Since the release of 24.10, TrueNAS has given users the ability to deploy arbitrary Docker Compose stacks as a "custom app via YAML." However, as of version 25.04, this feature is not particularly user-friendly, even leaving aside its unintuitive location in the GUI. Two noted problems are that it strips any comments out of the YAML entered, and that it doesn't support the use of .env files.
Enter Dockge, a "fancy, easy-to-use and reactive self-hosted docker compose.yaml stack-oriented manager." Dockge gives you a clean and straightforward GUI to enter, edit, and deploy Compose stacks, storing those stacks in plain text on your pool, where you can easily back them up wherever you like. It's available as an app in TrueNAS.
If you haven't already, you'll need to choose a pool. In the TrueNAS UI, go to Apps, click on Configuration, and select Choose Pool. Select a pool where your apps will live and run.
On this pool, you'll need to create a docker dataset, and within that, data, dockge, and stacks. In the TrueNAS UI, go to Datasets, select your pool, and click Add Dataset. Give it a name of docker, and leave the preset at Generic. Click Save. Under that dataset, repeat the same process to create data, dockge, and stacks.
In the TrueNAS UI, go to Apps, then click Discover Apps. Search for Dockge, click on it, then click Install.
Under Network Configuration, set the port number to 5001.
Under Storage Configuration, set the type for Dockge Stacks Storage to Host Path, and choose the stacks dataset you created above. For Dockge Data Storage, again set the type to Host Path, and choose the dockge dataset you created above.
Scroll to the bottom and click Install.
Once installation finishes, click the Web UI button, or browse to http://TRUENAS_IP:5001, where TRUENAS_IP represents the IP address of your NAS. You'll be prompted to create a username and password for this instance.
Now let's create a stack, and for demonstration purposes we'll use Jellyfin. First, create a dataset for its metadata, configuration, and such, under docker/data.
Then, in Dockge, click + Compose. This will take you to the main page to enter and edit your stacks. The top-right text field is for the Compose YAML, and is prepopulated with a basic Nginx stack; the text field below it is for the .env file if used. Empty the top field, and paste this in its place:
services:
jellyfin:
image: jellyfin/jellyfin
container_name: jellyfin
user: 568:568
volumes:
- /mnt/software/docker/data/jellyfin/data:/config
- /mnt/software/docker/data/jellyfin/cache:/cache
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
- JELLYFIN_PublishedServerUrl=http://TRUENAS_IP:8096
ports:
- 8096:8096
Note that the volumes above are storing data in the docker/data/jellyfin dataset created above. You'd also want to add paths for any media. Once you've finished, click Deploy.
This guide closely follows the method described in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Vdj1culo0.