SHSelfHostIndex

Watchtower

Automatically update running Docker containers to new images

Automation & Workflows Archived ★ 24.6k stars Easy setup Apache-2.0

This project is archived. Upstream development has stopped, so expect no new features or security fixes. Consider an actively maintained automation & workflows alternative.

Watchtower is a service that monitors running Docker containers and automatically pulls and redeploys them when a new image version is published. It keeps self-hosted stacks up to date with minimal intervention.

Official siteSource code

Watchtower setup guides & articles

Hands-on coverage of Watchtower from the blog.

Self-Hosting Guides

Updating Containers Without Starting Fires

A container update strategy that survives contact — version pinning, Renovate PRs, what Watchtower can safely auto-update, and rollback plans that work.

Jul 11, 2026 · 4 min read

Key features

  • Automatic image updates
  • Notification on updates
  • Scheduling options
  • Cleanup of old images

Pros & cons

Strengths

  • Hands-off maintenance
  • Very simple to deploy

Trade-offs

  • Automatic updates can break things
  • Limited rollback

Watchtower replaces

Self-hosted Renovate alternatives

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