diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6502be54..cfecfa1c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -376,6 +376,10 @@ For example, this is a JSON version of an emitted RuntimeContainer struct:
 * *`sha1 $string`*: Returns the hexadecimal representation of the SHA1 hash of `$string`.
 * *`split $string $sep`*: Splits `$string` into a slice of substrings delimited by `$sep`. Alias for [`strings.Split`](http://golang.org/pkg/strings/#Split)
 * *`splitN $string $sep $count`*: Splits `$string` into a slice of substrings delimited by `$sep`, with number of substrings returned determined by `$count`. Alias for [`strings.SplitN`](https://golang.org/pkg/strings/#SplitN)
+* *`sortStringsAsc $strings`: Returns a slice of strings `$strings` sorted in ascending order.
+* *`sortStringsDesc $strings`: Returns a slice of strings `$strings` sorted in descending (reverse) order.
+* *`sortObjectsByKeysAsc $objects $fieldPath`: Returns the array `$objects`, sorted in ascending order based on the values of a field path expression `$fieldPath`.
+* *`sortObjectsByKeysDesc $objects $fieldPath`: Returns the array `$objects`, sorted in descending (reverse) order based on the values of a field path expression `$fieldPath`.
 * *`trimPrefix $prefix $string`*: If `$prefix` is a prefix of `$string`, return `$string` with `$prefix` trimmed from the beginning. Otherwise, return `$string` unchanged.
 * *`trimSuffix $suffix $string`*: If `$suffix` is a suffix of `$string`, return `$string` with `$suffix` trimmed from the end. Otherwise, return `$string` unchanged.
 * *`trim $string`*: Removes whitespace from both sides of `$string`.
diff --git a/internal/template/sort.go b/internal/template/sort.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e27f5658
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/template/sort.go
@@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
+package template
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"sort"
+)
+
+// sortStrings returns a sorted array of strings in increasing order
+func sortStringsAsc(values []string) []string {
+	sort.Strings(values)
+	return values
+}
+
+// sortStringsDesc returns a sorted array of strings in decreasing order
+func sortStringsDesc(values []string) []string {
+	sort.Sort(sort.Reverse(sort.StringSlice(values)))
+	return values
+}
+
+type sortable interface {
+	sort.Interface
+	set(string, interface{}) error
+	get() []interface{}
+}
+
+type sortableData struct {
+	data []interface{}
+}
+
+func (s sortableData) get() []interface{} {
+	return s.data
+}
+
+func (s sortableData) Len() int { return len(s.data) }
+
+func (s sortableData) Swap(i, j int) { s.data[i], s.data[j] = s.data[j], s.data[i] }
+
+type sortableByKey struct {
+	sortableData
+	key string
+}
+
+func (s *sortableByKey) set(funcName string, entries interface{}) (err error) {
+	entriesVal, err := getArrayValues(funcName, entries)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+	s.data = make([]interface{}, entriesVal.Len())
+	for i := 0; i < entriesVal.Len(); i++ {
+		s.data[i] = reflect.Indirect(entriesVal.Index(i)).Interface()
+	}
+	return
+}
+
+// method required to implement sort.Interface
+func (s sortableByKey) Less(i, j int) bool {
+	values := map[int]string{i: "", j: ""}
+	for k := range values {
+		if v := reflect.ValueOf(deepGet(s.data[k], s.key)); v.Kind() != reflect.Invalid {
+			values[k] = v.Interface().(string)
+		}
+	}
+	return values[i] < values[j]
+}
+
+// Generalized SortBy function
+func generalizedSortBy(funcName string, entries interface{}, s sortable, reverse bool) (sorted []interface{}, err error) {
+	err = s.set(funcName, entries)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	if reverse {
+		sort.Stable(sort.Reverse(s))
+	} else {
+		sort.Stable(s)
+	}
+	return s.get(), nil
+}
+
+// sortObjectsByKeysAsc returns a sorted array of objects, sorted by object's key field in ascending order
+func sortObjectsByKeysAsc(objs interface{}, key string) ([]interface{}, error) {
+	s := &sortableByKey{key: key}
+	return generalizedSortBy("sortObjsByKeys", objs, s, false)
+}
+
+// sortObjectsByKeysDesc returns a sorted array of objects, sorted by object's key field in descending order
+func sortObjectsByKeysDesc(objs interface{}, key string) ([]interface{}, error) {
+	s := &sortableByKey{key: key}
+	return generalizedSortBy("sortObjsByKey", objs, s, true)
+}
diff --git a/internal/template/sort_test.go b/internal/template/sort_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a003713
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/template/sort_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+package template
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nginx-proxy/docker-gen/internal/context"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func TestSortStringsAsc(t *testing.T) {
+	strings := []string{"foo", "bar", "baz", "qux"}
+	expected := []string{"bar", "baz", "foo", "qux"}
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, sortStringsAsc(strings))
+}
+
+func TestSortStringsDesc(t *testing.T) {
+	strings := []string{"foo", "bar", "baz", "qux"}
+	expected := []string{"qux", "foo", "baz", "bar"}
+	assert.Equal(t, expected, sortStringsDesc(strings))
+}
+
+func TestSortObjectsByKeysAsc(t *testing.T) {
+	containers := []*context.RuntimeContainer{
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "bar.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "9",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "foo.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "1",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "baz.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "3",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{},
+			ID:  "8",
+		},
+	}
+
+	sorted, err := sortObjectsByKeysAsc(containers, "ID")
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Len(t, sorted, 4)
+	assert.Equal(t, "foo.localhost", sorted[0].(context.RuntimeContainer).Env["VIRTUAL_HOST"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "9", sorted[3].(context.RuntimeContainer).ID)
+
+	sorted, err = sortObjectsByKeysAsc(sorted, "Env.VIRTUAL_HOST")
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Len(t, sorted, 4)
+	assert.Equal(t, "foo.localhost", sorted[3].(context.RuntimeContainer).Env["VIRTUAL_HOST"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "8", sorted[0].(context.RuntimeContainer).ID)
+}
+
+func TestSortObjectsByKeysDesc(t *testing.T) {
+	containers := []*context.RuntimeContainer{
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "bar.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "9",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "foo.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "1",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{
+				"VIRTUAL_HOST": "baz.localhost",
+			},
+			ID: "3",
+		},
+		{
+			Env: map[string]string{},
+			ID:  "8",
+		},
+	}
+
+	sorted, err := sortObjectsByKeysDesc(containers, "ID")
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Len(t, sorted, 4)
+	assert.Equal(t, "bar.localhost", sorted[0].(context.RuntimeContainer).Env["VIRTUAL_HOST"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "1", sorted[3].(context.RuntimeContainer).ID)
+
+	sorted, err = sortObjectsByKeysDesc(sorted, "Env.VIRTUAL_HOST")
+
+	assert.NoError(t, err)
+	assert.Len(t, sorted, 4)
+	assert.Equal(t, "", sorted[3].(context.RuntimeContainer).Env["VIRTUAL_HOST"])
+	assert.Equal(t, "1", sorted[0].(context.RuntimeContainer).ID)
+}
diff --git a/internal/template/template.go b/internal/template/template.go
index fe1547d3..a6af7e15 100644
--- a/internal/template/template.go
+++ b/internal/template/template.go
@@ -67,6 +67,10 @@ func newTemplate(name string) *template.Template {
 		"sha1":                   hashSha1,
 		"split":                  strings.Split,
 		"splitN":                 strings.SplitN,
+		"sortStringsAsc":         sortStringsAsc,
+		"sortStringsDesc":        sortStringsDesc,
+		"sortObjectsByKeysAsc":   sortObjectsByKeysAsc,
+		"sortObjectsByKeysDesc":  sortObjectsByKeysDesc,
 		"trimPrefix":             trimPrefix,
 		"trimSuffix":             trimSuffix,
 		"trim":                   trim,