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AbianS
AbianS

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Managing multiple databases in Docker without having 50 commands saved in Notion

#docker #database #postgres #tauri

Spinning up a database with Docker sounds simple… until you’ve done it five times.

Every new project starts the same: you Google "docker run postgres", copy a command, tweak it a bit, run it… and everything’s fine—until you need another database. Then chaos begins.

By default Docker uses the same port for each database type — 5432 for Postgres, 3306 for MySQL, 6379 for Redis — so when you try to run a second instance you get the classic error: Error: port 5432 already in use.

Quick fix: change the port. Fine, but then each DB ends up on a different port: 5432, 5433, 5434, 5435… Now you have five projects, five databases, five ports, and half your time is spent hunting in Docker Desktop to find which container belongs to which project.

Worse still: once a container is created, changing its port isn’t trivial. You typically have to stop it, remove it, recreate it with the new configuration, update the .env, and hope you didn’t lose data because you forgot to mount a volume. It’s manual, delicate work—so many people just leave the mess as-is rather than rebuild everything.

The real problem

  • Each DB needs its own port: you can change ports, but then you end up with an unruly list that’s hard to track.

  • Hard to maintain: Docker Desktop turns into a guessing game to match containers with projects.

  • Changing configuration is painful: moving a port or renaming a DB means deleting and recreating it, with a real risk of data loss.

  • Scattered configuration: commands in Notion, passwords in .env, and ports only in your head.

Docker DB Manager — order and control without opening the terminal 😌

Docker DB Manager was born from that frustration: an app that lets you create, manage and modify Docker databases without memorizing a single command.

  • Create databases in seconds: choose the engine (Postgres, MySQL, Redis or MongoDB), give it a name and password, and you’re done. (And this is just the beginning — more database engines will be added in future updates.)

  • Connection strings ready to copy: get your DATABASE_URL without searching or typing anything.

postgresql://admin:tu-password@localhost:5433/mydb
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  • Edit without manual rebuilds: change name or port from the UI; the app handles the adjustments and keeps your data.

  • Persistent storage made easy: toggle “persist data” and the app will create and manage the volume for you.

  • Synchronized with Docker Desktop: changes made in Docker Desktop are reflected in the app and vice versa.

  • Everything centralized: a clear view with all your databases, ports and states — no guessing needed.

Built with Tauri (lightweight and fast), React + TypeScript on the frontend and Rust on the backend to run Docker commands safely and efficiently.

Available now for macOS (Intel and Apple Silicon).
Windows and Linux coming soon.

📦 Open source — download and source code on GitHub:
👉 github.com/AbianS/docker-db-manager

If you have more databases than open tabs in your browser, this app will give you back some calm (and a few saved minutes).

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