synology-docker

Note

An unofficial but battle‑tested way to update Docker Engine & Docker Compose on Synology NAS.

Originally forked from markdumay/synology-docker

Why this exists

Synology ships Docker or, as they call it in later versions "Container Manager"... but it's OLD. Really old.

This repo gives you a repeatable, reversible, and reasonably safe way to:

• Update Docker Engine on Synology to the latest
• Update Docker Compose
• Escape Synology’s legacy db log driver
• Roll back if something goes sideways

If you’re comfortable with SSH and sudo, this is for you.

Important

This is not supported by Synology. You can absolutely break things if you ignore instructions. Always have backups. Once upgraded, The ContainerManager UI will no longer work reliably for managing containers or observing logs.

Warning

Some users are experiencing Container Manager failures after updating to Docker 29.x.

This is a known issue between Synology's Container Manager and the upstream Docker 29.x release. If you run into this, roll back using:

sudo ./syno_docker_update.sh restore --backup [backup_name]

Until Synology or upstream Docker resolves the compatibility issue, it is recommended to pin to the latest stable 28.x release using --docker 28.x.x.

DSM Version

Before using this, update to the most recent version of DSM that you can. That'll avoid many issues and will make sure the minor version of your kernel is up to date. I can't keep track of all of the older minor kernel versions for each platform, that would become unmanageable. Sometimes you'll need to download the latest DSM patch manually as it may not show as an automatic update for your model. Look for your latest DSM here

Nvidia users

If you use the Nvidia runtime, you may need to re‑run:

nvidia-ctk runtime configure

or restart the Nvidia driver after running this script.

Portainer users (seriously, read this)

Portainer currently persists the original logging driver used when a container was created. This means:

• Containers created with the db logger will stay broken after upgrade
• You must recreate them to switch to local

Tip

👉 Fix your loggers before upgrading Docker or you’ll spend hours recreating containers anyway.

What this script actually does

At a high level:

1. Downloads official Docker & Compose binaries
2. Backs up your existing Docker install
3. Stops Docker safely
4. Replaces binaries & config
5. Restarts Docker

Everything is scripted. Nothing is magic. Rollbacks are built‑in.

Installation

SSH into your NAS and clone the repo:

git clone https://github.com/telnetdoogie/synology-docker
cd synology-docker

🚀 First‑time upgrade (do this once, carefully)

Note

TL;DR: Fix logging → recreate containers → upgrade Docker

Step 1: Switch Docker’s default log driver

sudo ./syno_docker_update.sh logger

This:

• Sets Docker’s default log driver to local
• Restarts Docker

Then check which containers are still using db:

./syno_docker_list_containers.sh

Example output:

Container            Compose_Location                               Logger
-------------------  ---------------------------------------------- -------
/transmission        /volume1/docker/downloader/docker-compose.yml  db
/jellyfin            /volume1/docker/jellyfin/docker-compose.yml    db
/dozzle              /volume1/docker/dozzle/docker-compose.yml      local

Step 2: Recreate containers still using db

For each compose‑managed container using db:

cd /volume1/docker/jellyfin
docker-compose up -d --force-recreate

Re‑run syno_docker_list_containers.sh until everything says local.

Containers created via docker run will show a best‑guess recreate command. Verify it before running.

Step 3: Upgrade Docker & Compose

sudo ./syno_docker_update.sh update

If you did the logger step correctly, containers should come back automatically.

🔁 Future updates (easy mode)

Once you’ve crossed the logging hurdle, updates are simple:

cd synology-docker
git pull
sudo ./syno_docker_update.sh update

Usage

sudo ./syno_docker_update.sh [OPTIONS] COMMAND

Commands

Command	Description
backup	Backup Docker binaries & config
download PATH	Download Docker & Compose binaries
install PATH	Install from downloaded files
restore	Restore from backup
logger	Update logging driver only
update	Full backup + update

Options

Option	Description
--docker VERSION	Target Docker version
--compose VERSION	Target Compose version
--backup NAME	Backup file name
--force	Skip compatibility checks
--stage	Download only, no install

Contributing

PRs welcome.

1. Fork
2. Test on real hardware
3. Explain why the change exists

Credits

• Original work by @markdumay
• Extensive testing by @mrmuiz
• Network‑pain endurance by @CodeNodeNomad
• Kernel 5.x runc issue / resolution and additional repo contributions by @bslatyer

Origin

Forked from https://github.com/markdumay/synology-docker