Deep Dive: How SwarmCLI Simplifies Docker Swarm Operations for DevOps Teams

#cli #devops #docker #tooling

As Docker Swarm continues to power production environments for its minimal overhead and native Docker integration, tools that enhance its usability are in high demand. In my last post, I introduced SwarmCLI, the open-source CLI tool that's like k9s for Swarm. Today, let's dive deeper into its features and how they streamline real-world workflows.

The Core Workflow: From Setup to Scaling
SwarmCLI's TUI lets you navigate Swarm entities interactively—no more memorizing commands. Here's how it shines in key areas:

Stacks and Services: Your Deployment Powerhouse

List and Inspect: Quickly view stacks (docker stack ls) and services (docker stack services). Drill down with inspections for configs, ports, and more.
Scaling and Rollbacks: Adjust replicas on the fly (docker service scale) or rollback bad deploys (docker service update --rollback). Immediate error overviews flag issues instantly.
Logs and Tasks: Tail logs (docker service logs) or check task status (docker service ps) without leaving the interface—perfect for debugging live.

In the Community Edition, these are all free. For teams, a Business Edition is planned, which will add features like shell access (e.g., exec into containers) and port forwarding for secure remote testing.

Nodes and Networks: Infrastructure at Your Fingertips

Node Management: List nodes (docker node ls), promote/demote managers, add labels, or delete nodes safely.
Network Ops: Create, inspect, prune, or delete networks (docker network prune) to keep things tidy.
Configs and Secrets: Secure Data Handling
CRUDE for configs and secrets, with inspection and creation. The The “Reveal” feature for secrets will be available in a Business Edition.
Contexts: Multi-Env Mastery

Switch between dev, staging, and prod seamlessly (docker context use), with export/import for sharing setups.

Real-Use Case: Debugging a Failing Service
Imagine a service crashing in production. With SwarmCLI: