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* feat(gitops): resolve branch, tag, and SHA refs to immutable commits before fetch The ref model now resolves a configured branch, tag, or full commit SHA to an immutable commit before any content is downloaded, and records both the configured and the resolved identity where revision state persists. - RefKind (branch | tag | sha) is a resolved property, not caller-asserted. A bare string resolves branch-first, then tag; a full 40/64-hex SHA self-resolves with no remote round-trip. Branch and tag both fetch via a bare --branch name; a SHA uses init + shallow fetch + detached checkout. - A single ls-remote with narrow heads/tags refspecs pins the configured ref to an immutable SHA; rev-parse HEAD must equal the resolved SHA or the fetch refuses (tip-changed) instead of materializing unreviewed content. - Error union grew: REF_NOT_FOUND (ref-neutral, replaces BRANCH_NOT_FOUND), UNSUPPORTED_REF (a pinned SHA the host will not serve), and a service-level REF_DELETED upgrade that fires when a classified REF_NOT_FOUND occurs for a source with prior fetch history (a vanished ref reads as delete/force-push, not a fresh typo). Status mapping: REF_NOT_FOUND/REF_DELETED to 404, UNSUPPORTED_REF to 400. - Configured-vs-resolved identity is recorded via a nullable resolved_ref_kind column on gitops_generations (added to CREATE TABLE and re-added for legacy installs through maybeAddCol). The kind is deliberately NOT in the plan fingerprint: two sources naming the same commit differently are the same plan. Docs updated (git-sources feature page, connect-a-git-source tutorial, and the native-git-transport internal deep-dive) to the ref-neutral naming. * fix(gitops): harden ref resolution after pre-merge audit Request peeled annotated-tag refs from ls-remote, detect force-pushes and ref-kind changes against prior fetch identity, persist resolved kind on application rows, and add real-git tag/SHA integration coverage plus ref-neutral UI and operator docs. * test(gitops): mock verifyFastForward in direct producer suite The producer tests stub the transport seam but were missing resolved kind on resolveRef and a verifyFastForward stub, so second pulls tripped the new ref-continuity checks as REF_DELETED. * test(git): remove unused buildBareFixtureRepo helper Fixes backend lint failure after the integration fixture was refactored to buildRichFixtureRepo without dropping the old wrapper. * fix(gitops): correct fast-forward ancestry verification under size bounds Replace the dual shallow-fetch ancestry probe with a single-tip deepen strategy, keep verifier Git work inside the transport watchdog, and add real-Git regression coverage for linear advances and rewritten history. * fix(gitops): bound fast-forward verification with exponential deepen Replace per-commit deepen loops with exponential steps, cap remote fetch rounds, and share one deadline across verifier Git calls. Budget exhaustion now surfaces as a classified timeout instead of REF_DELETED. * fix(gitops): classify fast-forward probe failures accurately Normalize verifier probe timeouts and unexpected exit codes into transport failures, interpret merge-base status 1 as proven non-ancestry only, and treat shallow stagnation as timeout instead of REF_DELETED. * fix(gitops): satisfy tsc on probeFailure never returns * fix(gitops): address Phase E QA findings on ref verification Remove the fast-forward scratch repo after verification so pull size caps are not inflated, classify GitHub not-our-ref as UNSUPPORTED_REF, persist fetched_resolved_ref_kind on create-from-git, and broaden REF_DELETED copy for retagged tags.
Self-hosted Docker Compose management for one machine or a fleet.
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Note
Sencho is used in production for day-to-day Docker Compose and fleet management. As a pre-1.0 project it still evolves quickly, so review the known limitations and validate against your own setup before deploying it on critical infrastructure.
What Sencho is
Sencho is a Docker Compose control plane for DevOps engineers, platform teams, system administrators and homelab users who run services on Compose and need a real operational surface: a graphical interface that does not give up file-on-disk workflows, and the ability to manage more than one machine without SSH gymnastics or a VPN.
It runs as a single container on your hardware and provides a UI for common Compose operations: deploying, editing files, watching logs, restarting containers, browsing volumes, and recovering from failures. Your compose files stay on the host filesystem and remain the source of truth.
Multi-node was part of the architecture from the start, not bolted on later: every Sencho instance is the same autonomous node, whether it runs alone or as one of many in a fleet. To manage another machine, you install a second Sencho on it and connect them with a long-lived API token; the primary dashboard then acts as an authenticated HTTP and WebSocket proxy across your fleet. Use TLS, a VPN, or a private network for any untrusted link. Each node still uses its local Docker socket (see Quick start), but Sencho does not require SSH and does not expose a remote Docker socket on the network. For nodes behind NAT or strict firewalls, the Pilot Agent establishes a single outbound WebSocket tunnel to the primary, so the remote host opens no inbound port at all.
Sencho is free, open-source software under AGPLv3. Everything below is included in the Community tier with unlimited nodes and users.
Capabilities
Stacks
- Full Compose lifecycle: create, deploy, restart, stop, take down, pull
- Atomic deployments with automatic rollback on failure
- Monaco editor with diff preview before save and one-click rollback to any prior deploy
- Health-gated updates that hold a rollout until health checks pass, with stalled-update detection and in-app recovery
- Git-sourced stacks pulled and synced from any repository, with ordered multi-file Compose
- File explorer for compose, env, and supporting files, with move and rename across directories
- Drift detection that compares running containers against the effective Compose model and flags exactly what changed
- Environment and secrets guardrails that inventory every variable a stack uses and flag missing or duplicate values, without ever exposing a value
- Storage portability checks that show whether a stack's mounts can move cleanly to another node before you move it
- Compose Doctor preflight checks that catch compose problems before deploy
- Stack labels for grouping and bulk operations
- App Store with LinuxServer.io templates by default, or any custom Portainer-compatible registry
Observability
- Aggregated log search and stream across every container in the fleet
- Live container stats, health checks, and image-update notifications on a configurable cadence, with links from each image to its registry and source
- Threshold alerts for CPU, memory, and network
- Read-only audit log of every action, with a 14-day recent-activity window
- Network topology view of containers, networks, and nodes
- Documentation-drift flags when a stack dossier diverges from the running stack
Fleet
- Multi-node management via authenticated HTTP and WebSocket proxy
- Fleet view with grid and topology layouts
- Fleet snapshots of compose and env across the fleet
- Fleet Federation: cordon nodes and pin Blueprints to specific hosts
- Fleet Actions: bulk label operations, fleet-wide stop-by-label, and fleet-wide prune
- Fleet Dossier: export the whole fleet as a single browsable Markdown archive
- Fleet Secrets: author environment-variable bundles once, push them to labeled nodes' stacks, with an audit trail of every change
- Fleet Sync: push scan policies, CVE suppressions, and misconfig acknowledgements from a control instance to its replicas
- Docker Label Audit across every node, for labels that drive external automation
- Remote updates: pull the latest image and recreate any node in the fleet from the Fleet view, no SSH session required
- Node labels and grouping
- Pilot Agent for nodes behind NAT or strict firewalls
- Node compatibility checks before deploying
Automation
- Auto-heal policies for failed containers
- Auto-update policies for image rollouts
- Scheduled operations on cron
- Webhooks on stack lifecycle events
- Blueprints: declarative fleet templates with drift detection
Security
- SSO: custom OIDC and presets for Google, GitHub, and Okta
- Two-factor authentication with TOTP and backup codes
- RBAC with five built-in roles and stack or node scoped assignments
- Security overview with a chart-led scan summary, sortable images, and searchable scan history
- Vulnerability scanning via Trivy, with on-demand node-wide scans, VEX-based suppression, SARIF export, and SBOM upload
- Compose network inspector with an exposure-intent guard for unintended published ports
- Node-wide network inventory, topology, and exposure findings across every stack on a node
- Scan policies that set severity thresholds and can block a deploy
- Private registries for Docker Hub, GHCR, and custom registries, plus deploy enforcement for non-compliant images
- API tokens for automation
Operations
- Off-site stack archives via custom S3-compatible storage
- Notification routing to Slack, Discord, and any generic webhook
- Global search across pages, nodes, and every stack in the fleet
- Resources view for images, volumes, and networks with scoped prune actions
- Host console: an interactive terminal on the host OS in the browser, no SSH session required
Before you install
Sencho talks to Docker through the host's /var/run/docker.sock. Mounting this socket grants Sencho the same privilege as sudo docker on the host. This is the same model used by Portainer, Dockge, Komodo, and other Compose dashboards. If your threat model requires stricter isolation, see running with a non-root container user and front Sencho with a reverse proxy that enforces authentication.
Quick start
Sencho runs in a single container.
services:
sencho:
image: saelix/sencho:latest
container_name: sencho
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "1852:1852"
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- ./data:/app/data
# 1:1 Compose Path Rule: the host path MUST match the container path
- /opt/docker:/opt/docker
environment:
- COMPOSE_DIR=/opt/docker
- DATA_DIR=/app/data
docker compose up -d
Open http://your-server:1852 and create your admin account.
Always front Sencho with a TLS-terminating reverse proxy in production. See the self-hosting guide for hardening, environment variables, and reverse-proxy examples.
Run with docker run instead
docker run -d --name sencho \
-p 1852:1852 \
-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
-v sencho_data:/app/data \
# 1:1 Compose Path Rule: the host path MUST match the container path
-v /opt/docker:/opt/docker \
-e COMPOSE_DIR=/opt/docker \
saelix/sencho:latest
For the full walkthrough, see the quickstart guide.
Adding remote nodes
To manage a second machine, install Sencho on it the same way, then add it from the primary dashboard with its URL and a long-lived API token. The primary proxies authenticated HTTP and WebSocket requests to the remote instance. The remote node does not run SSH for Sencho, does not expose its Docker socket on the network, and does not run a separate agent process. The local Sencho on each node manages its own Docker through the standard socket mount described in Quick start. Nodes behind NAT or strict firewalls can opt into the Pilot Agent for outbound-only connectivity.
See the multi-node guide for the full token-bearer flow.
Screenshots
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Same screens in Light
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Telemetry and data handling
Sencho does not emit telemetry, analytics, or crash reports, and makes no outbound calls to Sencho-controlled endpoints. Stack metadata, container inventory, and user activity never leave your instance.
Admiral
Admiral is Studio Saelix's paid business assurance plan on top of everything in Community: Hardened Build, Recovery Vault (managed off-site snapshots), priority support, and governance depth (LDAP / Active Directory, full audit log export and anomaly detection, and related organizational controls). Built-in RBAC (five roles and scoped assignments) is included on Community. AWS ECR registry credentials currently require Admiral as well; that access rule is temporary availability, not the reason Admiral exists. See sencho.io/pricing for current plan details.
Documentation, community, and license
- Documentation: docs.sencho.io
- Blog: sencho.io/blog
- Known limitations: KNOWN_LIMITATIONS.md
- If something breaks: the Recovery guide covers getting back to a working state when Sencho, a deploy, sign-in, Docker, or a node fails.
- Community: GitHub Discussions
- Contributing: CONTRIBUTING.md
- Security: SECURITY.md. Do not open public issues for security vulnerabilities.
- License: GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (
AGPL-3.0-only). Copyright (c) 2026 Studio Saelix. Sencho is free software; see LICENSE and Licensing for terms. Studio Saelix trademarks are described in TRADEMARKS.md.