Dozzle: The Lightweight Docker Log Viewer Every DevOps Engineer Needs
A detailed look at Dozzle, a self-hosted, open-source Docker log viewer that brings live logs, SQL filtering, and split-screen debugging to your browser. MIT-licensed and easy to set up.
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If you're a developer or DevOps engineer working with Docker containers , you know how painful it can be to track down issues across multiple services.
One container crashes silently, another starts throwing cryptic errors, and before you know it, you're knee-deep in terminal logs trying to piece together what went wrong.
That’s where Dozzle comes in, a lightweight, real-time logging tool that makes container troubleshooting fast, visual, and even fun. It gives you a clean, browser-based interface to monitor logs across all your Docker services at once, no more docker logs -f, no more switching between terminals, and definitely no more guesswork.
Hazem AbbasWhat is Dozzle?
Dozzle is a lightweight, self-hosted Docker log viewer designed to help developers monitor their running containers in real time. It's not a full monitoring stack, it’s focused on one thing: live container logs , served through a clean, browser-based UI.
It was created by Amir Raminfar and is now sponsored by Docker OSS . The app runs as a single Docker container and connects directly to your Docker socket to stream logs instantly.
And hey, it does not work only with Docker, it also works with Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Podman!
Who Needs Dozzle?
- Developers managing multiple containers locally
- DevOps teams needing quick visibility into container logs
- Anyone tired of
docker logs -fspamming their terminal - People looking for a live dashboard without complex tools like Grafana or Loki
Hazem Abbas
🔍 Why You Need Dozzle
Before Dozzle, our team used a mix of docker logs, custom scripts, and even basic log aggregation tools. But nothing gave us the real-time clarity we needed, until we found Dozzle.
With Dozzle, we could:
- View all container logs in one place
- Search logs using regex or SQL queries
- Monitor CPU and memory usage per container
- Split screen to compare logs from different services
- Access everything via a browser, no SSH required
And best of all? It’s incredibly fast to set up .
Why We Love Dozzle?
Here are the reasons we made Dozzle part of our daily dev workflow:
✅ Super Fast Setup
Run one command and you're done:
docker run -d --name dozzle -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -p 8080:8080 amir20/dozzle:latestOpen your browser at http://localhost:8080 , and you’re in.
No config files, no databases, no overhead.
✅ Real-Time Logs + Stats
See logs scroll live as they happen. Plus, get live stats on CPU and memory usage, perfect for debugging performance hogs.
✅ Lightweight and Secure
Dozzle doesn’t store logs, so there’s no data retention risk. Just pure, ephemeral log viewing.
✅ Dark Mode & Split Screen
Because we all code in the dark 😄
Split screen lets you watch two containers side-by-side — super useful when debugging microservices.
✅ SQL Support for Logs
Yes, really. Use simple SQL queries to filter and analyze logs right in your browser.It is powered by DuckDB and WebAssembly, neat tech!
Key Features
- Live log streaming for all running containers
- Powerful SQL engine
- Regex and SQL-based log filtering
- Dark mode and split-screen view
- Low memory footprint (~7MB image size!)
- Multi-host support via agent mode
- Swarm mode compatibility
- Podman support
- Authentication support (proxy-based or file-based)
- Anonymous analytics to help improve the project
Dozzle vs LogForge: When to Choose Which?
| Feature | Dozzle | LogForge |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Live logs only | Full service monitoring (logs + alerts + status + notifications) |
| Setup | Ultra-simple | Still easy, but requires Docker Compose |
| Alerts | ❌ No built-in alerting | ✅ Keyword-based alerts |
| Notifications | ❌ No integrations | ✅ Discord, Slack, Telegram, Email |
| Multi-device Sync | ❌ Local-only by default | ✅ Cloud sync (Premium) |
| AI Insights | ❌ | ✅ Scoped AI agents for summaries and fixes |
| Best For | Quick log inspection | Monitoring + alerting in dev environments |
Use Dozzle if:
You want a fast, live view of your container logs and don’t need persistent storage or alerting.
Use LogForge if:
You need more than just logs — like service status, crash detection, keyword alerts, and integration with notification systems.
Hazem Abbas
⚙️ How to Set Up Dozzle
Setting up Dozzle takes less than a minute. Here's how we did it:
Open your browser and go to:
http://localhost:8080
Run the container:
docker run -d --name dozzle \
-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
-p 8080:8080 amir20/dozzle:latest
Pull the image:
docker pull amir20/dozzle:latest
That’s it. Done.
For Swarm or multi-host setups, check out the official documentation.
📄 License
Dozzle is released under the MIT License, making it free to use, modify, and distribute — even for commercial purposes.
This gives it an edge over AGPL-licensed tools like LogForge when it comes to flexibility, especially if you plan to embed it in proprietary environments.
💡 Our Experience Using Dozzle
While building a VR-based ADHD therapy app for Teknofest, we had over 10 microservices running in Docker. Debugging issues across them was tedious — until we added Dozzle to our stack.
We were able to:
- Spot failed health checks in seconds
- Identify slow API responses visually
- Compare logs between services using split-screen
- Avoid constant SSH sessions and grep chains
It wasn’t a replacement for full monitoring tools, but it became our first stop for debugging — and it saved us hours every week.
Cons & Limitations
Despite its strengths, Dozzle isn't perfect for every use case:
- No persistent log storage – it’s for live logs only
- No alerting system – you have to manually spot issues
- No cloud sync – each instance is local unless configured otherwise
- No AI insights – unlike LogForge, it doesn’t suggest fixes or summarize errors
So, if you need historical logs, alerting, or smart suggestions, consider LogForge instead.
Final Thoughts
Dozzle is a must-have tool for any developer or DevOps engineer working with Docker containers. It’s fast, secure, and incredibly intuitive. While it doesn’t replace full-stack monitoring tools, it fills a critical gap: real-time log visibility without complexity.
If you're tired of docker logs and want a cleaner, smarter way to debug your containers, give Dozzle a try. You won’t regret it.
Have You Tried Dozzle?
Let us know in the comments what you love (or hate) about it. And if you're looking for a more feature-rich alternative, check out LogForge, it’s our go-to for alerting and structured monitoring.
Resources & Downloads
- GitHub: https://github.com/amir20/dozzle
- Official Site: https://dozzle.dev
- Docker Hub: https://hub.docker.com/r/amir20/dozzle
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