Introducing SwarmCLI: The k9s-Inspired CLI Tool Revolutionizing Docker Swarm Management

#cli #docker #showdev #tooling

In the world of container orchestration, Docker Swarm has long been a lightweight, reliable alternative to Kubernetes for teams that value simplicity and ease of setup. But let's be honest—managing Swarm clusters with the native Docker CLI can feel clunky and time-consuming. Endless typing of commands, switching contexts, and sifting through logs? It's enough to make any DevOps engineer long for a more intuitive interface.

Enter SwarmCLI, an open-source terminal user interface (TUI) tool inspired by the beloved k9s for Kubernetes. SwarmCLI brings that same snappy, interactive experience to Docker Swarm users.

Why SwarmCLI? The Pain Points It Solves

If you've ever wrestled with Docker Swarm, you know the drill:

Native commands are powerful but verbose—think docker service ps just to check tasks.
No built-in error overviews or quick diagnostics, leading to hours lost in troubleshooting.
Scaling and managing multi-node clusters feels fragmented without a unified view.

SwarmCLI addresses these by providing a k9s-like TUI where you can browse, edit, and monitor everything in one place. It's fully open-source under Apache 2.0, with a Community Edition that's free forever for core features.

Key Features at a Glance

Here's a snapshot of what SwarmCLI offers right out of the box:

Stack Management
List, delete, show tasks, and get immediate error overviews.

Service Management
List, remove, inspect, restart, view logs, rollback, scale, and error overviews—all free in Community.
Business Edition extras: Shell access and port forwarding (coming soon).

Node, Config, Secret, Context, and Network Tools
Comprehensive CRUD operations (create, read, update, delete) for all, plus pruning and labeling.

Check out our Website or our GitHub repo for the full feature breakdown.

Open-Core Model: Free Core, Premium Power later

SwarmCLI follows an open-core approach. The Community Edition handles 95% of daily needs, while the Business Edition will unlock enterprise features like advanced analytics, RBAC, and integrations.