DockSTARTer

A menu-driven tool that makes it quick and easy to get up and running with Docker and popular self-hosted apps on Linux.

2.6k stars, 287 forks Shell On GitHub since May 2018

Visit website View on GitHub How to run it

What is DockSTARTer?

DockSTARTer guides you through installing Docker and setting up apps, such as media servers and download tools, from a terminal menu. It generates and manages the Docker Compose configuration and environment variables for you, so you can start quickly and later learn to make more advanced changes yourself. It runs on supported Linux distributions, such as Debian and Ubuntu, with a few extra steps on Raspbian.

Good fit if

  • You are new to Docker and want a guided start on a home server.
  • You prefer a terminal menu to a web interface.

Look elsewhere if

Before you adopt it

DockSTARTer is MIT-licensed and free, with no web interface to secure. One maintainer wrote every recent commit, and development is steady but small.

Drafted with AI from the project's README and repository data, then checked against that data on 30 October 2026. Report a correction

DockSTARTer health: is it still maintained?

61 of 100, actively developed

  • Activity
    21 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 21 October 2026.
    16 / 30
  • Contributors
    1 person wrote the 21 commits of the last 90 days; the most active wrote 100% of them.
    2 / 20
  • Releases
    15 releases in the last 12 months; the latest, v1.20260831.1, on 31 August 2026.
    19 / 20
  • Replies to issues
    Maintainers answered 81% of recent issues, with a median first reply after 1 hour.
    18 / 20
  • Security practices
    OpenSSF Scorecard 5.7 of 10.
    6 / 10

Read from GitHub on 1 November 2026. How the score works

DockSTARTer license: is it open source?

DockSTARTer uses MIT, an open-source license approved by the OSI.

  1. May 2018First published on GitHub.
  2. TodayMIT.

How to run DockSTARTer yourself

Docker
No Docker files in the repository
Compose file
None in the repository
Setup effort
Not rated: no compose file to judge from
Kubernetes
No Helm chart in the repository
Desktop and mobile
No app builds in GitHub releases
Interface languages
English only

Install instructions: dockstarter.com or the README on GitHub.

Alternatives to DockSTARTer

  • CoolifyAn open-source, self-hostable PaaS alternative to Vercel, Heroku & Netlify that lets you easily deploy… 78 health · Apache-2.0 · 65.5k stars
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  • DokployOpen Source Alternative to Vercel, Netlify and Heroku. 86 health · Apache-2.0 · 38.2k stars

All 25 projects in Self-hosting & PaaS

Questions about DockSTARTer

Is DockSTARTer open source?

Yes. DockSTARTer is published under MIT, an OSI-approved open-source license.

Is DockSTARTer still maintained?

Its health score is 61 of 100 (actively developed). It had 21 commits in the last 90 days, the latest on 21 October 2026, and its latest release came out on 31 August 2026.

How do I run DockSTARTer?

The repository has no Docker files or app builds, so you build it from source. The README on GitHub has the steps.

What are the alternatives to DockSTARTer?

Close alternatives in the Self-hosting & PaaS category include Coolify, Dokku, Portainer.