Useful Docker apps for beginners / Docker for Dummies

 If you don't understand Docker yet, read How to Install Docker on Windows and/or How to Install on Synology SRM first.

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Once you've got Docker installed, here's some apps that I think will be most useful to get you started.

I have not tried ANY of these, so take this for what they are worth.  These are just the ones that caught my eye as being useful for me. 

Nobody paid for these recommendations, and I've honestly not tried hardly any of these for myself.  But I probably will.

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These apps all have weird names, and often seem complex, and so will probably seem more unfamiliar than they should be.  

Look past this and focus on what they can do for you.  Some of these are freakin' great.

There are TONS of other apps, many for exotic uses far beyond what ordinary users want / need - it's frankly overwhelming.  Hopefully this helps you get your feet wet.

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The big advantage to these is they are (almost) always free.  If you're like me and loath subscriptions with a passion, this is a big draw. 

Of course, you need to set these apps up, and need a capable server that's available 24/7/365.  Plus you do have to learn the new / replacement app.  So not totally frictionless, but pretty easy in most cases.

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Remember, removing a Docker app is even easier than uninstalling a Windows app.  

Docker apps don't modify critical files (like the Registry) directly, get their hooks into other files, or leave cruft lying around your hard drives.  

In other words, trying a Docker app doesn't risk polluting your machine or breaking crap.  Making experimentation pretty much risk-free.

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Nextcloud

Nextcloud replaces Google Drive, Dropbox, Onedrive and Synology Drive.

You can:

• Store and share files
• Edit documents
• Sync calendars
• Auto-upload photos from phones and tablets

If you want live, interactive, multi-user document editing, Nextcloud beats Synology Drive.  Otherwise, maybe not so much. 

Also see Tailscale, below, for direct access to your files - no cloud copy required.

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Uptime Kuma

Weird name for an app that watches your internet connection.

Super useful for debug, not so much otherwise.

My son kept complaining that his laptop kept losing connectivity, even when wired.  I am using Kuma to try and help figure out why. 

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Adguard Home

Blocks ads and known malware sites.

Again, actual use is transparent.  Everything happens behind the scenes, automatically.

There's lots of puffery about what this can do, and it's definitely not perfect. But I'll take what help I can get.

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Pi-Hole

Basically the same as Adguard Home.

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Tailscale

Lets you connect to your internal network when elsewhere.

Basically, you can be away from home (coffee shop, airport, wherever), but access everything just like you were at home.  

Super handy, and eliminates the need for apps like Synology Drive.   Drive is great, but syncing time is always an issue.  Working directly on the original files is much simpler. 

I wish I had this set up years ago, when I was traveling for work.  But I can set it up now so my kids can access their own files while at school.

(I have no idea why this is called "Tailscale" and not "myVPN" or something more descriptive.)

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Others

These ones can be very useful, but may be more complex to set up.  Probably useful only if you are spending too much money on subscription services.

(Or maybe not useful; not everyone even wants, much less needs, these services.) 

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Reverse Proxy

Unfortunately, accessing anything Docker from outside your own network requires a reverse proxy.

This is because Docker apps can either:

• Conflict (i.e. two apps grabbing the same port); and/or
• Fail to implement security features (like HTTPs support), which is required for many apps.

The reverse proxy is the traffic cop that sorts all of this out for you. 

Examples are:  Nginx, Caddy, Traefik or the built-in Synology Reverse Proxy service (in Control Panel).  

Don't overthink it:

• If you're just starting, and have a Synology, the built-in reverse proxy service is perfectly fine.
• If not, pick something simple.  
  

The good news:  the reverse proxy only handles the traffic you give it.  So if you already have a web server or whatever, adding reverse proxy for new Docker apps won't break it.

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Paperless-ngx

An automated filing cabinet.  Throw a bunch of PDFs at it (bills, receipts, whatever), and it will rename and sort them into directories for you.  

It can also handle images / photos, automatically grab and file digital receipts and PDFs from your email, and lets you quickly search files by date, keyword, senders, etc.  

If you're like me and file everything electronically, but manually, this could be fantastic.

Unfortunately, setup is complex; it needs multiple Docker containers, plus extra settings to make them all play nice.

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 TickTick

Replaces Todoist / Todoist Pro.

Free tier is limited to 9 lists of 99 tasks per list.  That may be enough.

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Portainer

A graphical web UI for Docker.

Yes, Docker for Windows has it's own UI.  However, Portainer may still be useful.

If you're only running 1 or 2 Docker apps, you probably don't need it.  If you plan to expand, Portainer might be worth a look.

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Vaultwarden

Vaultwarden is a password manager.

Password managers can seem intimidating, and there are too many of them - it's exhausting.  

But, this one is more secure than the ones built in to your web browsers, so that's a plus.  And you own everything, and everything is encrypted regardless.  This is about as secure as you can get.

Unfortunately, VW requires a reverse proxy (Caddy, Nginx, etc) for outside access.

Fortunately, actual use is almost seamless.  Once set up, passwords, credit card numbers, addresses etc. will auto-populate in your browser for you - with virtually no risk that anyone can intercept or steal this information.  

I would class this as a critical feature, meaning you need a fallback.  (My go-to is still writing your passwords down in a paper notebook, and keeping that notebook hidden in a safe place, but I'm old-fashioned that way.)

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Video: Jellyfin.  Lets you watch your videos on any device, anywhere.  Works well on phones, tablets, PCs, etc.

Needs a powerful server and only serves up video you already have; it does not access streaming services.  Access away from home requires a reverse proxy.

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Photos: Immich.  Replaces Google Photos.

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Notes: Joplin.   Replaces Evernote.

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AI: Open-WebUI.  Replaces Gemini, ChatGPT, etc.  Requires Ollama. (Or consider Lumo, which is a 100% private AI run by Proton AG.)

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Microsoft 365:  OnlyOffice.  These apps look and act like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and (supposedly) have great compatibility with native Office file formats.  

There is also a cloud collaboration feature, but that might cost money.

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Notion: Obsidian.  I have no idea why people want / need Notion, and the idea of an "all-in-one productivity and knowledge-management app" sounds like fantastical gibberish.  It's right up there with flying cars and jetpacks.

But, if you want/need it, Obsidian might be worth a look.  (Or Memos, or Vikunja.)

If you need synchronization, also look at SyncThing.

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Home Assistant:  For smart homes (IoT).  

My experience is that "smart" homes are still massively immature, buggy, anything but smart, and not worth your time.  

But if that's your thing, you can run Home Assistant yourself without buying a new appliance.

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Video security / surveillance: Frigate NVR.  Uses self-hosted AI object detection to alert only on real people, animals, packages at the door, etc.  

No idea how this works, exactly, except you (obviously) need some cameras, (probably) some highly capable hardware, and (probably) some storage space for video.

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Grammarly: LanguageTool.  (Or you could just f***** learn how to write, but whatever.)

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Homepage:  This gives you a customizable home page with: links / bookmarks, CPU/RAM stats, weather forecasts, etc.  This will either be the most useful thing ever, or nothing but a vanity project, up to you.

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RustDesk Server

Replaces Anydesk, Teamviewer, etc.  

This one is probably least useful, because you can use Rustdesk perfectly well without self-hosting.  But you can host it if you want to.

Rustdesk does have paid plans, but the free plan includes an address book and allows for unlimited connections from one PC.  This is much better than Teamviewer or Anydesk is enough for many individuals / households.