Multiple Instances¶

When running multiple Updock instances on the same Docker host, the --scope flag prevents them from interfering with each other.

The Problem¶

Without scoping, two Updock instances would both monitor and attempt to update the same containers, causing conflicts and duplicate operations.

Setting a Scope¶

Assign a unique scope to each Updock instance:

services:
  updock-production:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=production
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

  updock-staging:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=staging
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

Labeling Containers¶

Containers declare which scope they belong to using the com.updock.scope label:

services:
  prod-api:
    image: myapi:latest
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=production"

  staging-api:
    image: myapi:staging
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=staging"

Important

An Updock instance with --scope=production only monitors containers that have com.updock.scope=production. Containers without a scope label — or with a different scope — are ignored.

Scope Matching Rules¶

Updock `--scope`	Container Label	Monitored?
`production`	`com.updock.scope=production`	Yes
`production`	`com.updock.scope=staging`	No
`production`	(no scope label)	No
(not set)	`com.updock.scope=production`	Yes
(not set)	(no scope label)	Yes

Note

When --scope is not set, Updock monitors all containers regardless of their scope label. This is the default behavior.

Opting Out: `scope=none`¶

A container can explicitly opt out of all scoped Updock instances by setting:

labels:
  - "com.updock.scope=none"

A container with scope=none is only picked up by an Updock instance that has no --scope flag set. Any scoped instance will skip it.

Self-Scoping¶

The Updock container itself should carry the scope label to ensure it is managed by the correct instance (or excluded entirely):

services:
  updock-prod:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=production
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=production"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

Tip

If you don't want Updock to update itself, use com.updock.enable=false on the Updock container instead.

Example: Three Environments¶

services:
  # Updock instances
  updock-prod:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=prod
      - UPDOCK_INTERVAL=86400
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=prod"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

  updock-staging:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=staging
      - UPDOCK_INTERVAL=3600
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=staging"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

  updock-dev:
    image: ghcr.io/huseyinbabal/updock:latest
    environment:
      - UPDOCK_SCOPE=dev
      - UPDOCK_INTERVAL=300
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=dev"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock

  # Application containers
  api-prod:
    image: myapi:latest
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=prod"

  api-staging:
    image: myapi:staging
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=staging"

  api-dev:
    image: myapi:dev
    labels:
      - "com.updock.scope=dev"

Each Updock instance operates independently, with its own schedule and scope.