Padduck is a self-hosted, API-first IP address management platform. Replace spreadsheets and aging tools with structured, discoverable, automatable IP management — deployed in two commands.
The Problem
Existing options make you choose between simplicity and power. Padduck closes that gap.
Padduck is built with React and Go — a fast, clean interface backed by a stable REST API that was designed as the primary integration surface, not an afterthought. Deploy via Docker Compose, connect your existing workflows, and own all of your data in PostgreSQL.
Features
Built for the full lifecycle — not just address allocation.
Organise your address space as Sections → Subnets → IP Addresses with real-time utilisation tracking. Get a clear picture of what's allocated, free, and reserved across every network.
Automatically populate your address space using ICMP ping scans. Deploy remote discovery agents to scan distributed network segments without opening firewall holes back to the core.
Model complex multi-tenant and multi-site environments with full Virtual Routing and Forwarding support. Track VLANs alongside your IP allocations in a single unified view.
Manage DNS zones and records alongside your IP allocations. Keep your address plan and DNS in sync without switching between multiple tools or maintaining separate systems.
The API is the primary integration surface — stable, OpenAPI-documented, and versioned. Subscribe to webhook events with replay capability for reliable integration with Terraform, Ansible, and CI pipelines.
Every change across your IP space is recorded and immutable. Know who changed what, when, and from where. Invaluable for compliance, incident response, and understanding how your network evolved.
Ship with TOTP two-factor authentication out of the box. Connect to your existing identity provider via LDAP, OAuth2, or SAML2. Padduck fits into your auth stack rather than forcing a new one.
Control exactly who can view and modify which sections of your address space. Delegate subnet management to teams without giving blanket admin access — scoped permissions that scale with your organisation.
Quick Start
Padduck ships as a Docker Compose stack. Pull the images, start the services, and you're in the UI. The admin password is auto-generated on first boot and printed to the container log.
# Download the official compose file
curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/lima3w/padduck/main/compose.yaml# Pull latest images and start
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d# UI is available at port 3000
# Admin password is in the container log
open http://localhost:3000
docker compose logs padduck | grep -i passwordSee the configuration guide for production settings: TLS, external PostgreSQL, MFA encryption keys, and port customisation.
Comparison
A factual look at default capabilities. Both competitors support additional features via plugins or custom configuration.
| Feature | Padduck | phpIPAM | NetBox |
|---|---|---|---|
| Modern UI | ✓React SPA | ✗PHP / dated | ◒Django — decent |
| API-first design | ✓OpenAPI-documented | ◒API available | ✓REST + GraphQL |
| Docker deploy | ✓2 commands | ✓Supported | ◒More complex |
| Network discovery | ✓Built-in + agents | ✓Ping scanner | ✗Plugin required |
| DNS integration | ✓Built-in | ✓Built-in | ✗Plugin required |
| Webhooks | ✓With replay | ✗Not built-in | ✓Supported |
| Immutable audit log | ✓Full history | ◒Basic logging | ✓Supported |
| SSO (OAuth2 / SAML2) | ✓LDAP + OAuth2 + SAML2 | ◒LDAP + limited OAuth | ✓Full SSO support |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
Comparison reflects default/official capabilities as of May 2026. All three tools are open source and actively maintained.
Actively maintained
Padduck is under active development. The changelog grows every release, the API is versioned and stable, and the issue tracker is public. You can see exactly where the project is headed.
FAQ
Padduck is in public beta. The core IPAM features — subnet management, IP allocation, discovery, and the REST API — are stable and used in real deployments. The API is versioned and will not introduce breaking changes within a major version. We recommend reading the changelog before upgrading.
IP Address Management. IPAM tools help you track, allocate, and document IP addresses, subnets, VLANs, and related network resources. Padduck focuses on making this structured and automatable without the complexity of a full network source-of-truth platform.
No. Padduck is designed to be self-hosted with Docker Compose. You need Docker, a machine to run it on, and about two minutes. There is no Kubernetes, no service mesh, no cloud dependency.
Yes. The Go backend is lightweight. A small VPS or homelab machine with 1–2 GB of RAM and a modest CPU is sufficient for most deployments. The main resource consumer is PostgreSQL, which you can tune to your environment.
Padduck supports local accounts with TOTP two-factor authentication, LDAP directory integration, OAuth2 (e.g. GitHub, Google, Authentik), and SAML2 for enterprise SSO. You can mix local and external auth.
Yes. The REST API is OpenAPI-documented and versioned. API v1 is frozen — no breaking changes within the v1 series. The API is the primary integration surface; automation is a first-class use case, not an afterthought.
Yes. Padduck is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 (GPL-3.0). The full source code is available on GitHub. You are free to use, modify, and self-host it.
Absolutely. The repository is open on GitHub. Check the issue tracker for open bugs and feature requests, or open a discussion to propose something new. Pull requests are welcome.
Deploy Padduck in two commands. No cloud account, no vendor lock-in, no enterprise pricing. Your infrastructure, your data.