- Navigate to Docker → Compose
- Click Add Stack
- Enter a stack name and optional description
- Edit the
compose.yamlfile - Click Compose Up
The editor provides four tabs for managing your stack:
| Tab | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Compose File | Edit your compose.yaml with syntax highlighting |
| Settings | Configure autostart, profiles, and environment files |
| Env | Edit environment variables for your stack |
| Web UI | Add Unraid-specific labels for web UI integration |
Each stack supports the following actions:
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Compose Up | Start all services in the stack |
| Compose Down | Stop and remove all containers |
| Update Stack | Pull latest images and recreate containers |
| Edit Stack | Open the stack editor |
| Remove Stack | Delete the stack configuration |
Enable autostart to have stacks start automatically when the Unraid array starts.
- Click the autostart toggle on a stack
- Optionally configure default profiles for autostart
- Stacks will start in order when the array starts
Enable "Autostart Force Recreate" in settings to always recreate containers during autostart.
When Unraid-specific labels are modified via the Web UI, Compose Manager can optionally recreate affected containers so updated label metadata is applied without manual recreation steps.
Use the stack "Recheck" action in the UI to re-evaluate a stack's state on the server. Results are persisted server-side to help with diagnostics and automated checks.
Compose Manager provides a Backup & Restore interface under Settings → Compose → Backup / Restore:
- Create Backup - Create a compressed archive of selected stacks and configuration
- List / Browse Backups - Inspect available backup archives and their contents
- Restore - Restore selected stacks from an archive (select which stacks to restore)
- Schedule - Configure periodic backups with frequency and retention
You can optionally hide compose-managed containers from the native Docker manager and Dashboard. Use the setting to toggle patching of the Docker page and enable server-side filters so only the desired containers/stacks are shown.
Enable the option to display Compose stacks above native Docker containers on the Dashboard for clearer stack-focused views.
Specify custom .env file paths per stack in the Settings tab. This is useful when:
- Your env file is in a different location
- You want to share env files between stacks
- You have environment-specific configurations
Reference compose files stored outside the default projects folder. Useful for:
- Keeping compose files with your application data
- Managing compose files in version control
- Sharing configurations across servers
Add Unraid-specific labels to integrate containers with the native Docker UI:
services:
myapp:
image: myapp:latest
labels:
net.unraid.docker.webui: "http://[IP]:[PORT:8080]/"
net.unraid.docker.icon: "https://example.com/icon.png"The Web UI tab in the editor provides a visual interface for adding these labels.
Enable "Patch Web UI" in settings to show compose containers in the native Docker manager with stack grouping.



