Given the constraints, running Dokku commands remotely via SSH is fine. For certain configurations, the extra complication of manually invoking ssh can be a burden.
The easiest way to interact with Dokku remotely is by using the official client. Documented below are the various clients that you may wish to use.
See the remote commands documentation for more information on how to install and use the official client.
Dokku-toolbelt is a node-based cli wrapper that proxies requests to the Dokku command running on remote hosts. You can install it via the following shell command (assuming you have nodejs and npm installed):
npm install -g dokku-toolbelt
See documentation here for more information.
Dokku CLI is a rubygem that acts as a client for your Dokku installation. You can install it via the following shell command (assuming you have ruby and rubygems installed):
gem install dokku-cli
See documentation here for more information.
DokkuClient is another rubygem that acts as a client for your Dokku installation with built-in support for certain external plugins. You can install it via the following shell command (assuming you have ruby and rubygems installed):
gem install dokku_client
See documentation here for more information.
Dokkufy is a rubygem that handles automation of certain tasks, such as Dokku setup, plugin installation, etc. You can install it via the following shell command (assuming you have ruby and rubygems installed):
gem install dokkufy
See documentation here for more information.
Dockland is a rubygem that acts as a client for your Dokku installation. You can install it via the following shell command (assuming you have ruby and rubygems installed):
gem install dockland
See documentation here for more information.