Do Compose connection hostnames like postgres or redis still work in Quadlet?

Yes. When all containers in the stack attach to the generated .network unit, Podman aardvark-dns registers container names and network aliases so services reach postgres:5432 or redis:6379 without code changes.

How do I migrate existing Docker volumes when switching Immich or Nextcloud to Podman?

Stop the Docker stack, copy bind-mounted host directories to your target path, or export named Docker volumes with tar and import them using podman volume import into the matching Quadlet .volume storage.

Can I customize image tags or host ports after loading a built-in template?

Yes. Edit the YAML directly in the left pane and every generated .container, .network, .volume, and .env file updates immediately.

In what order does systemd start multi-container self-hosted templates?

Network and volume units activate first, followed by database and cache units, and finally web or worker units that declare After= and Requires= from Compose depends_on.

Podman 4.4+ systemd unit preset Scope: rootless

Podman Quadlet Examples for Immich, Nextcloud, and Vaultwarden

Start from curated multi-container Compose definitions for Immich, Nextcloud with MariaDB, Vaultwarden with Caddy, or Node with PostgreSQL and Redis. Adjust stack names, SELinux volume flags, and secret extraction in real time to inspect complete Quadlet unit sets.

Compose -> Quadlet Cheat Sheet Technical Notes Preset FAQ Related Generators

1-Click Stack Quick-Load Zero server uploads. Runs locally in browser memory.

Sample Stack Template

Stack Name Prefix

Install Scope

SELinux Mounts

AutoUpdate=registry Generate shared .network Extract secrets to .env

Drop compose.yaml / .txt here or browse .yml .yaml .txt

Detected mode: compose-yaml | Generated units: 8 (4 services) | Target directory: ~/.config/containers/systemd/

4 .container units .network DNS: immich.network (aardvark-dns) 2 .volume units .env secrets: immich.env (chmod 600) Install path: ~/.config/containers/systemd/

Compose YAML or Docker / Podman Run Input Mode: compose-yaml

services:
  immich-server:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-server:release
    ports:
      - "2283:2283"
    volumes:
      - /srv/immich/library:/usr/src/app/upload
      - /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
    environment:
      TZ: UTC
      DB_HOSTNAME: database
      DB_USERNAME: immich
      DB_DATABASE_NAME: immich
      DB_PASSWORD: immich-db-secret-value
      REDIS_HOSTNAME: redis
      JWT_SECRET: immich-jwt-signing-secret
    devices:
      - /dev/dri:/dev/dri
    depends_on:
      - redis
      - database
    restart: always

immich-machine-learning:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-machine-learning:release
    volumes:
      - model-cache:/cache
    environment:
      TZ: UTC
    restart: always

redis:
    image: docker.io/valkey/valkey:8-bookworm
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "valkey-cli ping || exit 1"]
      interval: 15s
      retries: 5
    restart: always

database:
    image: ghcr.io/immich-app/postgres:16-vectorchord0.3.0
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: immich
      POSTGRES_DB: immich
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: immich-db-secret-value
    shm_size: 128mb
    restart: always

volumes:
  model-cache:
  pgdata:

Generated Quadlet systemd Units

# === immich-server.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/immich-server.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=immich immich-server container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=immich-network.service
After=redis.service
Requires=redis.service
After=database.service
Requires=database.service

[Container]
Image=ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-server:release
ContainerName=immich-server
AutoUpdate=registry
Network=immich.network
PublishPort=2283:2283
Volume=/srv/immich/library:/usr/src/app/upload
Volume=/etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
EnvironmentFile=%h/.config/containers/systemd/immich.env
Environment=TZ=UTC
Environment=DB_HOSTNAME=database
Environment=DB_USERNAME=immich
Environment=DB_DATABASE_NAME=immich
Environment=REDIS_HOSTNAME=redis
AddDevice=/dev/dri:/dev/dri

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === immich-machine-learning.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/immich-machine-learning.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=immich immich-machine-learning container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=immich-network.service

[Container]
Image=ghcr.io/immich-app/immich-machine-learning:release
ContainerName=immich-machine-learning
AutoUpdate=registry
Network=immich.network
Volume=model-cache.volume:/cache
Environment=TZ=UTC

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === redis.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/redis.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=immich redis container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=immich-network.service

[Container]
Image=docker.io/valkey/valkey:8-bookworm
ContainerName=redis
AutoUpdate=registry
Network=immich.network
HealthCmd=valkey-cli ping || exit 1
HealthInterval=15s
HealthRetries=5

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === database.container (~/.config/containers/systemd/database.container) ===
[Unit]
Description=immich database container
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
After=immich-network.service

[Container]
Image=ghcr.io/immich-app/postgres:16-vectorchord0.3.0
ContainerName=database
AutoUpdate=registry
Network=immich.network
Volume=pgdata.volume:/var/lib/postgresql/data
EnvironmentFile=%h/.config/containers/systemd/immich.env
Environment=POSTGRES_USER=immich
Environment=POSTGRES_DB=immich
ShmSize=128mb

[Service]
Restart=always
TimeoutStartSec=900

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

# === immich.network (~/.config/containers/systemd/immich.network) ===
[Unit]
Description=immich shared Podman network

[Network]
NetworkName=immich

# === model-cache.volume (~/.config/containers/systemd/model-cache.volume) ===
[Unit]
Description=model-cache Podman volume

[Volume]
VolumeName=model-cache

# === pgdata.volume (~/.config/containers/systemd/pgdata.volume) ===
[Unit]
Description=pgdata Podman volume

[Volume]
VolumeName=pgdata

# === immich.env (~/.config/containers/systemd/immich.env) ===
DB_PASSWORD=immich-db-secret-value
JWT_SECRET=immich-jwt-signing-secret
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=immich-db-secret-value

systemd Deployment & Reload Commands

mkdir -p ~/.config/containers/systemd
chmod 600 ~/.config/containers/systemd/immich.env
systemctl --user daemon-reload && systemctl --user start immich-server.service immich-machine-learning.service redis.service database.service
systemctl --user status immich-server.service immich-machine-learning.service redis.service database.service
loginctl enable-linger $USER

Technical notes for Self-Hosted Templates

01
Multi-container stacks such as Immich combine server, machine-learning, Redis, and vector-enabled PostgreSQL units connected over a single <stack>.network unit.
02
Each service keeps its original Compose service name as NetworkAlias= or ContainerName= so internal connection strings like redis:6379 and database:5432 continue working unchanged.
03
Model caches and database directories use named .volume units while media upload folders stay mapped as host bind mounts.
04
Sensitive keys matching password, secret, token, or key patterns move into <stack>.env and connect via EnvironmentFile= across participating containers.

Syntax Mapping Reference

Compose Key -> Quadlet Directive Cheat Sheet

Quick lookup for how Compose YAML fields and docker or podman run flags translate into Podman systemd unit directives.

Compose Key / CLI Flag	Unit Section	Quadlet Directive	Linux systemd Behavior
services.<app>.image	[Container]	Image=docker.io/library/...	Use a fully qualified registry host when AutoUpdate=registry is enabled.
ports: ["8080:80"] / -p	[Container]	PublishPort=8080:80	Repeats once per published host port; supports bind IP and /udp protocol suffixes.
volumes: ["./data:/data"] / -v	[Container] + .volume	Volume=/srv/data:/data:Z	Named volumes map to <name>.volume units; bind mounts append :z or :Z on SELinux hosts.
environment / env_file / -e	[Container]	Environment= / EnvironmentFile=	Sensitive password, token, and key entries extract into <stack>.env with chmod 600.
depends_on	[Unit]	After=<dep>.service + Requires=	Starts PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and Redis units before dependent web or worker units.
networks (or stack default)	[Container] + .network	Network=<stack>.network	Creates an aardvark-dns bridge so peer containers resolve each other by service name.
restart: unless-stopped	[Service] + [Install]	Restart=always + WantedBy=	systemd restarts crashed containers and launches units on boot or user linger.
healthcheck.test / interval	[Container]	HealthCmd= / HealthInterval=	Translates CMD and CMD-SHELL probes along with retries, timeout, and start_period.
devices / cap_add / user	[Container]	AddDevice= / AddCapability= / User=	Passes /dev/dri GPU render nodes and scoped Linux capabilities without --privileged.
io.containers.autoupdate	[Container]	AutoUpdate=registry	Works with podman-auto-update.timer to pull newer image digests and roll services.

Frequently asked questions

Do Compose connection hostnames like postgres or redis still work in Quadlet?: Yes. When all containers in the stack attach to the generated <stack>.network unit, Podman aardvark-dns registers container names and network aliases so services reach postgres:5432 or redis:6379 without code changes.
How do I migrate existing Docker volumes when switching Immich or Nextcloud to Podman?: Stop the Docker stack, copy bind-mounted host directories to your target path, or export named Docker volumes with tar and import them using podman volume import into the matching Quadlet .volume storage.
Can I customize image tags or host ports after loading a built-in template?: Yes. Edit the YAML directly in the left pane and every generated .container, .network, .volume, and .env file updates immediately.
In what order does systemd start multi-container self-hosted templates?: Network and volume units activate first, followed by database and cache units, and finally web or worker units that declare After= and Requires= from Compose depends_on.

Focused Workflows

Switch to another browser-local QuadletGen preset or read the systemd dry-run verification guide.

Core YAML Converter

Docker Compose to Podman Quadlet Converter

Free browser-local Docker Compose to Quadlet converter. Compile compose.yaml into Podman systemd .container, .network, .volume, and .env ZIP units.

Open Compose to Quadlet ->

AutoUpdate + systemd

Podman Quadlet Generator for Declarative systemd Services

Interactive Podman Quadlet generator for declarative systemd services. Configure AutoUpdate=registry, health checks, rootless paths, and .env files.

Open Quadlet Generator ->

CLI Flag Parser

Docker Run and Podman Run to Quadlet Converter

Paste any docker run or podman run command into this Podman run to Quadlet converter to generate clean .container systemd units with ports and mounts.

Open Docker Run to Quadlet ->

SELinux :z / :Z Mounts

Rootless Podman Quadlet Volume and SELinux Label Generator

Configure rootless Podman Quadlet volume z and Z bind mount labels for Fedora, RHEL, Bluefin, and CoreOS without permission denied container errors.

Open Rootless & SELinux ->

Multi-Unit ZIP Bundle

Podlet Online Multi-Container Quadlet Network and ZIP Packager

Run a Podlet online workflow in your browser without Cargo or Rust. Package Compose stacks into linked .container, .network, .volume, and .env ZIPs.

Open Podlet Online Packager ->

Architecture & Dry-Run Guide

QuadletGen Conversion Rules and systemd Dry-Run Verification

Review how QuadletGen synthesizes .container, .network, .volume, and .env units locally and how to verify syntax with podman/quadlet --dryrun.

Read architecture guide ->

How QuadletGen compares with containers/podlet CLI and Podman Desktop

Choose the right workflow for converting Compose stacks and container commands into Podman systemd units.

Capability	QuadletGen (Web)	containers/podlet CLI	Podman Desktop
Host setup required	Zero installation in any browser	Rust Cargo build, distro package, or container image	Desktop GUI plus local Podman machine and extension
Multi-file stack preview	Live unit tabs, combined view, and one-click .zip bundle	Writes separate files to disk or stdout per CLI run	Inspects running local pods or containers one by one
Shared .network synthesis	Automatic <stack>.network generation on toggle	Converts declared Compose networks via CLI flags	Depends on existing local Podman network state
SELinux :z and :Z volume toggle	Instant switch across none, shared :z, and private :Z	Manual volume string editing in input YAML or flags	Manual edit after generating the unit file
Secret .env extraction	Extracts sensitive keys into <stack>.env with EnvironmentFile=	Preserves inline environment entries unless pre-split	Inline Environment= lines by default
Data privacy	100% client-side JavaScript with zero server uploads	Local binary execution	Local desktop execution