github.com/jesseduffield/lazydocker

Lazydocker is fundamentally a terminal user interface application, not a library you'd import into production code. It's a standalone binary that provides an interactive dashboard for managing Docker containers, images, volumes, and networks. From an operations perspective, it excels as a debugging and monitoring tool during development and troubleshooting sessions.

The TUI offers real-time log streaming with excellent filtering capabilities, quick container stats visualization, and efficient keyboard-driven navigation. Resource usage is minimal - it's a single Go binary with no dependencies. The interface responds quickly even when managing dozens of containers, and it handles Docker API timeouts gracefully by displaying connection errors without crashing.

While not suitable for production automation or CI/CD pipelines, it's invaluable for daily operations work. The lack of remote Docker host support and limited customization options are notable constraints. Configuration is basic - primarily keybindings and color schemes.

Lazydocker is fundamentally a terminal UI application, not a library you import into production code. It's a standalone binary for interactive Docker management during development and debugging. If you're looking for a Go package to programmatically interact with Docker in production services, this isn't it—use the official Docker SDK instead.

That said, for operational workflows, lazydocker excels. The interface provides real-time container logs, resource metrics, and quick actions (restart, stop, prune) without memorizing docker CLI flags. It handles connection to Docker daemon efficiently, displays logs with minimal latency, and the keyboard-driven interface is responsive even with dozens of containers running. Memory footprint stays reasonable (~30-50MB) during typical usage.

The main gotcha: it's an end-user tool, not infrastructure code. There's no retry logic to programmatically handle, no connection pooling to configure, and no observability hooks to integrate—because you're meant to run it interactively, not embed it. Configuration is minimal (mostly UI preferences), which is fine for its use case. Updates occasionally change keybindings, but as a dev tool rather than a dependency, this is manageable.

Lazydocker is a terminal UI application for managing Docker containers, images, and volumes. In day-to-day use, it's incredibly efficient for monitoring logs, inspecting container stats, and executing common Docker operations without memorizing complex CLI commands. The interface is intuitive and keyboard-driven, making it fast once you learn the shortcuts.

From a security perspective, the tool operates with your Docker socket permissions, meaning it inherits whatever access your user has. It doesn't implement additional authentication layers—it's a local development tool, not something you'd expose remotely. Error handling is generally clean, though Docker API errors can occasionally be cryptic when passed through. The application doesn't store credentials or sensitive data persistently, which is good for attack surface.

The codebase follows reasonable Go practices but isn't designed as a library—it's an end-user application. Input validation relies heavily on the underlying Docker SDK. For development and debugging workflows, it's a massive productivity boost, but you should still verify destructive operations as the UI can make it easy to quickly remove containers or images.