How to Install Arcane (Docker Management UI) on Ubuntu 24.04

Arcane is a modern interface to manage containers, images, volumes, and Docker networks, with a focus on simplicity and speed.
It is a lightweight alternative to Portainer and Dockge, while maintaining compatibility with the Docker/OCI ecosystem.

Goals

Install Docker on Ubuntu 24.04, deploy Arcane via Docker Compose, access the dashboard, and learn how to update, back up/restore, and troubleshoot common errors.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need:

• An Ubuntu 24.04 LTS instance running in the cloud.
  👉 You can create one in minutes at LetsCloud, in regions such as São Paulo, Fortaleza, or Miami, ensuring low latency for your users.
• A user with sudo privileges.
• Docker Engine and the Docker Compose plugin installed.

Installing Docker on Ubuntu 24.04

Before installing, remove old versions that may cause conflicts:

$
sudo apt remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

Step 1 – Dependencies and key

$$$$$
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg  | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg]  https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable"  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Step 2 – Install engine + compose plugin

$$
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Step 3 – Run Docker without sudo (optional)

$$$
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
docker version

Deploying Arcane with Docker Compose

Create a project folder:

$
mkdir -p ~/arcane && cd ~/arcane

Generate secrets:

$$
openssl rand -base64 32   # ENCRYPTION_KEY
openssl rand -base64 32   # JWT_SECRET

Create the compose.yml file:

$
nano compose.yml

Reminder: Replace ENCRYPTION_KEY and JWT_SECRET

services:
  arcane:
    image: ghcr.io/ofkm/arcane:latest
    container_name: arcane
    ports:
      - "3552:3552"
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - arcane-data:/app/data
      - ./projects:/app/data/projects
    environment:
      - APP_URL=http://localhost:3552
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - ENCRYPTION_KEY=**PASTE_HERE**
      - JWT_SECRET=**PASTE_HERE**
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  arcane-data:

Start the service:

$
docker compose up -d

Access: http://YOUR_IP:3552

First steps in the dashboard

• Username: arcane
  Password: arcane-admin
• Manage containers, images, volumes, and networks visually.
• Use Projects to organize your compose.yml files.
• Monitor logs and metrics in real time.

Updating Arcane

$$
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Backup and Restore

Backup:

$
docker run --rm   -v arcane-data:/data   -v "$PWD":/backup   busybox sh -c 'cd /data && tar czf /backup/arcane-backup.tgz .'

Restore:

$
docker run --rm   -v arcane-data:/data   -v "$PWD":/backup   busybox sh -c 'cd /data && tar xzf /backup/arcane-backup.tgz'

Reverse Proxy with Nginx (HTTPS)

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name arcane.your-domain.com;
  location / {
    proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3552;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
  }
}

Then, apply TLS with Let’s Encrypt.

Troubleshooting (common errors)

1. permission denied in Docker

   • Check the docker.sock bind.
   • Make sure the user is in the docker group.

2. Port already in use (3552)

   • Change the mapping 3552:3552 in compose.yml.

3. Not accessible over the internet

   • Open the port in the firewall of your LetsCloud instance.
   • Verify proxy configurations.

Arcane vs Portainer vs Dockge

• Arcane → Modern, fast UI, ideal for containers and small projects.
• Portainer → More complete, focused on enterprise environments.
• Dockge → Optimized for Docker Compose stacks.

Conclusion

In this guide, we installed and configured Arcane on an Ubuntu 24.04 instance — from Docker installation to deploying Arcane with Docker Compose, including backup, updating, troubleshooting, and setting up a reverse proxy with HTTPS.

Arcane stands out as a lightweight, modern, and practical UI for managing containers. It simplifies daily tasks such as running images, monitoring containers, and organizing projects, without requiring the full complexity of heavier tools like Portainer.

👉 To get started, we recommend:

• Creating a LetsCloud instance close to your users (São Paulo, Fortaleza, or Miami).
• Running your first container (e.g., Nginx or Redis) via Arcane.
• Testing project management with the ./projects folder.
• Setting up a reverse proxy with HTTPS for production use.

This way, you’ll have an environment ready for fast development, testing labs, or even lightweight production workloads, always with Arcane’s simplicity.

Next steps: explore the official Arcane documentation and see how to integrate remote environments or automate image updates.