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What’s Up Docker 9.0 Released With SQLite Backend, RBAC, and API Tokens
What’s Up Docker 9.0 introduces a SQLite-based persistence layer, role-based access control, personal API tokens, expanded OIDC support, and several authentication and API changes.
What’s Up Docker • WUD 9.0
SQLite.
RBAC. API Tokens.
A major release for container update monitoring, persistence, authentication and API access.
✓ Key Takeaways
- WUD 9.0 moves persistence from LokiJS to SQLite with Drizzle ORM and automatic schema migrations.
- RBAC adds Administrator, Read/Write and Read-Only roles.
- Personal API tokens support read or write scopes and optional expiration.
- OIDC can create users and synchronize roles from identity-provider group claims.
- Anonymous access has been removed, making authentication mandatory.
What Is What’s Up Docker?
What’s Up Docker (WUD) is a container update monitoring tool designed to watch running container images, check registries for available updates, and provide mechanisms for notifications or updates. The official project is maintained in the getwud/wud GitHub repository.
What’s New in WUD 9.0?
WUD 9.0 was released on September 24, 2026, with changes focused on persistence, authentication, authorization and API access. The project’s GitHub releases page lists 9.0.0 and subsequent 9.0.x releases. WUD releases.
SQLite BackendPersistence moves from LokiJS to SQLite with Drizzle ORM.
Role-Based Access ControlAdministrator, Read/Write and Read-Only roles.
Personal API TokensRead or write scopes with optional expiration.
Expanded OIDCUser creation and role synchronization from group claims.
Pino LoggingBunyan is replaced by the Pino logger.
Live Log ViewerServer-Sent Events display logs in the interface.
OpenAPI ExplorerInteractive API documentation with request examples.
Compose FilteringDocker Compose project names can be displayed and filtered.
SQLite Replaces LokiJS
One of the central WUD 9.0 changes is the move from LokiJS to SQLite. The new persistence layer uses Drizzle ORM, and automatic database schema migrations are included.
Role-Based Access Control Comes to WUD
WUD 9.0 introduces three user roles:
| Role | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Administrative access including user management. |
| Read/Write | User access with read and write capabilities. |
| Read-Only | Access intended for users who only need to view information. |
Users can be managed from the web interface, where administrators can assign roles and reset passwords.
Personal API Tokens
WUD 9.0 adds personal API tokens for programmatic access to its REST API. The release report says tokens can be created with read or write scopes and can optionally have an expiration date.
API tokens are useful for integrations, but they should be stored as secrets and never committed to source-control repositories.
Expanded OpenID Connect Support
OpenID Connect support has been expanded so WUD can automatically create users and synchronize roles based on group claims from the configured identity provider. User profiles also gain password changes, API-token management, and synchronization of light or dark theme preferences between sessions.
Logging and Live Monitoring Improvements
WUD 9.0 replaces the no-longer-maintained Bunyan logger with Pino. A live log viewer uses Server-Sent Events to display logs directly in the interface.
Interactive OpenAPI Documentation
Developers and administrators receive interactive OpenAPI documentation with a built-in request explorer, schema information and code examples. Docker Compose project names are displayed in the interface and can be used to filter containers.
Important Breaking Changes in WUD 9.0
Authentication is now required. Anonymous access has been removed. At least one administrator account must be configured; otherwise, WUD 9.0 will refuse to start.
- Anonymous access has been removed.
- Older static Basic Authentication environment variables are deprecated.
- Bootstrap administrator credentials or OIDC are used for the new authentication model.
- Additional local users can be managed through the web interface.
- REST API error responses have been standardized, so scripts relying on the old response format may need adjustments.
Compatibility and Bug Fixes
The release report also notes fixes involving Docker watchers, registry providers, semantic-version comparisons, SMTP TLS handling, UI settings, and compatibility with Docker 29.8.0 and newer.
What Administrators Should Check Before Upgrading
- Back up existing WUD persistent data and configuration.
- Review the current authentication configuration.
- Identify scripts consuming the WUD REST API.
- Check whether automation expects the old REST API error format.
- Plan the administrator account before removing anonymous access.
- Review OIDC configuration if an external identity provider is used.
- Test the new release in a controlled environment before changing a production monitoring deployment.
Docker Deployment Example
The official WUD repository provides a Docker quick-start example:
docker run -d \
–name wud \
-p 3000:3000 \
-e WUD_AUTH_ADMIN_USER=”admin” \
-e WUD_AUTH_ADMIN_PASSWORD=”CHANGE_ME” \
-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
getwud/wud:latest
For production deployments, replace example credentials with strong secrets and follow the project’s current documentation for authentication, storage and Docker-socket security. View WUD on GitHub.
WUD 9.0 at a Glance
| Area | WUD 9.0 change |
|---|---|
| Persistence | LokiJS → SQLite with Drizzle ORM |
| Authorization | Administrator, Read/Write, Read-Only roles |
| API access | Personal API tokens with read/write scopes and optional expiration |
| Authentication | Expanded OIDC; anonymous access removed |
| Logging | Bunyan replaced by Pino |
| Live logs | Server-Sent Events log viewer |
| API documentation | Interactive OpenAPI documentation |
| Compose | Project names displayed and filterable |
Why This Release Matters for Self-Hosted Docker Environments
WUD 9.0 places more of the application’s administrative and integration functions behind explicit authentication and authorization. The combination of SQLite persistence, role-based access control, API tokens and expanded OIDC support gives administrators more built-in mechanisms for managing users and programmatic access.
For existing deployments, the authentication changes and REST API behavior deserve particular attention before an upgrade.
Final Thoughts
What’s Up Docker 9.0 is a substantial release focused on the application’s data layer, authentication, authorization and API experience. SQLite replaces LokiJS, RBAC introduces three user roles, personal API tokens add scoped programmatic access, and OIDC receives deeper integration.
Because authentication and API behavior have changed, existing users should review the release information and test the upgrade before applying it to a production deployment.
Editorial note: VMoreCloud is an independent technology publication.
