# GhostWriters/DockSTARTer

DockSTARTer helps you get started with running apps in Docker.

Repository: https://github.com/GhostWriters/DockSTARTer
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/dockstarter
Homepage: https://dockstarter.com/
Language: Shell
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: docker, docker-compose, homelab, htpc, self-hosted, ubuntu, debian, raspbian
Last push: 2026-08-26T02:34:50+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 94/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:39:23.370411+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 85, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3022, "days_push": 8, "days_rel": 21, "gap_med": 0, "n_releases_24m": 166}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2569, forks 291 (observed 2026-08-28T04:07:01.300778+00:00)

## What it is
DockSTARTer is a shell-based tool that helps users quickly set up and manage self-hosted applications in Docker using Docker Compose. It provides a terminal menu GUI plus CLI commands to generate merged compose files and deploy a curated catalog of apps.

## Use cases
- set up a homelab media server with sonarr radarr plex in docker
- generate a docker-compose file for self-hosted apps without writing yaml
- manage docker containers through a terminal menu
- install docker and docker compose on ubuntu or debian automatically
- bootstrap a self-hosted app stack on a raspberry pi
- keep containers updated automatically with watchtower

## When to choose
- you want a guided, menu-driven way to deploy common self-hosted apps on Linux
- you are new to Docker and want sane defaults for a homelab or HTPC
- you want a curated app catalog with override support for custom containers

## When to avoid
- you need Windows or macOS native support (use a Linux VM instead)
- you want fully hand-crafted, fine-grained compose configurations from the start
- you need a graphical web dashboard rather than terminal menus

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: deployment, configuration-management, cli, developer-tools, container-orchestration
- domain: self-hosted
- platform: cli, self-hosted
- tags: docker-compose, homelab, htpc, terminal-ui, shell, media-server, devops, containers, automation, command-line, linux, docker

## Member repositories
- GhostWriters/DockSTARTer (main) score 94

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:01.300778+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:23:20.151329+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/GhostWriters/DockSTARTer (fetched 2026-08-28T04:07:01.300778+00:00, sha 8294257eed3e)
  - homepage: https://dockstarter.com/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:05:44.861378+00:00, sha 5e0834b48687)
  - site_page: https://dockstarter.com/advanced/uninstall (fetched 2026-08-29T10:05:44.868029+00:00, sha 42e589c0d09b)
  - site_page: https://dockstarter.com/introduction (fetched 2026-08-29T10:05:44.869794+00:00, sha c89fb668c020)
  - site_page: https://dockstarter.com/docker (fetched 2026-08-29T10:05:44.864184+00:00, sha 6ed165d1d404)
  - site_page: https://dockstarter.com/basics/faq (fetched 2026-08-29T10:05:44.866073+00:00, sha ee57b3b21937)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.