Merge pull request #46 from lordmathis/feat/env-vars

feat: Add support for passing env vars to instances

README.md

@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 ### 🔗 Universal Compatibility
 - **OpenAI API Compatible**: Drop-in replacement - route requests by instance name
 - **Multi-Backend Support**: Native support for llama.cpp, MLX (Apple Silicon optimized), and vLLM
+- **Docker Support**: Run backends in containers
 
 ### 🌐 User-Friendly Interface
 - **Web Dashboard**: Modern React UI for visual management (unlike CLI-only tools)
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@
 ### ⚡ Smart Operations
 - **Instance Monitoring**: Health checks, auto-restart, log management
 - **Smart Resource Management**: Idle timeout, LRU eviction, and configurable instance limits
+- **Environment Variables**: Set custom environment variables per instance for advanced configuration  
 
 ![Dashboard Screenshot](docs/images/dashboard.png)
 
@@ -32,6 +34,7 @@
 # For llama.cpp: https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp#quick-start
 # For MLX on macOS: pip install mlx-lm
 # For vLLM: pip install vllm
+# Or use Docker - no local installation required
 
 # 2. Download and run llamactl
 LATEST_VERSION=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/lordmathis/llamactl/releases/latest | grep '"tag_name":' | sed -E 's/.*"([^"]+)".*/\1/')
@@ -50,7 +53,8 @@ llamactl
 2. Click "Create Instance"
 3. Choose backend type (llama.cpp, MLX, or vLLM)
 4. Set model path and backend-specific options
-5. Start or stop the instance
+5. Configure environment variables if needed (optional)
+6. Start or stop the instance
 
 ### Or use the REST API:
 ```bash
@@ -64,10 +68,10 @@ curl -X POST localhost:8080/api/v1/instances/my-mlx-model \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer your-key" \
   -d '{"backend_type": "mlx_lm", "backend_options": {"model": "mlx-community/Mistral-7B-Instruct-v0.3-4bit"}}'
 
-# Create vLLM instance
+# Create vLLM instance with environment variables
 curl -X POST localhost:8080/api/v1/instances/my-vllm-model \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer your-key" \
-  -d '{"backend_type": "vllm", "backend_options": {"model": "microsoft/DialoGPT-medium", "tensor_parallel_size": 2}}'
+  -d '{"backend_type": "vllm", "backend_options": {"model": "microsoft/DialoGPT-medium", "tensor_parallel_size": 2}, "environment": {"CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES": "0,1", "NCCL_DEBUG": "INFO"}}'
 
 # Use with OpenAI SDK
 curl -X POST localhost:8080/v1/chat/completions \
@@ -112,6 +116,7 @@ You need `llama-server` from [llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp)
 brew install llama.cpp
 
 # Or build from source - see llama.cpp docs
+# Or use Docker - no local installation required
 ```
 
 **For MLX backend (macOS only):**
@@ -139,9 +144,27 @@ python -m venv vllm-env
 source vllm-env/bin/activate
 pip install vllm
 
-# For production deployments, consider container-based installation
+# Or use Docker - no local installation required
 ```
 
+## Docker Support
+
+llamactl supports running backends in Docker containers - perfect for production deployments without local backend installation. Simply enable Docker in your configuration:
+
+```yaml
+backends:
+  llama-cpp:
+    docker:
+      enabled: true
+  vllm:
+    docker:
+      enabled: true
+```
+
+**Requirements:** Docker installed and running. For GPU support: nvidia-docker2 (Linux) or Docker Desktop with GPU support.
+
+For detailed Docker configuration options, see the [Configuration Guide](docs/getting-started/configuration.md).
+
 ## Configuration
 
 llamactl works out of the box with sensible defaults.
@@ -154,9 +177,30 @@ server:
   enable_swagger: false          # Enable Swagger UI for API docs
 
 backends:
-  llama_executable: llama-server # Path to llama-server executable
+  llama-cpp:
-  mlx_lm_executable: mlx_lm.server # Path to mlx_lm.server executable
+    command: "llama-server"
-  vllm_executable: vllm # Path to vllm executable
+    args: []
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false
+      image: "ghcr.io/ggml-org/llama.cpp:server"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all"]
+      environment: {}             # Environment variables for the container
+
+  vllm:
+    command: "vllm"
+    args: ["serve"]
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false
+      image: "vllm/vllm-openai:latest"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all", "--shm-size", "1g"]
+      environment: {}             # Environment variables for the container
+
+  mlx:
+    command: "mlx_lm.server"
+    args: []
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
 
 instances:
   port_range: [8000, 9000]       # Port range for instances

docs/getting-started/configuration.md

@@ -20,9 +20,30 @@ server:
   enable_swagger: false          # Enable Swagger UI for API docs
 
 backends:
-  llama_executable: llama-server # Path to llama-server executable
+  llama-cpp:
-  mlx_lm_executable: mlx_lm.server # Path to mlx_lm.server executable
+    command: "llama-server"
-  vllm_executable: vllm # Path to vllm executable
+    args: []
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false
+      image: "ghcr.io/ggml-org/llama.cpp:server"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all"]
+      environment: {}
+
+  vllm:
+    command: "vllm"
+    args: ["serve"]
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false
+      image: "vllm/vllm-openai:latest"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all", "--shm-size", "1g"]
+      environment: {}
+
+  mlx:
+    command: "mlx_lm.server"
+    args: []
+    environment: {}               # Environment variables for the backend process
 
 instances:
   port_range: [8000, 9000]       # Port range for instances
@@ -90,18 +111,69 @@ server:
 - `LLAMACTL_ENABLE_SWAGGER` - Enable Swagger UI (true/false)
 
 ### Backend Configuration
-
 ```yaml
 backends:
-  llama_executable: "llama-server"     # Path to llama-server executable (default: "llama-server")
+  llama-cpp:
-  mlx_lm_executable: "mlx_lm.server"   # Path to mlx_lm.server executable (default: "mlx_lm.server")
+    command: "llama-server"
-  vllm_executable: "vllm"              # Path to vllm executable (default: "vllm")
+    args: []
+    environment: {}                    # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false                   # Enable Docker runtime (default: false)
+      image: "ghcr.io/ggml-org/llama.cpp:server"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all"]
+      environment: {}
+
+  vllm:
+    command: "vllm"
+    args: ["serve"]
+    environment: {}                    # Environment variables for the backend process
+    docker:
+      enabled: false
+      image: "vllm/vllm-openai:latest"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all", "--shm-size", "1g"]
+      environment: {}
+
+  mlx:
+    command: "mlx_lm.server"
+    args: []
+    environment: {}                    # Environment variables for the backend process
+    # MLX does not support Docker
 ```
 
+**Backend Configuration Fields:**
+- `command`: Executable name/path for the backend
+- `args`: Default arguments prepended to all instances
+- `environment`: Environment variables for the backend process (optional)
+- `docker`: Docker-specific configuration (optional)
+  - `enabled`: Boolean flag to enable Docker runtime
+  - `image`: Docker image to use
+  - `args`: Additional arguments passed to `docker run`
+  - `environment`: Environment variables for the container (optional)
+
 **Environment Variables:**
-- `LLAMACTL_LLAMA_EXECUTABLE` - Path to llama-server executable
+
-- `LLAMACTL_MLX_LM_EXECUTABLE` - Path to mlx_lm.server executable
+**LlamaCpp Backend:**
-- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_EXECUTABLE` - Path to vllm executable
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_COMMAND` - LlamaCpp executable command
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_ARGS` - Space-separated default arguments
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_ENV` - Environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENABLED` - Enable Docker runtime (true/false)
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_IMAGE` - Docker image to use
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ARGS` - Space-separated Docker arguments
+- `LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENV` - Docker environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
+
+**VLLM Backend:**
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_COMMAND` - VLLM executable command
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_ARGS` - Space-separated default arguments
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_ENV` - Environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENABLED` - Enable Docker runtime (true/false)
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_IMAGE` - Docker image to use
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ARGS` - Space-separated Docker arguments
+- `LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENV` - Docker environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
+
+**MLX Backend:**
+- `LLAMACTL_MLX_COMMAND` - MLX executable command
+- `LLAMACTL_MLX_ARGS` - Space-separated default arguments
+- `LLAMACTL_MLX_ENV` - Environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
 
 ### Instance Configuration
 

docs/getting-started/quick-start.md

@@ -88,6 +88,21 @@ Here are basic example configurations for each backend:
 }
 ```
 
+## Docker Support
+
+Llamactl can run backends in Docker containers. To enable Docker for a backend, add a `docker` section to that backend in your YAML configuration file (e.g. `config.yaml`) as shown below:
+
+```yaml
+backends:
+  vllm:
+    command: "vllm"
+    args: ["serve"]
+    docker:
+      enabled: true
+      image: "vllm/vllm-openai:latest"
+      args: ["run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all", "--shm-size", "1g"]
+```
+
 ## Using the API
 
 You can also manage instances via the REST API:

docs/user-guide/api-reference.md

@@ -116,7 +116,18 @@ Create and start a new instance.
 POST /api/v1/instances/{name}
 ```
 
-**Request Body:** JSON object with instance configuration. See [Managing Instances](managing-instances.md) for available configuration options.
+**Request Body:** JSON object with instance configuration. Common fields include:
+
+- `backend_type`: Backend type (`llama_cpp`, `mlx_lm`, or `vllm`)
+- `backend_options`: Backend-specific configuration
+- `auto_restart`: Enable automatic restart on failure
+- `max_restarts`: Maximum restart attempts
+- `restart_delay`: Delay between restarts in seconds
+- `on_demand_start`: Start instance when receiving requests
+- `idle_timeout`: Idle timeout in minutes
+- `environment`: Environment variables as key-value pairs
+
+See [Managing Instances](managing-instances.md) for complete configuration options.
 
 **Response:**
 ```json
@@ -354,7 +365,15 @@ curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/v1/instances/my-model \
   -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
   -H "Authorization: Bearer your-api-key" \
   -d '{
-    "model": "/models/llama-2-7b.gguf"
+    "backend_type": "llama_cpp",
+    "backend_options": {
+      "model": "/models/llama-2-7b.gguf",
+      "gpu_layers": 32
+    },
+    "environment": {
+      "CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES": "0",
+      "OMP_NUM_THREADS": "8"
+    }
   }'
 
 # Check instance status

docs/user-guide/managing-instances.md

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ Each instance is displayed as a card showing:
     - **Restart Delay**: Delay in seconds between restart attempts
     - **On Demand Start**: Start instance when receiving a request to the OpenAI compatible endpoint
     - **Idle Timeout**: Minutes before stopping idle instance (set to 0 to disable)
+    - **Environment Variables**: Set custom environment variables for the instance process
 6. Configure backend-specific options:
     - **llama.cpp**: Threads, context size, GPU layers, port, etc.
     - **MLX**: Temperature, top-p, adapter path, Python environment, etc.
@@ -101,7 +102,12 @@ curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/instances/my-vllm-instance \
       "gpu_memory_utilization": 0.9
     },
     "auto_restart": true,
-    "on_demand_start": true
+    "on_demand_start": true,
+    "environment": {
+      "CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES": "0,1",
+      "NCCL_DEBUG": "INFO",
+      "PYTHONPATH": "/custom/path"
+    }
   }'
 
 # Create llama.cpp instance with HuggingFace model

pkg/backends/builder.go

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package backends
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"llamactl/pkg/config"
 	"reflect"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
@@ -68,3 +70,24 @@ func BuildCommandArgs(options any, multipleFlags map[string]bool) []string {
 
 	return args
 }
+
+// BuildDockerCommand builds a Docker command with the specified configuration and arguments
+func BuildDockerCommand(backendConfig *config.BackendSettings, instanceArgs []string) (string, []string, error) {
+	// Start with configured Docker arguments (should include "run", "--rm", etc.)
+	dockerArgs := make([]string, len(backendConfig.Docker.Args))
+	copy(dockerArgs, backendConfig.Docker.Args)
+
+	// Add environment variables
+	for key, value := range backendConfig.Docker.Environment {
+		dockerArgs = append(dockerArgs, "-e", fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", key, value))
+	}
+
+	// Add image name
+	dockerArgs = append(dockerArgs, backendConfig.Docker.Image)
+
+	// Add backend args and instance args
+	dockerArgs = append(dockerArgs, backendConfig.Args...)
+	dockerArgs = append(dockerArgs, instanceArgs...)
+
+	return "docker", dockerArgs, nil
+}

pkg/backends/llamacpp/llama.go

@@ -7,6 +7,28 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 )
 
+// multiValuedFlags defines flags that should be repeated for each value rather than comma-separated
+// Used for both parsing (with underscores) and building (with dashes)
+var multiValuedFlags = map[string]bool{
+	// Parsing keys (with underscores)
+	"override_tensor":       true,
+	"override_kv":           true,
+	"lora":                  true,
+	"lora_scaled":           true,
+	"control_vector":        true,
+	"control_vector_scaled": true,
+	"dry_sequence_breaker":  true,
+	"logit_bias":            true,
+	// Building keys (with dashes)
+	"override-tensor":       true,
+	"override-kv":           true,
+	"lora-scaled":           true,
+	"control-vector":        true,
+	"control-vector-scaled": true,
+	"dry-sequence-breaker":  true,
+	"logit-bias":            true,
+}
+
 type LlamaServerOptions struct {
 	// Common params
 	VerbosePrompt           bool     `json:"verbose_prompt,omitempty"`
@@ -316,17 +338,13 @@ func (o *LlamaServerOptions) UnmarshalJSON(data []byte) error {
 // BuildCommandArgs converts InstanceOptions to command line arguments
 func (o *LlamaServerOptions) BuildCommandArgs() []string {
 	// Llama uses multiple flags for arrays by default (not comma-separated)
-	multipleFlags := map[string]bool{
+	// Use package-level multiValuedFlags variable
-		"override-tensor":       true,
+	return backends.BuildCommandArgs(o, multiValuedFlags)
-		"override-kv":           true,
+}
-		"lora":                  true,
+
-		"lora-scaled":           true,
+func (o *LlamaServerOptions) BuildDockerArgs() []string {
-		"control-vector":        true,
+	// For llama, Docker args are the same as normal args
-		"control-vector-scaled": true,
+	return o.BuildCommandArgs()
-		"dry-sequence-breaker":  true,
-		"logit-bias":            true,
-	}
-	return backends.BuildCommandArgs(o, multipleFlags)
 }
 
 // ParseLlamaCommand parses a llama-server command string into LlamaServerOptions
@@ -338,16 +356,7 @@ func (o *LlamaServerOptions) BuildCommandArgs() []string {
 func ParseLlamaCommand(command string) (*LlamaServerOptions, error) {
 	executableNames := []string{"llama-server"}
 	var subcommandNames []string // Llama has no subcommands
-	multiValuedFlags := map[string]bool{
+	// Use package-level multiValuedFlags variable
-		"override_tensor":       true,
-		"override_kv":           true,
-		"lora":                  true,
-		"lora_scaled":           true,
-		"control_vector":        true,
-		"control_vector_scaled": true,
-		"dry_sequence_breaker":  true,
-		"logit_bias":            true,
-	}
 
 	var llamaOptions LlamaServerOptions
 	if err := backends.ParseCommand(command, executableNames, subcommandNames, multiValuedFlags, &llamaOptions); err != nil {

pkg/backends/vllm/vllm.go

@@ -4,6 +4,15 @@ import (
 	"llamactl/pkg/backends"
 )
 
+// multiValuedFlags defines flags that should be repeated for each value rather than comma-separated
+var multiValuedFlags = map[string]bool{
+	"api-key":         true,
+	"allowed-origins": true,
+	"allowed-methods": true,
+	"allowed-headers": true,
+	"middleware":      true,
+}
+
 type VllmServerOptions struct {
 	// Basic connection options (auto-assigned by llamactl)
 	Host string `json:"host,omitempty"`
@@ -131,30 +140,32 @@ type VllmServerOptions struct {
 }
 
 // BuildCommandArgs converts VllmServerOptions to command line arguments
-// Note: This does NOT include the "serve" subcommand, that's handled at the instance level
+// For vLLM native, model is a positional argument after "serve"
-// For vLLM, the model parameter is passed as a positional argument, not a --model flag
 func (o *VllmServerOptions) BuildCommandArgs() []string {
 	var args []string
 
-	// Add model as positional argument if specified
+	// Add model as positional argument if specified (for native execution)
 	if o.Model != "" {
 		args = append(args, o.Model)
 	}
 
-	// Create a copy of the options without the Model field to avoid including it as --model flag
+	// Create a copy without Model field to avoid --model flag
 	optionsCopy := *o
-	optionsCopy.Model = "" // Clear model field so it won't be included as a flag
+	optionsCopy.Model = ""
 
-	multipleFlags := map[string]bool{
+	// Use package-level multipleFlags variable
-		"api-key":         true,
-		"allowed-origins": true,
-		"allowed-methods": true,
-		"allowed-headers": true,
-		"middleware":      true,
-	}
 
-	// Build the rest of the arguments as flags
+	flagArgs := backends.BuildCommandArgs(&optionsCopy, multiValuedFlags)
-	flagArgs := backends.BuildCommandArgs(&optionsCopy, multipleFlags)
+	args = append(args, flagArgs...)
+
+	return args
+}
+
+func (o *VllmServerOptions) BuildDockerArgs() []string {
+	var args []string
+
+	// Use package-level multipleFlags variable
+	flagArgs := backends.BuildCommandArgs(o, multiValuedFlags)
 	args = append(args, flagArgs...)
 
 	return args

pkg/config/config.go

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package config
 
 import (
+	"log"
 	"os"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"runtime"
@@ -10,16 +11,27 @@ import (
 	"gopkg.in/yaml.v3"
 )
 
+// BackendSettings contains structured backend configuration
+type BackendSettings struct {
+	Command     string            `yaml:"command"`
+	Args        []string          `yaml:"args"`
+	Environment map[string]string `yaml:"environment,omitempty"`
+	Docker      *DockerSettings   `yaml:"docker,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// DockerSettings contains Docker-specific configuration
+type DockerSettings struct {
+	Enabled     bool              `yaml:"enabled"`
+	Image       string            `yaml:"image"`
+	Args        []string          `yaml:"args"`
+	Environment map[string]string `yaml:"environment,omitempty"`
+}
+
 // BackendConfig contains backend executable configurations
 type BackendConfig struct {
-	// Path to llama-server executable (llama.cpp backend)
+	LlamaCpp BackendSettings `yaml:"llama-cpp"`
-	LlamaExecutable string `yaml:"llama_executable"`
+	VLLM     BackendSettings `yaml:"vllm"`
-
+	MLX      BackendSettings `yaml:"mlx"`
-	// Path to mlx_lm executable (MLX-LM backend)
-	MLXLMExecutable string `yaml:"mlx_lm_executable"`
-
-	// Path to vllm executable (vLLM backend)
-	VllmExecutable string `yaml:"vllm_executable"`
 }
 
 // AppConfig represents the configuration for llamactl
@@ -123,15 +135,45 @@ func LoadConfig(configPath string) (AppConfig, error) {
 			EnableSwagger:  false,
 		},
 		Backends: BackendConfig{
-			LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+			LlamaCpp: BackendSettings{
-			MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+				Command:     "llama-server",
-			VllmExecutable:  "vllm",
+				Args:        []string{},
+				Environment: map[string]string{},
+				Docker: &DockerSettings{
+					Enabled: false,
+					Image:   "ghcr.io/ggml-org/llama.cpp:server",
+					Args: []string{
+						"run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all",
+						"-v", filepath.Join(getDefaultDataDirectory(), "llama.cpp") + ":/root/.cache/llama.cpp"},
+					Environment: map[string]string{},
+				},
+			},
+			VLLM: BackendSettings{
+				Command: "vllm",
+				Args:    []string{"serve"},
+				Docker: &DockerSettings{
+					Enabled: false,
+					Image:   "vllm/vllm-openai:latest",
+					Args: []string{
+						"run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all", "--shm-size", "1g",
+						"-v", filepath.Join(getDefaultDataDirectory(), "huggingface") + ":/root/.cache/huggingface",
+					},
+					Environment: map[string]string{},
+				},
+			},
+			MLX: BackendSettings{
+				Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+				Args:    []string{},
+				// No Docker section for MLX - not supported
+			},
 		},
 		Instances: InstancesConfig{
 			PortRange: [2]int{8000, 9000},
 			DataDir:   getDefaultDataDirectory(),
-			InstancesDir:         filepath.Join(getDefaultDataDirectory(), "instances"),
+			// NOTE: empty strings are set as placeholder values since InstancesDir and LogsDir
-			LogsDir:              filepath.Join(getDefaultDataDirectory(), "logs"),
+			// should be relative path to DataDir if not explicitly set.
+			InstancesDir:         "",
+			LogsDir:              "",
 			AutoCreateDirs:       true,
 			MaxInstances:         -1, // -1 means unlimited
 			MaxRunningInstances:  -1, // -1 means unlimited
@@ -159,6 +201,14 @@ func LoadConfig(configPath string) (AppConfig, error) {
 	// 3. Override with environment variables
 	loadEnvVars(&cfg)
 
+	// If InstancesDir or LogsDir is not set, set it to relative path of DataDir
+	if cfg.Instances.InstancesDir == "" {
+		cfg.Instances.InstancesDir = filepath.Join(cfg.Instances.DataDir, "instances")
+	}
+	if cfg.Instances.LogsDir == "" {
+		cfg.Instances.LogsDir = filepath.Join(cfg.Instances.DataDir, "logs")
+	}
+
 	return cfg, nil
 }
 
@@ -179,6 +229,7 @@ func loadConfigFile(cfg *AppConfig, configPath string) error {
 			if err := yaml.Unmarshal(data, cfg); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+			log.Printf("Read config at %s", path)
 			return nil
 		}
 	}
@@ -244,15 +295,107 @@ func loadEnvVars(cfg *AppConfig) {
 		}
 	}
 	// Backend config
-	if llamaExec := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMA_EXECUTABLE"); llamaExec != "" {
+	// LlamaCpp backend
-		cfg.Backends.LlamaExecutable = llamaExec
+	if llamaCmd := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_COMMAND"); llamaCmd != "" {
+		cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Command = llamaCmd
 	}
-	if mlxLMExec := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_MLX_LM_EXECUTABLE"); mlxLMExec != "" {
+	if llamaArgs := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_ARGS"); llamaArgs != "" {
-		cfg.Backends.MLXLMExecutable = mlxLMExec
+		cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Args = strings.Split(llamaArgs, " ")
 	}
-	if vllmExec := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_EXECUTABLE"); vllmExec != "" {
+	if llamaEnv := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_ENV"); llamaEnv != "" {
-		cfg.Backends.VllmExecutable = vllmExec
+		if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Environment == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Environment = make(map[string]string)
 		}
+		parseEnvVars(llamaEnv, cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Environment)
+	}
+	if llamaDockerEnabled := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENABLED"); llamaDockerEnabled != "" {
+		if b, err := strconv.ParseBool(llamaDockerEnabled); err == nil {
+			if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker == nil {
+				cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+			}
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Enabled = b
+		}
+	}
+	if llamaDockerImage := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_IMAGE"); llamaDockerImage != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Image = llamaDockerImage
+	}
+	if llamaDockerArgs := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ARGS"); llamaDockerArgs != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Args = strings.Split(llamaDockerArgs, " ")
+	}
+	if llamaDockerEnv := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENV"); llamaDockerEnv != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+		parseEnvVars(llamaDockerEnv, cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment)
+	}
+
+	// vLLM backend
+	if vllmCmd := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_COMMAND"); vllmCmd != "" {
+		cfg.Backends.VLLM.Command = vllmCmd
+	}
+	if vllmArgs := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_ARGS"); vllmArgs != "" {
+		cfg.Backends.VLLM.Args = strings.Split(vllmArgs, " ")
+	}
+	if vllmEnv := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_ENV"); vllmEnv != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Environment == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Environment = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+		parseEnvVars(vllmEnv, cfg.Backends.VLLM.Environment)
+	}
+	if vllmDockerEnabled := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENABLED"); vllmDockerEnabled != "" {
+		if b, err := strconv.ParseBool(vllmDockerEnabled); err == nil {
+			if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker == nil {
+				cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+			}
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Enabled = b
+		}
+	}
+	if vllmDockerImage := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_IMAGE"); vllmDockerImage != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Image = vllmDockerImage
+	}
+	if vllmDockerArgs := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ARGS"); vllmDockerArgs != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Args = strings.Split(vllmDockerArgs, " ")
+	}
+	if vllmDockerEnv := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENV"); vllmDockerEnv != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker = &DockerSettings{}
+		}
+		if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Environment == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Environment = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+		parseEnvVars(vllmDockerEnv, cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Environment)
+	}
+
+	// MLX backend
+	if mlxCmd := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_MLX_COMMAND"); mlxCmd != "" {
+		cfg.Backends.MLX.Command = mlxCmd
+	}
+	if mlxArgs := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_MLX_ARGS"); mlxArgs != "" {
+		cfg.Backends.MLX.Args = strings.Split(mlxArgs, " ")
+	}
+	if mlxEnv := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_MLX_ENV"); mlxEnv != "" {
+		if cfg.Backends.MLX.Environment == nil {
+			cfg.Backends.MLX.Environment = make(map[string]string)
+		}
+		parseEnvVars(mlxEnv, cfg.Backends.MLX.Environment)
+	}
+
+	// Instance defaults
 	if autoRestart := os.Getenv("LLAMACTL_DEFAULT_AUTO_RESTART"); autoRestart != "" {
 		if b, err := strconv.ParseBool(autoRestart); err == nil {
 			cfg.Instances.DefaultAutoRestart = b
@@ -325,6 +468,19 @@ func ParsePortRange(s string) [2]int {
 	return [2]int{0, 0} // Invalid format
 }
 
+// parseEnvVars parses environment variables in format "KEY1=value1,KEY2=value2"
+// and populates the provided environment map
+func parseEnvVars(envString string, envMap map[string]string) {
+	if envString == "" {
+		return
+	}
+	for _, envPair := range strings.Split(envString, ",") {
+		if parts := strings.SplitN(strings.TrimSpace(envPair), "=", 2); len(parts) == 2 {
+			envMap[parts[0]] = parts[1]
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // getDefaultDataDirectory returns platform-specific default data directory
 func getDefaultDataDirectory() string {
 	switch runtime.GOOS {
@@ -357,6 +513,10 @@ func getDefaultDataDirectory() string {
 // getDefaultConfigLocations returns platform-specific config file locations
 func getDefaultConfigLocations() []string {
 	var locations []string
+	// Use ./llamactl.yaml and ./config.yaml as the default config file
+	locations = append(locations, "llamactl.yaml")
+	locations = append(locations, "config.yaml")
+
 	homeDir, _ := os.UserHomeDir()
 
 	switch runtime.GOOS {
@@ -386,3 +546,17 @@ func getDefaultConfigLocations() []string {
 
 	return locations
 }
+
+// GetBackendSettings resolves backend settings
+func (bc *BackendConfig) GetBackendSettings(backendType string) BackendSettings {
+	switch backendType {
+	case "llama-cpp":
+		return bc.LlamaCpp
+	case "vllm":
+		return bc.VLLM
+	case "mlx":
+		return bc.MLX
+	default:
+		return BackendSettings{}
+	}
+}

pkg/config/config_test.go

@@ -117,7 +117,6 @@ func TestLoadConfig_EnvironmentOverrides(t *testing.T) {
 		"LLAMACTL_INSTANCE_PORT_RANGE":   "5000-6000",
 		"LLAMACTL_LOGS_DIR":              "/env/logs",
 		"LLAMACTL_MAX_INSTANCES":         "20",
-		"LLAMACTL_LLAMA_EXECUTABLE":      "/env/llama-server",
 		"LLAMACTL_DEFAULT_AUTO_RESTART":  "false",
 		"LLAMACTL_DEFAULT_MAX_RESTARTS":  "7",
 		"LLAMACTL_DEFAULT_RESTART_DELAY": "15",
@@ -150,8 +149,8 @@ func TestLoadConfig_EnvironmentOverrides(t *testing.T) {
 	if cfg.Instances.MaxInstances != 20 {
 		t.Errorf("Expected max instances 20, got %d", cfg.Instances.MaxInstances)
 	}
-	if cfg.Backends.LlamaExecutable != "/env/llama-server" {
+	if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Command != "llama-server" {
-		t.Errorf("Expected executable '/env/llama-server', got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaExecutable)
+		t.Errorf("Expected default llama command 'llama-server', got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Command)
 	}
 	if cfg.Instances.DefaultAutoRestart {
 		t.Error("Expected auto restart to be false")
@@ -349,3 +348,165 @@ server:
 		t.Errorf("Expected default max instances -1, got %d", cfg.Instances.MaxInstances)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestGetBackendSettings_NewStructuredConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	bc := &config.BackendConfig{
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "custom-llama",
+			Args:    []string{"--verbose"},
+			Docker: &config.DockerSettings{
+				Enabled:     true,
+				Image:       "custom-llama:latest",
+				Args:        []string{"--gpus", "all"},
+				Environment: map[string]string{"CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES": "1"},
+			},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "custom-vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve", "--debug"},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "custom-mlx",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Test llama-cpp with Docker
+	settings := bc.GetBackendSettings("llama-cpp")
+	if settings.Command != "custom-llama" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected command 'custom-llama', got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+	if len(settings.Args) != 1 || settings.Args[0] != "--verbose" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected args ['--verbose'], got %v", settings.Args)
+	}
+	if settings.Docker == nil || !settings.Docker.Enabled {
+		t.Error("Expected Docker to be enabled")
+	}
+	if settings.Docker.Image != "custom-llama:latest" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected Docker image 'custom-llama:latest', got %q", settings.Docker.Image)
+	}
+
+	// Test vLLM without Docker
+	settings = bc.GetBackendSettings("vllm")
+	if settings.Command != "custom-vllm" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected command 'custom-vllm', got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+	if len(settings.Args) != 2 || settings.Args[0] != "serve" || settings.Args[1] != "--debug" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected args ['serve', '--debug'], got %v", settings.Args)
+	}
+	if settings.Docker != nil && settings.Docker.Enabled {
+		t.Error("Expected Docker to be disabled or nil")
+	}
+
+	// Test MLX
+	settings = bc.GetBackendSettings("mlx")
+	if settings.Command != "custom-mlx" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected command 'custom-mlx', got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetBackendSettings_EmptyConfig(t *testing.T) {
+	bc := &config.BackendConfig{}
+
+	// Test empty llama-cpp
+	settings := bc.GetBackendSettings("llama-cpp")
+	if settings.Command != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty command, got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+
+	// Test empty vLLM
+	settings = bc.GetBackendSettings("vllm")
+	if settings.Command != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty command, got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+
+	// Test empty MLX
+	settings = bc.GetBackendSettings("mlx")
+	if settings.Command != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty command, got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLoadConfig_BackendEnvironmentVariables(t *testing.T) {
+	// Test that backend environment variables work correctly
+	envVars := map[string]string{
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_COMMAND":        "env-llama",
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_ARGS":           "--verbose --threads 4",
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENABLED": "true",
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_IMAGE":   "env-llama:latest",
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ARGS":    "run --rm --network host --gpus all",
+		"LLAMACTL_LLAMACPP_DOCKER_ENV":     "CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0,OMP_NUM_THREADS=4",
+		"LLAMACTL_VLLM_COMMAND":            "env-vllm",
+		"LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENABLED":     "false",
+		"LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_IMAGE":       "env-vllm:latest",
+		"LLAMACTL_VLLM_DOCKER_ENV":         "PYTORCH_CUDA_ALLOC_CONF=max_split_size_mb:512,CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=1",
+		"LLAMACTL_MLX_COMMAND":             "env-mlx",
+	}
+
+	// Set env vars and ensure cleanup
+	for key, value := range envVars {
+		os.Setenv(key, value)
+		defer os.Unsetenv(key)
+	}
+
+	cfg, err := config.LoadConfig("nonexistent-file.yaml")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadConfig failed: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Verify llama-cpp environment overrides
+	if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Command != "env-llama" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected llama command 'env-llama', got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Command)
+	}
+	expectedArgs := []string{"--verbose", "--threads", "4"}
+	if len(cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Args) != len(expectedArgs) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected llama args %v, got %v", expectedArgs, cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Args)
+	}
+	if !cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Enabled {
+		t.Error("Expected llama Docker to be enabled")
+	}
+	if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Image != "env-llama:latest" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected llama Docker image 'env-llama:latest', got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Image)
+	}
+	expectedDockerArgs := []string{"run", "--rm", "--network", "host", "--gpus", "all"}
+	if len(cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Args) != len(expectedDockerArgs) {
+		t.Errorf("Expected llama Docker args %v, got %v", expectedDockerArgs, cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Args)
+	}
+	if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment["CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES"] != "0" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0, got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment["CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES"])
+	}
+	if cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment["OMP_NUM_THREADS"] != "4" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected OMP_NUM_THREADS=4, got %q", cfg.Backends.LlamaCpp.Docker.Environment["OMP_NUM_THREADS"])
+	}
+
+	// Verify vLLM environment overrides
+	if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Command != "env-vllm" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected vLLM command 'env-vllm', got %q", cfg.Backends.VLLM.Command)
+	}
+	if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Enabled {
+		t.Error("Expected vLLM Docker to be disabled")
+	}
+	if cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Environment["PYTORCH_CUDA_ALLOC_CONF"] != "max_split_size_mb:512" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected PYTORCH_CUDA_ALLOC_CONF=max_split_size_mb:512, got %q", cfg.Backends.VLLM.Docker.Environment["PYTORCH_CUDA_ALLOC_CONF"])
+	}
+
+	// Verify MLX environment overrides
+	if cfg.Backends.MLX.Command != "env-mlx" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected MLX command 'env-mlx', got %q", cfg.Backends.MLX.Command)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestGetBackendSettings_InvalidBackendType(t *testing.T) {
+	bc := &config.BackendConfig{
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+	}
+
+	// Test invalid backend type returns empty settings
+	settings := bc.GetBackendSettings("invalid-backend")
+	if settings.Command != "" {
+		t.Errorf("Expected empty command for invalid backend, got %q", settings.Command)
+	}
+}

pkg/instance/instance.go

@@ -221,14 +221,33 @@ func (i *Process) MarshalJSON() ([]byte, error) {
 	i.mu.RLock()
 	defer i.mu.RUnlock()
 
+	// Determine if docker is enabled for this instance's backend
+	var dockerEnabled bool
+	if i.options != nil {
+		switch i.options.BackendType {
+		case backends.BackendTypeLlamaCpp:
+			if i.globalBackendSettings != nil && i.globalBackendSettings.LlamaCpp.Docker != nil && i.globalBackendSettings.LlamaCpp.Docker.Enabled {
+				dockerEnabled = true
+			}
+		case backends.BackendTypeVllm:
+			if i.globalBackendSettings != nil && i.globalBackendSettings.VLLM.Docker != nil && i.globalBackendSettings.VLLM.Docker.Enabled {
+				dockerEnabled = true
+			}
+		case backends.BackendTypeMlxLm:
+			// MLX does not support docker currently
+		}
+	}
+
 	// Use anonymous struct to avoid recursion
 	type Alias Process
 	return json.Marshal(&struct {
 		*Alias
 		Options       *CreateInstanceOptions `json:"options,omitempty"`
+		DockerEnabled bool                   `json:"docker_enabled,omitempty"`
 	}{
 		Alias:         (*Alias)(i),
 		Options:       i.options,
+		DockerEnabled: dockerEnabled,
 	})
 }
 

pkg/instance/instance_test.go

@@ -12,8 +12,18 @@ import (
 
 func TestNewInstance(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -66,8 +76,18 @@ func TestNewInstance(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestNewInstance_WithRestartOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -112,8 +132,18 @@ func TestNewInstance_WithRestartOptions(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestSetOptions(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -163,8 +193,18 @@ func TestSetOptions(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestGetProxy(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -205,8 +245,18 @@ func TestGetProxy(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestMarshalJSON(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -364,8 +414,18 @@ func TestCreateInstanceOptionsValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Args:    []string{},
+		},
+		VLLM: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "vllm",
+			Args:    []string{"serve"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{

pkg/instance/lifecycle.go

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import (
 	"time"
 
 	"llamactl/pkg/backends"
+	"llamactl/pkg/config"
 )
 
 // Start starts the llama server instance and returns an error if it fails.
@@ -41,24 +42,14 @@ func (i *Process) Start() error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create log files: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	args := i.options.BuildCommandArgs()
+	// Build command using backend-specific methods
-	i.ctx, i.cancel = context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	cmd, cmdErr := i.buildCommand()
-
+	if cmdErr != nil {
-	var executable string
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to build command: %w", cmdErr)
-
-	// Get executable from global configuration
-	switch i.options.BackendType {
-	case backends.BackendTypeLlamaCpp:
-		executable = i.globalBackendSettings.LlamaExecutable
-	case backends.BackendTypeMlxLm:
-		executable = i.globalBackendSettings.MLXLMExecutable
-	case backends.BackendTypeVllm:
-		executable = i.globalBackendSettings.VllmExecutable
-	default:
-		return fmt.Errorf("unsupported backend type: %s", i.options.BackendType)
 	}
 
-	i.cmd = exec.CommandContext(i.ctx, executable, args...)
+	i.ctx, i.cancel = context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	i.cmd = cmd
 
 	if runtime.GOOS != "windows" {
 		setProcAttrs(i.cmd)
@@ -372,3 +363,49 @@ func (i *Process) validateRestartConditions() (shouldRestart bool, maxRestarts i
 
 	return true, maxRestarts, restartDelay
 }
+
+// buildCommand builds the command to execute using backend-specific logic
+func (i *Process) buildCommand() (*exec.Cmd, error) {
+	// Get backend configuration
+	backendConfig, err := i.getBackendConfig()
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	// Build the environment variables
+	env := i.options.BuildEnvironment(backendConfig)
+
+	// Get the command to execute
+	command := i.options.GetCommand(backendConfig)
+
+	// Build command arguments
+	args := i.options.BuildCommandArgs(backendConfig)
+
+	// Create the exec.Cmd
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(i.ctx, command, args...)
+	cmd.Env = []string{}
+	for k, v := range env {
+		cmd.Env = append(cmd.Env, fmt.Sprintf("%s=%s", k, v))
+	}
+
+	return cmd, nil
+}
+
+// getBackendConfig resolves the backend configuration for the current instance
+func (i *Process) getBackendConfig() (*config.BackendSettings, error) {
+	var backendTypeStr string
+
+	switch i.options.BackendType {
+	case backends.BackendTypeLlamaCpp:
+		backendTypeStr = "llama-cpp"
+	case backends.BackendTypeMlxLm:
+		backendTypeStr = "mlx"
+	case backends.BackendTypeVllm:
+		backendTypeStr = "vllm"
+	default:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unsupported backend type: %s", i.options.BackendType)
+	}
+
+	settings := i.globalBackendSettings.GetBackendSettings(backendTypeStr)
+	return &settings, nil
+}

pkg/instance/options.go

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import (
 	"llamactl/pkg/backends/vllm"
 	"llamactl/pkg/config"
 	"log"
+	"maps"
 )
 
 type CreateInstanceOptions struct {
@@ -20,6 +21,8 @@ type CreateInstanceOptions struct {
 	OnDemandStart *bool `json:"on_demand_start,omitempty"`
 	// Idle timeout
 	IdleTimeout *int `json:"idle_timeout,omitempty"` // minutes
+	//Environment variables
+	Environment map[string]string `json:"environment,omitempty"`
 
 	BackendType    backends.BackendType `json:"backend_type"`
 	BackendOptions map[string]any       `json:"backend_options,omitempty"`
@@ -188,24 +191,75 @@ func (c *CreateInstanceOptions) ValidateAndApplyDefaults(name string, globalSett
 	}
 }
 
+func (c *CreateInstanceOptions) GetCommand(backendConfig *config.BackendSettings) string {
+
+	if backendConfig.Docker != nil && backendConfig.Docker.Enabled && c.BackendType != backends.BackendTypeMlxLm {
+		return "docker"
+	}
+
+	return backendConfig.Command
+}
+
 // BuildCommandArgs builds command line arguments for the backend
-func (c *CreateInstanceOptions) BuildCommandArgs() []string {
+func (c *CreateInstanceOptions) BuildCommandArgs(backendConfig *config.BackendSettings) []string {
+
+	var args []string
+
+	if backendConfig.Docker != nil && backendConfig.Docker.Enabled && c.BackendType != backends.BackendTypeMlxLm {
+		// For Docker, start with Docker args
+		args = append(args, backendConfig.Docker.Args...)
+		args = append(args, backendConfig.Docker.Image)
+
 		switch c.BackendType {
 		case backends.BackendTypeLlamaCpp:
 			if c.LlamaServerOptions != nil {
-			return c.LlamaServerOptions.BuildCommandArgs()
+				args = append(args, c.LlamaServerOptions.BuildDockerArgs()...)
-		}
+			}
-	case backends.BackendTypeMlxLm:
+		case backends.BackendTypeVllm:
-		if c.MlxServerOptions != nil {
+			if c.VllmServerOptions != nil {
-			return c.MlxServerOptions.BuildCommandArgs()
+				args = append(args, c.VllmServerOptions.BuildDockerArgs()...)
+			}
+		}
+
+	} else {
+		// For native execution, start with backend args
+		args = append(args, backendConfig.Args...)
+
+		switch c.BackendType {
+		case backends.BackendTypeLlamaCpp:
+			if c.LlamaServerOptions != nil {
+				args = append(args, c.LlamaServerOptions.BuildCommandArgs()...)
+			}
+		case backends.BackendTypeMlxLm:
+			if c.MlxServerOptions != nil {
+				args = append(args, c.MlxServerOptions.BuildCommandArgs()...)
 			}
 		case backends.BackendTypeVllm:
 			if c.VllmServerOptions != nil {
-			// Prepend "serve" as first argument
-			args := []string{"serve"}
 				args = append(args, c.VllmServerOptions.BuildCommandArgs()...)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	return args
-		}
+}
-	}
+
-	return []string{}
+func (c *CreateInstanceOptions) BuildEnvironment(backendConfig *config.BackendSettings) map[string]string {
+	env := map[string]string{}
+
+	if backendConfig.Environment != nil {
+		maps.Copy(env, backendConfig.Environment)
+	}
+
+	if backendConfig.Docker != nil && backendConfig.Docker.Enabled && c.BackendType != backends.BackendTypeMlxLm {
+		if backendConfig.Docker.Environment != nil {
+			maps.Copy(env, backendConfig.Docker.Environment)
+		}
+	}
+
+	if c.Environment != nil {
+		maps.Copy(env, c.Environment)
+	}
+
+	return env
 }

pkg/instance/timeout_test.go

@@ -34,8 +34,12 @@ func (m *MockTimeProvider) SetTime(t time.Time) {
 
 func TestUpdateLastRequestTime(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -60,8 +64,12 @@ func TestUpdateLastRequestTime(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestShouldTimeout_NotRunning(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -90,8 +98,12 @@ func TestShouldTimeout_NotRunning(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestShouldTimeout_NoTimeoutConfigured(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -133,8 +145,12 @@ func TestShouldTimeout_NoTimeoutConfigured(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestShouldTimeout_WithinTimeLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -167,8 +183,12 @@ func TestShouldTimeout_WithinTimeLimit(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestShouldTimeout_ExceedsTimeLimit(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -207,8 +227,12 @@ func TestShouldTimeout_ExceedsTimeLimit(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestTimeoutConfiguration_Validation(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := &config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	globalSettings := &config.InstancesConfig{

pkg/manager/manager_test.go

@@ -16,8 +16,12 @@ import (
 
 func TestNewInstanceManager(t *testing.T) {
 	backendConfig := config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	cfg := config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -49,8 +53,12 @@ func TestPersistence(t *testing.T) {
 	tempDir := t.TempDir()
 
 	backendConfig := config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	cfg := config.InstancesConfig{
@@ -182,8 +190,12 @@ func TestShutdown(t *testing.T) {
 // Helper function to create a test manager with standard config
 func createTestManager() manager.InstanceManager {
 	backendConfig := config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 
 	cfg := config.InstancesConfig{

pkg/manager/operations_test.go

@@ -63,8 +63,12 @@ func TestCreateInstance_ValidationAndLimits(t *testing.T) {
 
 	// Test max instances limit
 	backendConfig := config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+			Command: "llama-server",
+		},
+		MLX: config.BackendSettings{
+			Command: "mlx_lm.server",
+		},
 	}
 	cfg := config.InstancesConfig{
 		PortRange:            [2]int{8000, 9000},

pkg/manager/timeout.go

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ func (im *instanceManager) EvictLRUInstance() error {
 	im.mu.RLock()
 	var lruInstance *instance.Process
 
-	for name, _ := range im.runningInstances {
+	for name := range im.runningInstances {
 		inst := im.instances[name]
 		if inst == nil {
 			continue

pkg/manager/timeout_test.go

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@ import (
 func TestTimeoutFunctionality(t *testing.T) {
 	// Test timeout checker initialization
 	backendConfig := config.BackendConfig{
-		LlamaExecutable: "llama-server",
+		LlamaCpp: config.BackendSettings{Command: "llama-server"},
-		MLXLMExecutable: "mlx_lm.server",
+		MLX:      config.BackendSettings{Command: "mlx_lm.server"},
 	}
 	cfg := config.InstancesConfig{
 		PortRange:            [2]int{8000, 9000},

webui/src/components/BackendBadge.tsx

@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 import React from "react";
 import { Badge } from "@/components/ui/badge";
 import { BackendType, type BackendTypeValue } from "@/types/instance";
-import { Server } from "lucide-react";
+import { Server, Package } from "lucide-react";
 
 interface BackendBadgeProps {
   backend?: BackendTypeValue;
+  docker?: boolean;
 }
 
-const BackendBadge: React.FC<BackendBadgeProps> = ({ backend }) => {
+const BackendBadge: React.FC<BackendBadgeProps> = ({ backend, docker }) => {
   if (!backend) {
     return null;
   }
@@ -39,6 +40,7 @@ const BackendBadge: React.FC<BackendBadgeProps> = ({ backend }) => {
   };
 
   return (
+    <div className="flex items-center gap-1">
       <Badge
         variant="outline"
         className={`flex items-center gap-1.5 ${getColorClasses()}`}
@@ -46,6 +48,17 @@ const BackendBadge: React.FC<BackendBadgeProps> = ({ backend }) => {
         <Server className="h-3 w-3" />
         <span className="text-xs">{getText()}</span>
       </Badge>
+      {docker && (
+        <Badge
+          variant="outline"
+          className="flex items-center gap-1.5 bg-orange-100 text-orange-800 border-orange-200 dark:bg-orange-900 dark:text-orange-200 dark:border-orange-800"
+          title="Docker enabled"
+        >
+          <Package className="h-3 w-3" />
+          <span className="text-[10px] uppercase tracking-wide">Docker</span>
+        </Badge>
+      )}
+    </div>
   );
 };
 

webui/src/components/InstanceCard.tsx

@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ function InstanceCard({
             
             {/* Badges row */}
             <div className="flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap">
-              <BackendBadge backend={instance.options?.backend_type} />
+              <BackendBadge backend={instance.options?.backend_type} docker={instance.docker_enabled} />
               {running && <HealthBadge health={health} />}
             </div>
           </div>

webui/src/components/ZodFormField.tsx

@@ -1,144 +0,0 @@
-import React from 'react'
-import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
-import { Label } from '@/components/ui/label'
-import { Checkbox } from '@/components/ui/checkbox'
-import { BackendType, type CreateInstanceOptions } from '@/types/instance'
-import { getFieldType, basicFieldsConfig } from '@/lib/zodFormUtils'
-
-interface ZodFormFieldProps {
-  fieldKey: keyof CreateInstanceOptions
-  value: string | number | boolean | string[] | undefined
-  onChange: (key: keyof CreateInstanceOptions, value: string | number | boolean | string[] | undefined) => void
-}
-
-const ZodFormField: React.FC<ZodFormFieldProps> = ({ fieldKey, value, onChange }) => {
-  // Get configuration for basic fields, or use field name for advanced fields
-  const config = basicFieldsConfig[fieldKey as string] || { label: fieldKey }
-  
-  // Get type from Zod schema
-  const fieldType = getFieldType(fieldKey)
-
-  const handleChange = (newValue: string | number | boolean | string[] | undefined) => {
-    onChange(fieldKey, newValue)
-  }
-
-  const renderField = () => {
-    // Special handling for backend_type field - render as dropdown
-    if (fieldKey === 'backend_type') {
-      return (
-        <div className="grid gap-2">
-          <Label htmlFor={fieldKey}>
-            {config.label}
-          </Label>
-          <select
-            id={fieldKey}
-            value={typeof value === 'string' ? value : BackendType.LLAMA_CPP}
-            onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.value || undefined)}
-            className="flex h-10 w-full rounded-md border border-input bg-background px-3 py-2 text-sm ring-offset-background file:border-0 file:bg-transparent file:text-sm file:font-medium placeholder:text-muted-foreground focus-visible:outline-none focus-visible:ring-2 focus-visible:ring-ring focus-visible:ring-offset-2 disabled:cursor-not-allowed disabled:opacity-50"
-          >
-            <option value={BackendType.LLAMA_CPP}>Llama Server</option>
-            <option value={BackendType.MLX_LM}>MLX LM</option>
-            <option value={BackendType.VLLM}>vLLM</option>
-          </select>
-          {config.description && (
-            <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{config.description}</p>
-          )}
-        </div>
-      )
-    }
-
-    switch (fieldType) {
-      case 'boolean':
-        return (
-          <div className="flex items-center space-x-2">
-            <Checkbox
-              id={fieldKey}
-              checked={typeof value === 'boolean' ? value : false}
-              onCheckedChange={(checked) => handleChange(checked)}
-            />
-            <Label htmlFor={fieldKey} className="text-sm font-normal">
-              {config.label}
-              {config.description && (
-                <span className="text-muted-foreground ml-1">- {config.description}</span>
-              )}
-            </Label>
-          </div>
-        )
-
-      case 'number':
-        return (
-          <div className="grid gap-2">
-            <Label htmlFor={fieldKey}>
-              {config.label}
-              </Label>
-            <Input
-              id={fieldKey}
-              type="number"
-              step="any" // This allows decimal numbers
-              value={typeof value === 'string' || typeof value === 'number' ? value : ''}
-              onChange={(e) => {
-                const numValue = e.target.value ? parseFloat(e.target.value) : undefined
-                // Only update if the parsed value is valid or the input is empty
-                if (e.target.value === '' || (numValue !== undefined && !isNaN(numValue))) {
-                  handleChange(numValue)
-                }
-              }}
-              placeholder={config.placeholder}
-            />
-            {config.description && (
-              <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{config.description}</p>
-            )}
-          </div>
-        )
-
-      case 'array':
-        return (
-          <div className="grid gap-2">
-            <Label htmlFor={fieldKey}>
-              {config.label}
-              </Label>
-            <Input
-              id={fieldKey}
-              type="text"
-              value={Array.isArray(value) ? value.join(', ') : ''}
-              onChange={(e) => {
-                const arrayValue = e.target.value 
-                  ? e.target.value.split(',').map(s => s.trim()).filter(Boolean)
-                  : undefined
-                handleChange(arrayValue)
-              }}
-              placeholder="item1, item2, item3"
-            />
-            {config.description && (
-              <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{config.description}</p>
-            )}
-            <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">Separate multiple values with commas</p>
-          </div>
-        )
-
-      case 'text':
-      default:
-        return (
-          <div className="grid gap-2">
-            <Label htmlFor={fieldKey}>
-              {config.label}
-              </Label>
-            <Input
-              id={fieldKey}
-              type="text"
-              value={typeof value === 'string' || typeof value === 'number' ? value : ''}
-              onChange={(e) => handleChange(e.target.value || undefined)}
-              placeholder={config.placeholder}
-            />
-            {config.description && (
-              <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{config.description}</p>
-            )}
-          </div>
-        )
-    }
-  }
-
-  return <div className="space-y-2">{renderField()}</div>
-}
-
-export default ZodFormField

webui/src/components/form/EnvironmentVariablesInput.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+import React, { useState } from 'react'
+import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
+import { Label } from '@/components/ui/label'
+import { Button } from '@/components/ui/button'
+import { X, Plus } from 'lucide-react'
+
+interface EnvironmentVariablesInputProps {
+  id: string
+  label: string
+  value: Record<string, string> | undefined
+  onChange: (value: Record<string, string> | undefined) => void
+  description?: string
+  disabled?: boolean
+  className?: string
+}
+
+interface EnvVar {
+  key: string
+  value: string
+}
+
+const EnvironmentVariablesInput: React.FC<EnvironmentVariablesInputProps> = ({
+  id,
+  label,
+  value,
+  onChange,
+  description,
+  disabled = false,
+  className
+}) => {
+  // Convert the value object to an array of key-value pairs for editing
+  const envVarsFromValue = value
+    ? Object.entries(value).map(([key, val]) => ({ key, value: val }))
+    : []
+
+  const [envVars, setEnvVars] = useState<EnvVar[]>(
+    envVarsFromValue.length > 0 ? envVarsFromValue : [{ key: '', value: '' }]
+  )
+
+  // Update parent component when env vars change
+  const updateParent = (newEnvVars: EnvVar[]) => {
+    // Filter out empty entries
+    const validVars = newEnvVars.filter(env => env.key.trim() !== '' && env.value.trim() !== '')
+
+    if (validVars.length === 0) {
+      onChange(undefined)
+    } else {
+      const envObject = validVars.reduce((acc, env) => {
+        acc[env.key.trim()] = env.value.trim()
+        return acc
+      }, {} as Record<string, string>)
+      onChange(envObject)
+    }
+  }
+
+  const handleKeyChange = (index: number, newKey: string) => {
+    const newEnvVars = [...envVars]
+    newEnvVars[index].key = newKey
+    setEnvVars(newEnvVars)
+    updateParent(newEnvVars)
+  }
+
+  const handleValueChange = (index: number, newValue: string) => {
+    const newEnvVars = [...envVars]
+    newEnvVars[index].value = newValue
+    setEnvVars(newEnvVars)
+    updateParent(newEnvVars)
+  }
+
+  const addEnvVar = () => {
+    const newEnvVars = [...envVars, { key: '', value: '' }]
+    setEnvVars(newEnvVars)
+  }
+
+  const removeEnvVar = (index: number) => {
+    if (envVars.length === 1) {
+      // Reset to empty if it's the last one
+      const newEnvVars = [{ key: '', value: '' }]
+      setEnvVars(newEnvVars)
+      updateParent(newEnvVars)
+    } else {
+      const newEnvVars = envVars.filter((_, i) => i !== index)
+      setEnvVars(newEnvVars)
+      updateParent(newEnvVars)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className={`grid gap-2 ${className || ''}`}>
+      <Label htmlFor={id}>
+        {label}
+      </Label>
+      <div className="space-y-2">
+        {envVars.map((envVar, index) => (
+          <div key={index} className="flex gap-2 items-center">
+            <Input
+              placeholder="Variable name"
+              value={envVar.key}
+              onChange={(e) => handleKeyChange(index, e.target.value)}
+              disabled={disabled}
+              className="flex-1"
+            />
+            <Input
+              placeholder="Variable value"
+              value={envVar.value}
+              onChange={(e) => handleValueChange(index, e.target.value)}
+              disabled={disabled}
+              className="flex-1"
+            />
+            <Button
+              type="button"
+              variant="outline"
+              size="sm"
+              onClick={() => removeEnvVar(index)}
+              disabled={disabled}
+              className="shrink-0"
+            >
+              <X className="h-4 w-4" />
+            </Button>
+          </div>
+        ))}
+        <Button
+          type="button"
+          variant="outline"
+          size="sm"
+          onClick={addEnvVar}
+          disabled={disabled}
+          className="w-fit"
+        >
+          <Plus className="h-4 w-4 mr-2" />
+          Add Variable
+        </Button>
+      </div>
+      {description && (
+        <p className="text-sm text-muted-foreground">{description}</p>
+      )}
+      <p className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
+        Environment variables that will be passed to the backend process
+      </p>
+    </div>
+  )
+}
+
+export default EnvironmentVariablesInput

webui/src/components/instance/BasicInstanceFields.tsx

@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
-import React from 'react'
-import { BackendType, type CreateInstanceOptions } from '@/types/instance'
-import { getBasicFields, basicFieldsConfig } from '@/lib/zodFormUtils'
-import { getFieldType } from '@/schemas/instanceOptions'
-import TextInput from '@/components/form/TextInput'
-import NumberInput from '@/components/form/NumberInput'
-import CheckboxInput from '@/components/form/CheckboxInput'
-import SelectInput from '@/components/form/SelectInput'
-
-interface BasicInstanceFieldsProps {
-  formData: CreateInstanceOptions
-  onChange: (key: keyof CreateInstanceOptions, value: any) => void
-}
-
-const BasicInstanceFields: React.FC<BasicInstanceFieldsProps> = ({
-  formData,
-  onChange
-}) => {
-  const basicFields = getBasicFields()
-
-  const renderField = (fieldKey: keyof CreateInstanceOptions) => {
-    const config = basicFieldsConfig[fieldKey as string] || { label: fieldKey }
-    const fieldType = getFieldType(fieldKey)
-
-    // Special handling for backend_type field
-    if (fieldKey === 'backend_type') {
-      return (
-        <SelectInput
-          key={fieldKey}
-          id={fieldKey}
-          label={config.label}
-          value={formData[fieldKey] || BackendType.LLAMA_CPP}
-          onChange={(value) => onChange(fieldKey, value)}
-          options={[
-            { value: BackendType.LLAMA_CPP, label: 'Llama Server' },
-            { value: BackendType.MLX_LM, label: 'MLX LM' },
-            { value: BackendType.VLLM, label: 'vLLM' }
-          ]}
-          description={config.description}
-        />
-      )
-    }
-
-    // Render based on field type
-    switch (fieldType) {
-      case 'boolean':
-        return (
-          <CheckboxInput
-            key={fieldKey}
-            id={fieldKey}
-            label={config.label}
-            value={formData[fieldKey] as boolean | undefined}
-            onChange={(value) => onChange(fieldKey, value)}
-            description={config.description}
-          />
-        )
-
-      case 'number':
-        return (
-          <NumberInput
-            key={fieldKey}
-            id={fieldKey}
-            label={config.label}
-            value={formData[fieldKey] as number | undefined}
-            onChange={(value) => onChange(fieldKey, value)}
-            placeholder={config.placeholder}
-            description={config.description}
-          />
-        )
-
-      default:
-        return (
-          <TextInput
-            key={fieldKey}
-            id={fieldKey}
-            label={config.label}
-            value={formData[fieldKey] as string | number | undefined}
-            onChange={(value) => onChange(fieldKey, value)}
-            placeholder={config.placeholder}
-            description={config.description}
-          />
-        )
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Filter out auto restart fields and backend_options (handled separately)
-  const fieldsToRender = basicFields.filter(
-    fieldKey => !['auto_restart', 'max_restarts', 'restart_delay', 'backend_options'].includes(fieldKey as string)
-  )
-
-  return (
-    <div className="space-y-4">
-      <h3 className="text-lg font-medium">Basic Configuration</h3>
-      {fieldsToRender.map(renderField)}
-    </div>
-  )
-}
-
-export default BasicInstanceFields

webui/src/components/instance/InstanceSettingsCard.tsx

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import { Input } from '@/components/ui/input'
 import AutoRestartConfiguration from '@/components/instance/AutoRestartConfiguration'
 import NumberInput from '@/components/form/NumberInput'
 import CheckboxInput from '@/components/form/CheckboxInput'
+import EnvironmentVariablesInput from '@/components/form/EnvironmentVariablesInput'
 
 interface InstanceSettingsCardProps {
   instanceName: string
@@ -75,6 +76,14 @@ const InstanceSettingsCard: React.FC<InstanceSettingsCardProps> = ({
             onChange={(value) => onChange('on_demand_start', value)}
             description="Start instance only when needed"
           />
+
+          <EnvironmentVariablesInput
+            id="environment"
+            label="Environment Variables"
+            value={formData.environment}
+            onChange={(value) => onChange('environment', value)}
+            description="Custom environment variables for the instance"
+          />
         </div>
       </CardContent>
     </Card>

webui/src/lib/zodFormUtils.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 import {
-  type CreateInstanceOptions,
   type LlamaCppBackendOptions,
   type MlxBackendOptions,
   type VllmBackendOptions,
   LlamaCppBackendOptionsSchema,
   MlxBackendOptionsSchema,
   VllmBackendOptionsSchema,
-  getAllFieldKeys,
   getAllLlamaCppFieldKeys,
   getAllMlxFieldKeys,
   getAllVllmFieldKeys,
@@ -15,41 +13,6 @@ import {
   getVllmFieldType
 } from '@/schemas/instanceOptions'
 
-// Instance-level basic fields (not backend-specific)
-export const basicFieldsConfig: Record<string, {
-  label: string
-  description?: string
-  placeholder?: string
-}> = {
-  auto_restart: {
-    label: 'Auto Restart',
-    description: 'Automatically restart the instance on failure'
-  },
-  max_restarts: {
-    label: 'Max Restarts',
-    placeholder: '3',
-    description: 'Maximum number of restart attempts (0 = unlimited)'
-  },
-  restart_delay: {
-    label: 'Restart Delay (seconds)',
-    placeholder: '5',
-    description: 'Delay in seconds before attempting restart'
-  },
-  idle_timeout: {
-    label: 'Idle Timeout (minutes)',
-    placeholder: '60',
-    description: 'Time in minutes before instance is considered idle and stopped'
-  },
-  on_demand_start: {
-    label: 'On-Demand Start',
-    description: 'Start instance upon receiving OpenAI-compatible API request'
-  },
-  backend_type: {
-    label: 'Backend Type',
-    description: 'Type of backend to use for this instance'
-  }
-}
-
 // LlamaCpp backend-specific basic fields
 const basicLlamaCppFieldsConfig: Record<string, {
   label: string
@@ -152,18 +115,6 @@ const backendFieldGetters = {
   llama_cpp: getAllLlamaCppFieldKeys,
 } as const
 
-function isBasicField(key: keyof CreateInstanceOptions): boolean {
-  return key in basicFieldsConfig
-}
-
-export function getBasicFields(): (keyof CreateInstanceOptions)[] {
-  return Object.keys(basicFieldsConfig) as (keyof CreateInstanceOptions)[]
-}
-
-export function getAdvancedFields(): (keyof CreateInstanceOptions)[] {
-  return getAllFieldKeys().filter(key => !isBasicField(key))
-}
-
 export function getBasicBackendFields(backendType?: string): string[] {
   const normalizedType = (backendType || 'llama_cpp') as keyof typeof backendFieldConfigs
   const config = backendFieldConfigs[normalizedType] || basicLlamaCppFieldsConfig
@@ -222,5 +173,3 @@ export function getBackendFieldType(key: string): 'text' | 'number' | 'boolean'
   return 'text'
 }
 
-// Re-export the Zod-based functions
-export { getFieldType } from '@/schemas/instanceOptions'

webui/src/schemas/instanceOptions.ts

@@ -33,6 +33,9 @@ export const CreateInstanceOptionsSchema = z.object({
   idle_timeout: z.number().optional(),
   on_demand_start: z.boolean().optional(),
 
+  // Environment variables
+  environment: z.record(z.string(), z.string()).optional(),
+
   // Backend configuration
   backend_type: z.enum([BackendType.LLAMA_CPP, BackendType.MLX_LM, BackendType.VLLM]).optional(),
   backend_options: BackendOptionsSchema.optional(),
@@ -75,5 +78,6 @@ export function getFieldType(key: keyof CreateInstanceOptions): 'text' | 'number
   if (innerSchema instanceof z.ZodNumber) return 'number'
   if (innerSchema instanceof z.ZodArray) return 'array'
   if (innerSchema instanceof z.ZodObject) return 'object'
+  if (innerSchema instanceof z.ZodRecord) return 'object' // Handle ZodRecord as object
   return 'text' // ZodString and others default to text
 }

webui/src/types/instance.ts

@@ -23,4 +23,5 @@ export interface Instance {
   name: string;
   status: InstanceStatus;
   options?: CreateInstanceOptions;
+  docker_enabled?: boolean; // indicates backend is running via Docker
 }