# marvinvr/docktail

Expose Docker containers as Tailscale Services using label-based configuration.

Repository: https://github.com/marvinvr/docktail
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/docktail
Homepage: https://docktail.org
Language: Go
License: AGPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: containers, docker, golang, homelab, monitoring, reverse-proxy, self-hosted, tailscale, tailscale-services
Last push: 2026-08-23T10:56:12+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 81/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 99, release rhythm 93, longevity 20
- inputs: {"age_days": 290, "days_push": 10, "days_rel": 44, "gap_med": 19, "n_releases_24m": 10}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1201, forks 43 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:58.309622+00:00)

## What it is
DockTail is a Go-based Docker sidecar that watches container events, reads docktail.* labels, and exposes matching containers as native Tailscale Services. It proxies directly to container IPs so apps need no published ports, supports HTTP/HTTPS/TCP, automatic certificates, Funnel, and automatic reconciliation.

## Use cases
- expose docker containers to my tailnet without publishing ports
- give each homelab app a tailscale hostname automatically
- avoid burning tailscale device slots per self-hosted app
- share a container publicly via tailscale funnel
- auto-reconcile tailscale services when containers restart
- add tcp services behind tailscale with proxy protocol
- monitor docker services across multiple hosts

## When to choose
- you run docker with tailscale and want label-driven service exposure
- you want native tailscale services instead of per-app proxy devices
- you prefer zero published ports and direct container-IP proxying
- you want automatic reconciliation and funnel support with minimal setup

## When to avoid
- you don't use tailscale or docker
- you need a general-purpose reverse proxy beyond tailnet exposure
- you require kubernetes rather than docker/compose environments
- you need per-container tailscale device identities

## Facets
- artifact type: service
- maturity: active
- function: proxy, networking, monitoring, deployment, self-hosted
- domain: networking, self-hosted, security
- platform: go, self-hosted
- tags: tailscale, tailscale-services, docker-labels, reverse-proxy, homelab, tailnet, funnel, container-discovery, devops, containers, docker, linux

## Member repositories
- marvinvr/docktail (main) score 81

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:58.309622+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 2026-08-30T06:20:42.528913+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/marvinvr/docktail (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:58.309622+00:00, sha f01ef5c665c7)
  - homepage: https://docktail.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:27:53.925626+00:00, sha 562374cb02b8)
  - site_page: https://docktail.org/docs (fetched 2026-08-29T12:27:53.934579+00:00, sha 2aa47f2523af)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.