> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.rumus.ai/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Containers

> Manage Docker (and compatible engines like Podman) directly from Rumus — locally, inside WSL, or on remote SSH hosts.

Rumus has a built-in **Containers** panel that sits next to your terminals and shows you containers, images, networks, and volumes at a glance. Start, stop, restart, remove, view live logs, inspect — without typing a single command.

## What you can do

From the **Containers** sidebar tab in any terminal (or a workspace **Container** card):

* **Containers** — list, start, stop, restart, kill, pause / resume, rename, remove, attach an interactive shell, view live logs, inspect details.
* **Images** — list and remove.
* **Networks** — list and remove.
* **Volumes** — list and remove.
* **Compose project grouping** — containers from the same Compose project are grouped together with start-all / stop-all / restart-all / remove-all shortcuts.
* **Live updates** — the lists refresh themselves when containers start, stop, or die.

## Supported systems

Rumus runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The Containers panel is available everywhere the app runs.

| Platform                          | Local | Inside WSL | Remote (SSH) |
| --------------------------------- | :---: | :--------: | :----------: |
| **Windows 10/11**                 |   ✅   |      ✅     |       ✅      |
| **macOS** (Intel & Apple Silicon) |   ✅   |      —     |       ✅      |
| **Linux** (x86\_64 & aarch64)     |   ✅   |      —     |       ✅      |

## Supported container engines

Rumus doesn't ship a container runtime — it connects to one you already have. If your engine speaks the Docker API, it works:

| Engine                                 | Notes                                                             |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Docker Engine** / **Docker Desktop** | Reference target.                                                 |
| **Podman**                             | Enable Docker compatibility (Podman Desktop has a toggle for it). |
| **Colima** (macOS / Linux)             | Works out of the box.                                             |
| **Rancher Desktop**                    | Pick the *dockerd (moby)* container engine in preferences.        |
| **OrbStack** (macOS)                   | Works out of the box.                                             |
| **nerdctl / containerd**               | Not supported.                                                    |

## Three ways to connect

You don't pick a connection mode — Rumus picks it based on the terminal you're in:

* **Local terminal** (PowerShell, cmd, bash, zsh, …) → the engine on the same machine as Rumus.
* **WSL terminal** → the engine inside that WSL distribution.
* **SSH terminal** to a [saved host](/docs/remote/hosts) → the engine on that remote machine, over the same SSH session you're already using. No extra port to open, no extra credentials to enter.

Open three terminals — one local, one WSL, one SSH — and each one's Containers panel manages its own engine independently.

## Setup

If the engine works in your terminal, it works in Rumus. The rule of thumb: open a normal shell, type `docker ps`, and if it lists containers without errors, the Containers panel will too.

A few platform-specific notes:

* **Linux** — your user needs to be in the `docker` group, otherwise the socket isn't readable.
* **WSL** — install your container engine inside the distro you want to manage. Docker Desktop's *WSL Integration* setting (Settings → Resources → WSL Integration) does this for you automatically.
* **Remote (SSH)** — the SSH user on the remote needs the same group permission. Sanity-check with `ssh you@server docker ps`.

## Workspace container cards

The Containers panel is also available as a **workspace card** so you can keep an eye on a specific engine alongside terminals and monitors.

In a workspace, **+ → Container** lets you pick:

* **Local** — the host's engine, or an engine inside a chosen WSL distribution.
* **Remote** — a saved SSH host.

## What Rumus doesn't do

Some things are deliberately left to the engine's own CLI:

* **Run new containers** — start them from the CLI or a Compose file; Rumus picks them up automatically.
* **Build images.**
* **Push / pull images.**
* **Edit network or volume settings** — list and remove only.

If you want any of these inside Rumus, ask in the [community](https://www.rumus.ai/community).

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The panel says it can't reach the engine">
    Open a regular terminal and run `docker ps`. If that errors, the Containers panel will too — fix the engine first. The most common causes are the engine simply not running, or your user not being in the `docker` group on Linux.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="WSL says it can't bridge to the socket">
    Open the WSL distro directly and confirm `docker ps` works there. If the daemon isn't running inside the distro, start it; if Docker Desktop is your engine, enable **WSL Integration** for that distro.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Remote panel disconnects when I close my last terminal">
    The saved host probably doesn't have **Reuse session** turned on. Either enable it (Settings → Vaults → Hosts → Advanced), or keep one terminal or workspace card open while you want the engine alive.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  Container question we didn't cover? Ask in the [Rumus community](https://www.rumus.ai/community).
</Note>

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="SSH host management" icon="server" href="/docs/remote/hosts">
    Add a saved host so the Containers panel can reach a remote engine.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Workspaces" icon="grid" href="/docs/terminal/canvas">
    Park a Containers card alongside terminals and monitors in a workspace.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>