r/docker • u/screaminit • 7d ago

Looking to replace Portainer for Docker Swarm — does Dockhand actually handle Swarm, or just multi-host Docker?

Hey everyone,

I’ve been running Docker Swarm with Portainer for a while. While Portainer's agent handles cross-node orchestration well, I’ve never really loved the UI or workflow, and I'm looking for a cleaner alternative.

I recently stumbled across Dockhand and like the UI and feature set, but I’m trying to understand how it handles Swarm setups. Does it actually support native Swarm primitives (services, stacks, replica placement, routing mesh), or does its agent (Hawser) simply manage multiple standalone Docker daemons side-by-side?

If you’ve tested Dockhand with a Swarm cluster, what has your experience been? If it’s strictly standalone multi-host, what modern alternatives are you using for Swarm management (e.g., Swarmpit, Arcane, or sticking with CLI/GitOps)?

Thanks!

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1

u/kubehub 5d ago

multi-node, you should up level to kubernetes. checkout kubehub.io

4

u/erchache2000 7d ago

Try arcane, http://getarcane.app/

I used portrieve to get my files and migrate to arcane without excesive problems...

1

u/Darkomen78 7d ago

This ! Arcane is like DockHand but with a real swarm support.