCP listener, private route and firewall rule from the Kuma host. Ensure the listener is bound to the intended management address, not an accidentally exposed public interface. A correct TLS configuration cannot compensate for a blocked port.

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Remote TLS connects but no containers appear

Verify that the client certificate is authorized by the daemon, the CA matches the daemon certificate and Kuma can read the three PEM files in the expected host directory. Check that the host name entered in Kuma corresponds to the directory name and certificate identity.

Operate Kuma safely over time

  • Keep the persistent /app/data volume on local storage and include it in backups.
  • Protect the dashboard with two-factor authentication and a network boundary.
  • Update the Kuma image and review release notes before upgrading production monitoring.
  • Rotate remote Docker client certificates and remove credentials for retired hosts.
  • Test an alert and a recovery notification after changing providers, certificates or network rules.
  • Document which monitors represent container state and which represent user-visible service health.

Recommended design for most installations

For a single Docker host, run Kuma on that host with persistent local storage, mount the Docker socket, and restrict port 3001 to a management LAN or VPN. Add one Docker monitor per important workload plus an HTTP, TCP or keyword monitor that represents the real user path. For several hosts, place Kuma on a dedicated management machine and connect to each daemon over a private network with TLS client certificates. Avoid unauthenticated TCP endpoints and avoid exposing either the Docker daemon or the Kuma dashboard to the public Internet.

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