# pyouroboros/ouroboros

Automatically update running docker containers with newest available image

Repository: https://github.com/pyouroboros/ouroboros
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/pyouroboros-ouroboros
Language: Python
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: docker, docker-container, updater, update-checker, container-management, containers, python3, python-3
Last push: 2023-02-09T17:59:13+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 23/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2907, "days_push": 1301, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1603, forks 152 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:09.912479+00:00)

## What it is
Ouroboros is a Python application that automatically updates running Docker containers to the latest available image in the remote registry, recreating them with their original configuration (volumes, networks, environment variables, etc.). It runs as a Docker container or CLI tool and supports notifications via Apprise and metrics via Prometheus/InfluxDB.

## Use cases
- automatically update docker containers to latest image
- keep self-hosted services up to date without ssh
- replace manual docker pull and docker run workflows
- monitor container image updates with prometheus metrics
- get notified when containers are updated
- schedule periodic docker image update checks

## When to choose
- you run docker containers on a single host and want hands-off image updates
- you want containers recreated with their original run parameters
- you need update notifications and metrics out of the box

## When to avoid
- the project is no longer maintained - prefer actively maintained alternatives like Watchtower
- you use docker-compose or swarm orchestration for updates
- you need multi-node or kubernetes container updates

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: abandoned
- function: deployment, container-runtime, monitoring
- domain: self-hosted
- platform: python, cli
- tags: docker-containers, auto-update, container-management, watchtower-alternative, prometheus-metrics, apprise-notifications, notification, devops, containers, automation, docker, linux

## Member repositories
- pyouroboros/ouroboros (main) score 23

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.912479+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 2026-08-30T03:52:27.385509+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/pyouroboros/ouroboros (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:09.912479+00:00, sha 85c8837d7079)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.