[AI Router] Understanding Docker, Image, Container, and Portainer with the AdGuard Home Example

[AI Router] Understanding Docker, Image, Container, and Portainer with the AdGuard Home Example

You’ve successfully installed AdGuard Home. Now, let’s use this example to quickly understand how Docker and Portainer work on your AI Board. This isn’t just about [how to do it], but also [why it works this way].

1. What Happens When You Click Install for AdGuard Home?

    When you click the [Install] button for AdGuard Home on your AI Board, the system automatically:

1. Checks if the AdGuard Home image already exists locally. If not, it downloads it from Docker Hub.
2. Uses the image to create a new container, allocates resources, and gives it a name (like adguardhome).
3. Creates a volume and mounts it to the container’s specified path, ensuring your settings and data persist even after a restart.
4. Sets up networking and port mapping so you can access AdGuard Home at http://<AI Board IP>:3000.
5. Starts the container and monitors its status.

    All of this happens automatically after you click [Install].

2. Viewing AdGuard Home in Portainer

    Portainer is a web-based Docker management tool that lets you easily manage containers, images, and volumes in your browser.

    Log in to Portainer： You can access Portainer from the AI Board UI, or directly via URL (usually https://<your AI board host name>:9443）。

    After logging in, click the dashboard to enter the management interface.

    Containers page:

• Click [Containers] in the left menu to see all running containers. AdGuard Home is usually named adguardhome.
• Click the container name to view its status, logs, and resource usage. You can also start, stop, or restart it here.

    Images page:

• Click [Images]” to see all downloaded images, including AdGuard Home.

    Volumes page:

• Click [Volumes] to see all persistent storage. Find the volume related to AdGuard Home—this is where your settings and data are stored.

3. What Are Docker, Image, Container, and Portainer?

• Docker: A platform that lets you run applications in isolated environments (containers), making software deployment and management simple and consistent. With Docker on AI Board, you can install various apps (like AdGuard Home, HomeAssistant) on your router, each running independently.
• Docker Hub: Docker Hub is an online image repository where you can search for and download ready-made images. You can install them with a few commands or via Portainer.
• Image: The blueprint for an application, containing all the code and libraries needed to run it. Images are static and unchangeable; only when you start them do they become containers. You can create multiple containers from the same image.
• Container: The running instance of an image (a mini server). Each container has its own environment, settings, and resources. Deleting a container doesn’t affect the image, and you can always recreate it. For persistent data, containers use volumes.
• Volume: Stores data that needs to persist (like configs or databases) even if the container is deleted or recreated.
• Portainer: A graphical management tool for Docker, letting you view, control, and troubleshoot containers, images, and volumes via a web interface.

4. How Do They Relate?

• Download or create an image (blueprint)
• Use Docker to start a container (mini server)
• The container uses a volume to store important data
• Portainer helps you manage everything visually

5. A Real-Life Analogy

    Imagine you run a bakery

• The image is your cake recipe, listing all steps and ingredients.
• The container is a cake you bake from the recipe; you can bake many cakes.
• The volume is like a notebook, storing each cake’s special tweaks and customer preferences, so you don’t lose them even if you bake a new cake.
• Docker is your kitchen, ensuring every cake is baked in its own workstation, following the standard process.
• Portainer is your bakery dashboard, showing you which cakes are baking, which recipes you have, and where your notes are stored.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

    1. What should I do if I see a message asking to restart Portainer after logging in?

       Sometimes, if you install Portainer but don’t access the management interface immediately, you might see a message prompting you to restart Portainer.

       You can go to the Docker management page in the AI Board UI and toggle the ON/OFF switch to restart Portainer.

7. Practice

    The more you use Portainer, the faster you’ll master Docker’s flexibility. Here are some suggested exercises:

• Go to the Containers page, select adguardhome, click Remove to delete the container, then use Docker Compose YAML to create a new one. Don’t worry—recreating a container is quick. Try it a few times to get familiar with the process.

• Go to the Stack page, create a new Stack, paste in the AdGuard Home Docker Compose YAML, and deploy a new container.

• Enter adguardhome in the Name field.

• Paste the following YAML and click Deploy the stack.

• Once done, you’ll see the new AdGuard Home container created.

How to get the (Utility / Firmware)?

You can download the latest drivers, software, firmware and user manuals in the ASUS Download Center.

If you need more information about the ASUS Download Center, please refer this link.