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User Guide

Managing Stacks

Creating a Stack

  1. Navigate to Docker → Compose
  2. Click Add Stack
  3. Enter a stack name and optional description
  4. Edit your compose file (compose.yaml, compose.yml, docker-compose.yaml, or docker-compose.yml)
  5. Click Compose Up

Stack Editor

The editor provides four tabs for managing your stack:

Tab Purpose
Compose File Edit your stack compose file with syntax highlighting
Settings Configure autostart, profiles, and environment files
Env Edit environment variables for your stack
Web UI Add Unraid-specific labels for web UI integration

Editor - Compose File

Editor - Settings

Editor - Env

Editor - Web UI Labels

Stack Operations

Each stack supports the following actions:

Action Description
Compose Up Start all services in the stack
Compose Down Stop and remove all containers
Update Stack Pull latest images and recreate containers
Edit Stack Open the stack editor
Remove Stack Delete the stack configuration

Checking for Updates

Use Check Updates on a stack to query the registry for newer image versions. Results are cached until the next manual or scheduled check (see Update Checking settings).

When updates are available, clicking Update Stack opens a confirmation dialog listing each container alongside its current and incoming image digest. Containers that are already up to date are dimmed.

Changelogs

If the docker.versions Unraid plugin is installed, a Changelog link appears below the digest for each container with a pending update. Clicking it opens the release notes for that image in a modal. No configuration is required — Compose Manager detects docker.versions automatically.

Autostart

Enable autostart to have stacks start automatically when the Unraid array starts.

  1. Click the autostart toggle on a stack
  2. Optionally configure default profiles for autostart
  3. Stacks will start in order when the array starts

Force Recreate

Enable "Autostart Force Recreate" in settings to always recreate containers during autostart.

Recreate After Label Changes

When Unraid-specific labels are modified via the Web UI, Compose Manager can optionally recreate affected containers so updated label metadata is applied without manual recreation steps.

Stack Recheck

Use the stack "Recheck" action in the UI to re-evaluate a stack's state on the server. Results are persisted server-side to help with diagnostics and automated checks.

Backup / Restore

Compose Manager provides a Backup & Restore interface under Settings → Compose → Backup / Restore:

  • Create Backup - Create a compressed archive of selected stacks and configuration
  • List / Browse Backups - Inspect available backup archives and their contents
  • Restore - Restore selected stacks from an archive (select which stacks to restore)
  • Schedule - Configure periodic backups with frequency and retention

Hiding and Filtering Compose Containers

You can optionally hide compose-managed containers from the native Docker manager and Dashboard. Use the setting to toggle patching of the Docker page and enable server-side filters so only the desired containers/stacks are shown.

Display Options

Enable the option to display Compose stacks above native Docker containers on the Dashboard for clearer stack-focused views.

Environment Files

Specify custom .env file paths per stack in the Settings tab. This is useful when:

  • Your env file is in a different location
  • You want to share env files between stacks
  • You have environment-specific configurations

Indirect Stacks

Reference compose files stored outside the default projects folder. Useful for:

  • Keeping compose files with your application data
  • Managing compose files in version control
  • Sharing configurations across servers

Web UI Integration

Unraid Docker Labels

Add Unraid-specific labels to integrate containers with the native Docker UI:

services:
  myapp:
    image: myapp:latest
    labels:
      net.unraid.docker.webui: "http://[IP]:[PORT:8080]/"
      net.unraid.docker.icon: "https://example.com/icon.png"

The Web UI tab in the editor provides a visual interface for adding these labels.

Patching the Native UI

Enable "Patch Web UI" in settings to show compose containers in the native Docker manager with stack grouping.