How is Komodo different from Portainer or Dockge?

Portainer and Dockge are single-server Docker management UIs. Komodo is designed for multi-server fleets: one Core instance manages unlimited servers via Periphery agents. It also adds GitOps pipelines, reusable Procedures and Docker Swarm support — features that go beyond container inspection and stack editing.

Does Komodo support Docker Swarm?

Yes. Komodo added Docker Swarm resource management in 2026. You can manage Swarm services, rolling updates and placement constraints from the same dashboard as your single-host Compose stacks.

How much RAM does Komodo Core need?

The Komodo Core binary (Rust) idles under 256 MB RAM. The FerretDB + PostgreSQL backend adds roughly 200–300 MB, so a 1 GB VPS is sufficient for the management plane. Periphery agents are even lighter — under 50 MB each.

Does Komodo require a domain name?

A domain is recommended because KOMODO_HOST must be set to the public HTTPS URL for webhook signature validation. You can start without a domain on a local network, but for production use a TLS-terminated domain is strongly advised.

Is Komodo free to self-host?

Yes. Komodo is licensed under GPL-3.0 — the full feature set is free to self-host with no per-seat fee, no telemetry and no paywalled features. The only cost is the VPS you run it on.

Deploy and manage modern applications.

Komodo

Multi-server Docker & GitOps orchestration — manage stacks, builds and deployments across all your VPS from one dashboard.

1 GB RAM 1 vCPU Port 9120 Available

Tech stack

DockerRustPostgreSQLFerretDB

Minimum RAM1 GB

Minimum CPU1 vCPU

Default port9120

Compatible OSChoice of Linux distributions

Komodo (GPL-3.0, 11.7 k+ GitHub stars, v2.x) is an open-source GitOps platform for teams who run Docker workloads across more than one server. Where Dockge or Portainer manage containers on a single host, Komodo's Core / Periphery architecture lets you supervise unlimited servers from a single dashboard: deploy stacks, trigger builds from Git, run procedures and track every action in a structured audit log.

Written in Rust, the Komodo Core binary idles under 256 MB RAM. The Periphery agent runs on each managed server and communicates with Core over an encrypted channel. On a ServOrbit VPS, you deploy the Core once; Periphery agents installed on your other VPS instances register automatically. Docker Swarm support was added in 2026, making Komodo the only self-hosted tool that covers single-host Compose stacks, multi-host GitOps pipelines and Swarm clusters from one interface.

Komodo is the missing operations layer between bare Docker Compose and full Kubernetes — purpose-built for developers and small engineering teams who want GitOps without the k8s overhead.

Key features

Core / Periphery architecture — deploy one Core, install lightweight Periphery agents on every server you want to manage. Unlimited servers, no per-seat fee.

GitOps pipelines — connect a Git repository, define a build procedure and trigger deployments automatically on push. All history is logged.

Docker Compose stack management — create, update, start and stop Compose stacks across all servers from the Komodo UI, without SSH.

Docker Swarm support (2026) — manage Swarm services and stacks from the same dashboard as your single-host Compose apps.

Procedure engine — chain actions (pull image, run migration, restart stack, notify Slack) into reusable automation procedures with conditions and rollback.

Audit log — every action (deploy, start, stop, config change) is logged with timestamp, user and output for compliance and debugging.

Webhook triggers — trigger deployments from GitHub, GitLab or Gitea webhooks. Komodo validates the HMAC signature and runs the procedure.

Under 256 MB RAM for the Core binary — written in Rust, it runs comfortably on a 1 GB VPS alongside your other services. GPL-3.0 licence, no paywalled features.

When to use this solution?

1

Multi-VPS stack management

Deploy Komodo Core on a dedicated management VPS and install Periphery agents on every other server in your fleet. From one dashboard you can see all running stacks, restart services and push updates — without opening 10 SSH sessions. Each server's Docker socket is proxied through the encrypted Core / Periphery channel.

2

GitOps CI/CD for self-hosted apps

Connect your application repository to Komodo and define a Deploy procedure: pull the latest image, run database migrations, restart the Compose stack, notify the team. Trigger the procedure from a GitHub push webhook. Komodo validates the HMAC, runs the procedure and logs every step — a full GitOps loop without leaving your infrastructure.

3

Docker Swarm cluster operations

Use Komodo's Swarm resource type to manage service replicas, rolling updates and placement constraints across your Docker Swarm cluster. Combine Swarm services with single-host Compose stacks in the same dashboard — useful for teams migrating from Compose to Swarm incrementally.

Deploy Komodo on your VPS

Guide optimized for ServOrbit Cloud VPS.

01

Create the VPS

Order a 1 GB RAM VPS on ServOrbit. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the recommended OS. Komodo Core idles under 256 MB RAM so the smallest VPS tier is sufficient for the management plane.

02

Deploy Komodo Core

Komodo is deployed as a Docker Compose stack (Core + local Periphery agent + FerretDB). The one-click installer handles all secrets, database setup and port binding. The dashboard is available on port 9120.

03

Log in and configure the admin account

Open https://your-domain.com:9120 and log in with admin and the password shown in your ServOrbit client area. The local Periphery agent connecting the Core VPS itself registers automatically.

04

Add more servers

On each additional server you want to manage, install the Komodo Periphery agent: docker run -d --restart=unless-stopped --network host -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock ghcr.io/moghtech/komodo-periphery:2. Then add it in Komodo's Servers panel using its IP and the generated keypair.

05

Create your first stack

In the Komodo UI, go to Stacks → New Stack. Select the target server, paste your Docker Compose YAML or point to a Git repository path, and click Deploy. Komodo writes the file, runs docker compose up -d and streams the logs back to the dashboard.

06

Set up a GitOps webhook

In your GitHub repository, add a webhook pointing to https://your-domain.com/api/webhook/komodo. In Komodo, create a Procedure with your deploy steps and set the WEBHOOK_SECRET. Every git push will now trigger the procedure automatically.

Frequently asked questions

Komodo is an open-source (GPL-3.0) GitOps platform for managing Docker Compose stacks and deployments across multiple servers. It uses a Core / Periphery architecture: you run one Core dashboard and install lightweight Periphery agents on every server you want to manage.