Dokploy / Dokploy/cli

feat: add exec command for interactive container terminal access

Open
#37 0 comments 0 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

Nobody has claimed this yet.

Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
152
Forks
46
PR merge metrics
No merged PRs in 30d

Description

Summary

Add an exec command that allows users to open interactive terminal sessions in running Dokploy containers directly from the CLI — similar to heroku run.

Motivation

Currently, the only way to get terminal access to a running container is through the Dokploy web panel's Terminal tab. There's no CLI equivalent, which makes it difficult to:

  • Run one-off commands like rails c, python manage.py shell, or database migrations
  • Integrate with local development workflows and scripts
  • Provide quick terminal access without opening a browser

This is a commonly expected feature for PaaS CLI tools (Heroku, Fly.io, Railway all support it).

Proposed solution

A new hand-authored command (src/commands/exec.ts) that:

  1. Resolves the service name to a running container via the existing Dokploy API (project.allapplication.onedocker.getContainersByAppLabel)
  2. Connects via WebSocket to the /docker-container-terminal endpoint (the same protocol the web panel uses)
  3. Pipes raw stdin/stdout for an interactive terminal session
Usage
# Interactive shell
dokploy exec --app Web

# Run a command
dokploy exec --app Web rails c

# Disambiguate across projects/environments
dokploy exec --project "My Project" --env staging --app Web rails c
Supported service types

Works with all Dokploy service types: applications, redis, postgres, mongo, mysql, mariadb, and compose.

Authentication

Uses the existing x-api-key authentication — no SSH access to the server required. Teammates only need a Dokploy API key.

Implementation

I have a working implementation ready to submit as a PR. It adds:

  • src/commands/exec.ts — the new command
  • ws dependency — for WebSocket client
  • Updated README with usage docs

Happy to adjust the implementation based on feedback.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reading the existing CLI command structure and the API flow named in the issue: project.all, application.one, and docker.getContainersByAppLabel. Review src/commands/exec.ts and the README changes, then verify the documented interactive and command modes across the listed service types. Done means the command resolves the intended running container, maintains terminal input/output, authenticates with x-api-key, and is documented.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
docker, typescript
Domain
api, cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
42/100

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.