From 3aef787b5d3d24b3ca179612ff3cf9a56761af3a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: GeorgeWebberley <george@brain-plus.com>
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2026 21:07:14 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Added README

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+# Watchtower Deployment
+
+This repository contains the configuration for **Watchtower**, a service that automates the process of updating Docker containers. It monitors running containers and watches for changes to the images that those containers were originally started from.
+
+## 🏗️ Architecture Overview
+
+* **Service**: Watchtower
+* **Socket Integration**: Mounts `/var/run/docker.sock` to monitor and restart containers.
+* **Cleanup**: Configured to remove old images after updating (`WATCHTOWER_CLEANUP=true`).
+* **Update Interval**: Polls for updates once every 24 hours (`86400` seconds).
+* **Metrics API**: Enables an HTTP API for integration with dashboards like **Homepage**.
+
+## 📂 Repository Structure
+
+* `docker-compose.yaml`: Service definition including environment mappings and volume mounts.
+* `.woodpecker.yaml`: Automation for deployment to the host server.
+* `.env.example`: Template for the required API token.
+* `.gitignore`: Configured to ignore the active `.env` file.
+
+## 📊 Dashboard Integration (Homepage)
+
+This instance is configured to expose metrics for the [Homepage](https://gethomepage.dev) dashboard.
+
+1. **API Token**: Defined via `WATCHTOWER_HTTP_API_TOKEN`.
+2. **Access**: Exposed on port `8080` (Internal/Host only).
+3. **Usage**: Use the token defined in your `.env` to allow Homepage to display update status and container statistics.
+
+## 🚀 Getting Started
+
+### 1. Environment Configuration
+
+Create your local environment file:
+```bash
+cp .env.example .env
+```
+Edit .env and set your HOMEPAGE_VAR_WATCHTOWER_KEY to a secure random string.
+
+### 2. Manual Deployment
+
+```Bash
+docker compose up -d
+```
+
+## 🔄 CI/CD Workflow
+
+The Woodpecker CI pipeline triggers on every push to main. It:
+- Syncs the repository configuration to the server.
+- Recreates the Watchtower container with the latest image.
+
+## ⚠️ Notes
+- Network: Unlike other services in this stack, Watchtower does not use the web_traffic network as it does not require a public interface via Caddy.
+- API Security: Ensure port 8080 is not exposed to the public internet; it is intended for local metrics polling.
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