Remote Hosts (SSH)

Manage remote Docker hosts over SSH tunnels and switch between them from the host selector.

Dockerman connects to remote Docker daemons by forwarding their Unix socket over SSH. Once a host is configured, every feature (containers, images, logs, terminals) works exactly like on localhost.

Add a remote host

Add a host once, then switch to it like any other Docker target.

Open Hosts

Open Hosts from the tray menu or the Hosts view.

Click Add Host

Click Add Host. A dialog asks for connection details.

Fill in the SSH details

Enter the host, port (default 22), user, and authentication method.

Select Auto, Docker, or Podman. Auto probes the remote host and connects to whichever runtime socket it finds first. Podman mode discovers rootless ($XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/podman/podman.sock) and rootful (/run/podman/podman.sock) sockets automatically.

Test and save

Test the connection, then save it. Dockerman opens a test tunnel, probes the runtime, and shows the detected type.

Key-based vs password authentication

Choose the SSH authentication method that matches how the remote host is set up.

Paste the private key directly or point Dockerman at a key file path.

Private keys must be mode 600 on disk; OpenSSH refuses keys with looser permissions.

Password authentication is stored locally. Use it only for short-lived setups or shared-laptop scenarios.

Switch between hosts

Use the Host Switcher in the top bar to move between localhost and every configured remote host. Switching hosts reloads all data for the newly selected target.

Auto reconnect

Dockerman watches SSH tunnel health and reconnects after transient failures. A banner warns you when a host has been offline for more than 30 seconds.

How the SSH tunnel works

Dockerman opens an SSH session and forwards a local unix socket to the remote runtime socket. The default is /var/run/docker.sock for Docker, or the Podman socket when the runtime preference is set to Podman or Auto detects Podman. All API calls flow through that tunnel, so nothing leaves the SSH channel.

Security notes

Only configure remote hosts you trust on trusted networks. SSH credentials stay local to your machine, so treat the system that stores them as sensitive.