Questions
Short answers about what FleetOps is, what it runs on, and how it compares to other container tools. Missing one? Ask on GitHub.
What is FleetOps?
FleetOps is a self-hosted, open-source container management platform. It is a single Rust binary with a web UI and a SQLite database built in. It manages Docker and Podman hosts and Kubernetes clusters from the browser, with live updates, per-environment roles and an audit log.
Is FleetOps a good alternative to Portainer?
Yes, for teams that manage Docker, Podman or Kubernetes and want roles and an audit log without a paid license. FleetOps Community is Apache-2.0 and includes viewer and operator roles, Kubernetes namespace scoping and a 90-day audit log on unlimited nodes. Portainer is the better fit if you need Docker Swarm or Compose stack GitOps today.
Is FleetOps free and open source?
Yes. FleetOps Community is licensed under Apache-2.0 with no node limit, no user limit and no expiry. Optional paid plans add Enterprise features such as audit export, and later SSO, teams, API tokens and backup.
Does FleetOps work with Podman?
Yes. FleetOps talks to any Docker-compatible socket, including Podman, rootless Docker and Colima. Point it at the socket with DOCKER_HOST.
Can FleetOps manage multiple Docker hosts?
Yes. Each remote host runs a small FleetOps agent that dials out to the server over HTTPS, so the host opens no inbound port and never exposes its Docker socket. Hosts behind NAT or firewalls work the same way.
Does FleetOps support Kubernetes?
Yes. Add a cluster by kubeconfig (including EKS, GKE and AKS) or with an in-cluster agent. FleetOps shows live workloads, custom resources, events and metrics, edits YAML through a dry-run diff, and installs, upgrades and rolls back Helm releases.
Does FleetOps support Docker Compose?
FleetOps groups containers by Compose project and can start, stop, restart and take down a project. Writing and deploying Compose stacks from the UI, with GitOps sync, is the next item on the roadmap.
Does FleetOps support Docker Swarm?
No. FleetOps manages standalone Docker and Podman hosts and Kubernetes clusters. Swarm services are not supported.
How much memory does FleetOps use?
Very little. FleetOps is a static binary of about 17 MB, and CI checks that idle memory stays under 50 MiB on a host running 50 containers.
Does FleetOps collect telemetry?
No. FleetOps never phones home, and Enterprise licenses are checked offline, so it runs in air-gapped networks.
How do I install FleetOps?
Run the fleets/fleetops image next to your Docker socket: docker run -d --name fleetops -p 9000:9000 -v fleetops-data:/data -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock --group-add "$(stat -c %g /var/run/docker.sock)" fleets/fleetops, then open http://localhost:9000 and create the admin account. Static Linux binaries are also available.
How is FleetOps different from Rancher?
Rancher is a Kubernetes management platform for provisioning and operating many clusters. FleetOps is a lighter, single-binary UI that covers both plain Docker or Podman hosts and existing Kubernetes clusters, aimed at teams that want to see and act on containers rather than build clusters.
How is FleetOps different from Lens or Freelens?
Lens and Freelens are desktop Kubernetes IDEs that each engineer runs locally with their own kubeconfig. FleetOps is a shared, self-hosted web UI with server-side roles and an audit log, and it also manages Docker and Podman hosts.
How is FleetOps different from Dockge?
Dockge focuses on writing and running Compose stacks. FleetOps manages the whole host (containers, images, volumes, networks, logs and terminals) plus Kubernetes, with roles and an audit log for teams.
Is FleetOps production ready?
FleetOps is in early development (0.x). Docker, remote agents, Kubernetes, Helm and roles work today, but expect rough edges and breaking changes between minor versions.