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For a standalone Docker host, deploy the portainer/agent image with Docker Compose, mount the Docker socket and Docker volume directory, and publish TCP port 9001. Then add the host in Portainer Server as an Agent environment using the host’s DNS name or IP address and the same port. If you configure AGENT_SECRET, the Server and Agent values must match exactly.
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What Portainer Agent does
Portainer Agent is a containerized API proxy. It runs next to Docker and gives Portainer Server a way to manage that Docker environment. The Agent is not a replacement for Docker Engine: it needs access to Docker’s Unix socket and, for volume management, the host directory where Docker stores volumes.
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The deployment model determines how Portainer Server reaches the Agent:
- Standalone Docker host: one Compose service runs on one host, and Portainer Server connects to that host’s DNS name or IP address on TCP port
9001. - Docker Swarm: a global service places one Agent task on every node. Agents use an overlay network and service discovery; a host-mode port publication is needed when Portainer Server is outside the overlay.
Requirements before you deploy
- A running Docker Engine on the host where the Agent will run.
- Docker Compose support through the
docker composecommand. - Permission to read the Docker socket and the host Docker volume directory from the Agent container.
- A network path from Portainer Server to the Agent host. For the default configuration, that path must permit TCP
9001. - A DNS name or IP address that Portainer Server can resolve and route to the Agent host.
Decide whether you need host-management features before writing the file. They are disabled by default. Enabling them requires an additional host-root bind mount and gives the Agent access for host filesystem and hardware operations, so do not add that access unless those features are required.
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Standalone deployment with Docker Compose
1. Create a protected working directory
On the Docker host, create a directory for the Compose project and restrict access to it. The directory will contain the Compose file and, optionally, an environment file holding the Agent secret.
mkdir -p ~/portainer-agent
cd ~/portainer-agent
The exact directory is not important. What matters is that the account running Compose can read it and that other users cannot casually read a secret stored there.
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Create an .env file in the project directory if you want shared-secret authentication:
AGENT_SECRET=replace-with-a-long-random-value
Protect the file so only the intended administrator can read it:
chmod 600 .env
Do not commit this file to source control or paste its value into support requests. The value shown here is a placeholder for your own secret; the Server must be configured with the identical value when it requires Agent-secret authentication.
3. Write the Compose file
Save the following as compose.yml (or docker-compose.yml) in the same directory:
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services:
portainer-agent:
image: portainer/agent
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
AGENT_SECRET: ${AGENT_SECRET}
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- /var/lib/docker/volumes:/var/lib/docker/volumes
ports:
- "9001:9001"
The restart: unless-stopped policy brings the Agent back after a Docker restart while still allowing an administrator to stop it intentionally. The two bind mounts are the standard standalone requirements. The port mapping publishes the Agent’s default API port on the host.
4. Understand each port and mount
| Compose item | Purpose | When to change it |
|---|---|---|
9001:9001 |
Publishes host TCP port 9001 to the Agent’s container port 9001 so Portainer Server can connect. | Change the host-side port if another process already uses 9001. If you change the Agent’s listening port with AGENT_PORT, update the container-side mapping and the Portainer connection entry accordingly. |
/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock |
Lets the Agent communicate with Docker Engine on the host. | Keep the container destination unchanged. If Docker’s socket is located elsewhere, use that host path as the source. |
/var/lib/docker/volumes:/var/lib/docker/volumes |
Exposes Docker’s volume directory so the Agent can manage Docker volumes. | If Docker stores volumes in a non-standard host directory, replace only the source path and keep /var/lib/docker/volumes as the container destination. |
AGENT_SECRET |
Optionally authenticates Portainer Server connections carrying the same secret. | Set it when your Server configuration requires a secret. The value must match exactly on both sides. |
Mounting the Docker socket gives the container access to Docker’s control interface. Treat the Agent host and its Compose project as administrative infrastructure, and limit network access to the Agent port to the Portainer Server or other explicitly authorized systems.
5. Validate and start the service
Render the Compose configuration first. This catches YAML errors and confirms that the environment variable is being read:
docker compose config
Then start the Agent in the background:
docker compose up -d
Check that the container is running and inspect its logs if necessary:
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docker compose ps
docker compose logs --tail=100 portainer-agent
A running container confirms that Docker started the process; it does not by itself prove that Portainer Server can reach the published port. Test the network path from the Server host or its network namespace using your normal TCP connectivity tools, and check any host firewall or cloud network policy that could block port 9001.
Connect the Agent to Portainer Server
After the Compose service is running, use Portainer Server’s environment-add flow and choose the Agent environment type. Enter the DNS name or IP address of the Docker host and port 9001, unless you deliberately changed the Agent port.
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- Confirm the address resolves from the Portainer Server host, not merely from your workstation.
- Confirm a route exists between the Server and the Docker host.
- Allow TCP 9001 through the host firewall and any intervening network policy.
- Enter the host address and Agent port in the environment-add form.
- If secret authentication is enabled, configure the Server with exactly the same
AGENT_SECRETvalue used by the Compose project.
If Portainer reports a connection failure, keep the address in the form as the address that the Server can actually resolve and reach. A hostname that works in your browser may not resolve inside the Server’s container or on a separate machine.
Changing the Agent port
The default Agent API port is 9001. The Agent can use another port through AGENT_PORT. Change both the listening port and the published mapping so the values remain consistent:
services:
portainer-agent:
image: portainer/agent
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
AGENT_PORT: 9101
AGENT_SECRET: ${AGENT_SECRET}
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- /var/lib/docker/volumes:/var/lib/docker/volumes
ports:
- "9101:9101"
After recreating the service, enter port 9101 in Portainer Server and open that port in the relevant firewall rules. A common mistake is changing only the host-side port, for example 9101:9001, and then entering 9101 as though the Agent itself were listening there. That mapping leaves the Agent listening on 9001 inside the container; use the actual container port when configuring the Server.
Enabling host-management features
Host-management features are off by default. To enable them, add the capability environment variable and bind the host root to /host:
services:
portainer-agent:
image: portainer/agent
restart: unless-stopped
environment:
AGENT_SECRET: ${AGENT_SECRET}
CAP_HOST_MANAGEMENT: 1
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- /var/lib/docker/volumes:/var/lib/docker/volumes
- /:/host
ports:
- "9001:9001"
The /:/host bind mount exposes the host filesystem to the Agent for the operations those features require. Because this is substantially broader access than the standard deployment, use it only when you have a specific host-management need and protect the Agent endpoint accordingly.
Deploying the Agent on Docker Swarm
Swarm is a different deployment pattern from a single-host Compose project. Deploy the Agent as a global service so every Swarm node receives an Agent task. Connect the service to an overlay network and configure cluster discovery with AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR.
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A representative stack definition is:
services:
portainer_agent:
image: portainer/agent
environment:
AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR: tasks.portainer_agent:9001
AGENT_SECRET: ${AGENT_SECRET}
volumes:
- /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
- /var/lib/docker/volumes:/var/lib/docker/volumes
networks:
- agent_overlay
deploy:
mode: global
ports:
- target: 9001
published: 9001
protocol: tcp
mode: host
networks:
agent_overlay:
driver: overlay
AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR is mandatory for clustered Agent discovery. The documented service-discovery form is tasks.<AGENT_SERVICE_NAME>:<AGENT_PORT>; in the example, the service name is portainer_agent and the port is 9001.
The host-mode publication in the example is appropriate when Portainer Server is outside the Swarm overlay and must reach an Agent through a node address. If Portainer Server and the Agents share the overlay, internal networking may be sufficient and a host-published port may not be necessary. Choose one connectivity model deliberately rather than publishing ports by habit.
Deploy the stack with your normal Swarm stack command, then verify that a task exists on each node and that the overlay network is attached. When connecting the environment in Portainer Server, use an address and port reachable from the Server. An internal Swarm address is appropriate only when the Server can resolve and route to that overlay service.
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| Decision point | Standalone Compose | Swarm |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduler | Docker on one host runs one Agent service. | Swarm schedules a global service. |
| Placement | One container on the selected Docker host. | One Agent task on each Swarm node. |
| Networking | Publish a host port, normally 9001, for the Server. | Use an overlay network; publish 9001 in host mode when the Server is outside the overlay. |
| Discovery | Enter the host DNS name or IP plus the Agent port. | Use the reachable Swarm or node address; clustered discovery uses AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR. |
| Best fit | A single Docker server that Portainer Server can reach directly. | A multi-node Docker cluster requiring an Agent on every node. |
Security and operational practices
Restrict the Agent network path
Port 9001 is the management endpoint used by Portainer Server. Permit it only from the systems that need to administer the Docker environment. If the host is reachable across untrusted networks, place it behind appropriate network controls rather than exposing the port broadly.
Protect the secret
Keep AGENT_SECRET in a protected environment file or another secret-management mechanism. A mismatch is an authentication failure, not a connectivity problem: first establish that the port is reachable, then compare the Server and Agent values character for character.
Limit host access
The standard socket and volume mounts are already privileged integration points. Adding CAP_HOST_MANAGEMENT=1 and /:/host expands access further. Leave those settings out for ordinary container and volume administration.
Preserve the volume path
When Docker uses a custom volume root, change the source side of the bind mount only. The Agent’s destination should remain /var/lib/docker/volumes so it sees the expected path inside the container.
Troubleshooting in the fastest order
Work from the local process outward. This avoids spending time on DNS or firewall changes when the container never started.
- Check the service or task. Run
docker compose psand inspectdocker compose logs --tail=100 portainer-agent. In Swarm, verify that the global service has a running task on the expected node. - Check the mounts. Confirm that
/var/run/docker.sockexists on the host and that the Docker volume directory is the correct source path. A non-standard Docker data location requires changing that source bind path. - Check permissions. The container must be able to use the Docker socket and read the mounted volume directory. Permission errors normally appear in the Agent logs.
- Check port reachability. From the Portainer Server side, test TCP 9001 (or your chosen port). Review host firewall rules, security groups and network policies.
- Check name resolution. Resolve the exact hostname entered in Portainer from the Server host or container. If it resolves to the wrong interface or an unreachable private address, use a reachable DNS name or IP.
- Check the network model. For Swarm, confirm that both sides are using the intended overlay or host-published path. A node-local published port and an overlay-only address are not interchangeable.
- Check secrets last. If networking works but authentication fails, compare the Server and Agent
AGENT_SECRETvalues exactly, including capitalization and whitespace.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Correction |
|---|---|---|
| Container exits immediately | Invalid Compose configuration, missing environment expansion or an Agent startup error. | Run docker compose config, then read the complete service log. |
| Agent runs but Portainer cannot connect | Port 9001 is blocked, the address is not resolvable from Portainer Server, or the wrong port was entered. | Test resolution and TCP reachability from the Server side and verify the published mapping. |
| Docker resources are unavailable | The Docker socket is absent, mounted at the wrong path or inaccessible to the container. | Restore the socket bind mount and correct the host-side path or permissions. |
| Volumes are missing | The host’s Docker volume directory is non-standard or the source bind path is wrong. | Bind the actual host volume directory to /var/lib/docker/volumes inside the container. |
| Authentication fails after networking is fixed | AGENT_SECRET differs between Server and Agent. |
Set one identical value on both sides and recreate the service if the environment changed. |
| Swarm nodes are not discovered | Agent is not global, the overlay network is unavailable, or AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR is missing or malformed. |
Use global mode, attach the overlay, and set the documented tasks.<service>:<port> address. |
Safe changes and removal
When changing mounts, ports or environment variables, edit the Compose file, validate it, and recreate the service:
docker compose config
docker compose up -d
Review the resulting container and logs after each change. If you need to stop the standalone deployment, use:
docker compose down
This removes the Compose-managed Agent container and network. The bind-mounted Docker socket and host volume directory remain on the host because they are host paths, not Compose-created data volumes.
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Deployment checklist
- The image is
portainer/agent. - The Docker socket is mounted at
/var/run/docker.sock. - The host Docker volume directory is mounted at
/var/lib/docker/volumes. - TCP 9001 is published and allowed through the network path, unless you intentionally chose another port.
- The hostname or IP entered in Portainer resolves from Portainer Server.
- Any configured
AGENT_SECRETmatches exactly on Server and Agent. - Host-management access is omitted unless it is specifically needed.
- Swarm deployments use global mode, overlay networking and the required
AGENT_CLUSTER_ADDR.
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