Dockge or ix-app

I have two apps on my TrueNAS 24.04 from TrueCharts running.
Is it better to run those under dockge or as an ix-app on TrueNAS 24.10?
What happens to those apps, when I upgrade to 24.10?

If/when you upgrade to 24.10, any TrueCharts apps will go away. I understand from their posts that those apps will become unrecoverable at that point. Take whatever action you wish to migrate them first. TrueCharts have published a migration guide here:
https://truecharts.org/clustertool/migrations/scale-config-only/

Thanks for the info.
Than I will set those two apps new.
What is the better choise here, dockge or ix-application?

What apps are you installing?

I have Duplicati and Grocy from TrueCharts on my TrueNAS

Do you want to point and click to install an app? Or do you want to paste in a Compose file? If the former, use an app; if the latter, Dockge or Portainer.

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Got it. I don’t know if there is necessarily a better option as opposed to personal preference. There are two native methods to install a custom app in 24.10, via wizard or Compose YAML. Installing Custom Applications | TrueNAS Documentation Hub

Additionally, you can install dockge or Portainer as an app and use that to manage your docker containers.

Tested Duplicati under Dockge in a VM with TrueNAS 24.10
So I will go for Dockge after upgrading 24.04 to 24.10.

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There is no “best” way. I go for compose so as to not introduce additional issues/dependencies. Others go for portainer or dockge. Others use the built in apps. I like the flexibility to configure and set up the app as I want it. No “right” or “best” way.

Using Dockge or Portainer does not introduce dependencies.

They are just front-ends to the commands you type to configure Docker.

So your apps will still run/start if you delete Dockge or Portainer.

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Perhaps a bad choice of words, I know what they are. Issues/dependencies was more a reference to the built in apps which I did use a long time ago but the endless problems they cause with decisions I would not have made are not the way I do things. So, I don’t use the apps as I want them to run my way, with my database not postgres, with caddy not tailscale, etc. I run custom compose files without using any tools to create yaml or anything else. And I don’t need help managing my stacks. I don’t want more tools and for me, don’t see any need for them. My opinion, you don’t have to agree. Do what works for you. That’s the beauty of Eel, you now have more flexibility IMHO.

Accurate for Dockge at least. Portaiber is a bit more opaque.

This video explains how to use dockge in regards to truenas

in short what he is saying, he deploys dockge using the truenas apps. but that is the only one he deploys using that.

after that point, he deploys all his other docker containers via dockge using docker compose (meaning, all the other containers, he doesn’t use the truenas apps to deploy).

meaning to manage the docker containers, he would have to use dockge solely for that purpose.

I’ve used dockge for a while, and i’m pretty cool with that arrangement.

Also in his particular setup, he made it so that data aka perma configs, go into the stacks dataset.

personally i prefer keeping docker compose and env separate from the data/config. but to do that, you create a separate dataset, i call mine data, then i point the mount to the data folder.

if you want to move from jailmaker to truenas apps, stux video covers that

Stux’s example shows how you can use the dockge agent to access the dockge running on jail, to be able to copy paste docker compose for those other deployments, stop the jail docker containers, then bring them online from the new dockge (NON jail version) instead. As you are winding down the jail deployment, and to finally delete the jail no longer being used.

simply put, if you intend to use dockge to deploy and manage your docker containers, then the only app you deploy via truenas apps would ONLY be dockge. Because once that is installed, all the other apps you would be deploying via dockge.

If you weren’t going to do that, then not sure whats the point of installing dockge or portainer otherwise.

Portainer is an alternative to dockge. I’ve used both. But i prefer dockge because it simplifies everything and is more practical. That said portainer was easier (not really but there is an ui to guide you for doing so) to setup macvlans, whereas dockge omits that and expects you to set that up more manually without help of the ui to do so.

lastly there is jailmaker. Prior to Electric Eel, jailmaker was a better way to deploy docker vs using truenas vm. But since EE, that has changed.

People can deploy docker via truenas apps directly. So you aren’t forced to use jailmaker unless you want to.

Whether you want to opt to still using jailmaker or not, at minimum, you can use truenas apps to deploy docker containers with a few clicks.

For people who like dockge or portainer, they would deploy one or the other (via truenas apps), then from that point on, deploy ALL the rest of their dock containers through either dockge or portainer.

Hope that clears things?

*bonus

this highlights the networking in dockge which you should be aware of. oddly enuff he is using portainer to setup network, but dockge to deploy apps. becauz dockge networking still isn’t working properly yet in ui :grimacing:

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forgot to include this other important youtube

it shows how to add CUSTOM app for installing a docker container. shows you what exactly to do.