macOS
Homebrewverified · 100%
brew install docker-genlocal Homebrew formula metadata
brew
Install docker-gen with Homebrew
Generate files from docker container metadata. Version 0.16.6 via Homebrew; verified 2026-06-16.
install
Additional install commands
overview
Package summary
Generate files from docker container metadata
Project links
Commands and aliases
- docker-gen
history
Project history and usage
docker-gen is a Docker metadata templating tool. It watches containers and renders Go templates into configuration files, commonly for reverse proxies, logging, log rotation, and service-discovery glue.
Project history
The upstream README defines docker-gen as a file generator that renders templates using Docker container metadata. It documents early Docker-era use cases such as nginx and haproxy reverse-proxy config generation, fluentd and logstash logging files, logrotate files, and service-discovery scripts.
The tag history starts in May 2014 with 0.1.0 and continues into current nginx-proxy maintenance. The project evolved around the Docker event stream: it can render once, watch for container starts and stops, filter containers and events, send signals or restart commands after regeneration, and run either on the host, bundled inside another container, or as a separate companion container.
Adoption history
docker-gen is best known through the nginx-proxy ecosystem. The README names nginx-proxy/nginx-proxy as a trusted-build example of running docker-gen alongside nginx, and the current repository lives under the nginx-proxy organization. Its adoption followed a common Docker pattern: containers advertise intent through metadata or environment variables, and a sidecar regenerates host or proxy configuration.
How it is used
Users provide a Go text/template file and an optional destination path. docker-gen reads Docker metadata, renders the template, and can watch for container events to regenerate output and notify a service with a signal or command. It also supports config files with multiple template directives and Docker connection settings through flags or Docker environment variables.
Why package nerds care
docker-gen matters because it captures a pre-orchestrator, Docker-native automation style: dynamic infrastructure from container metadata before Compose, Kubernetes ingress controllers, and service meshes became common. Package nerds care because it is tiny, scriptable, and still explains a lot of nginx-proxy-era container deployment patterns.
Timeline
- 2014: 0.1.0 is tagged, placing docker-gen in the early Docker ecosystem.
- 2015: 0.4.x and 0.5.x tags show continued rapid early releases.
- 2016: 0.7.x tags continue the Docker sidecar/template workflow.
- 2020s: the project is maintained under the nginx-proxy organization.
- 2026: 0.16.x tags show ongoing maintenance.
Related projects
- Related projects include nginx-proxy/nginx-proxy, nginxproxy/docker-gen container images, nginx, haproxy, fluentd, logrotate, Docker Engine, Go text/template, sprig, and earlier Docker service-discovery helpers such as docker-register.
Sources
security posture
Risk level: orange
infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal.
Risk classifier
orange risk · medium confidence · infrastructure
Why
- infrastructure mutation or orchestration signal
Signals
- text:container
Install behavior
- No Homebrew post-install hook is recorded in formula metadata.
- Homebrew bottle metadata is available for 6 platform targets.
- Build metadata lists 1 build dependencies.
Recommended review
Before unattended agent use, check whether the tool reads plaintext credentials, writes remote state, publishes artifacts, or shells out to plugins.
executables
Installed executables
| Command | Kind | Exposure | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
docker-gen | cli | global executable |
freshness
Version and freshness
These signals separate page generation age, package-manager activity, and upstream release comparison. Version lag is warned only when an evidence URL and comparable versions are present.
page generated2026-07-08
manager version0.16.6
manager updated2026-06-16
local dataok
upstreamcurrent
latest detected0.16.6
https://github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen
- okNo freshness warnings were generated.
install metadata
Package metadata
| Package key | brew:docker-gen |
|---|---|
| Version | 0.16.6 |
| Package manager | Homebrew |
| Package manager page | https://formulae.brew.sh/formula/docker-gen |
| Homepage | https://github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen |
| Repository | https://github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen |
| Upstream docs | https://github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen#readme |
| License | MIT |
| Source archive | https://github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen/archive/refs/tags/0.16.6.tar.gz |
| Last updated | 2026-06-16T16:51:53Z |
| Pulse | updated |
| Build dependencies | go |
| Bottle | available (on arm64_linux, arm64_sequoia, arm64_sonoma, arm64_tahoe, sonoma, x86_64_linux) |
| Homebrew post-install | not defined |
| Service | none declared |
registry facts
Source database details
| Source Database | Homebrew formula API |
|---|---|
| Tap | homebrew/core |
| Full Name | docker-gen |
| Version Scheme | 0 |
| Revision | 0 |
| Head Version | HEAD |
| Bottle Stable Root URL | https://ghcr.io/v2/homebrew/core |
| Deprecated | no |
| Disabled | no |
| Keg Only | no |
| URL Keys |
|
source trail
Generated from repository data
This page is generated by av-web from the private package SQLite artifact built by scripts/generate-pkg-sqlite.py.
Combined YAML source
View the package source record on GitHub.
Used sources
- Geiger risk classifier
- Nucleus package database
- av.db category and tag curation
- cross-ecosystem install command graph
- curated package history
- package relationship graph
- package version freshness
- package-page enrichment