Docker vs. Kubernetes. What should we use?
- What is Docker?
Docker is an open-source platform that simplifies building, distributing, and running applications using containers. It allows you to create lightweight, portable, self-contained containers from any application, bundled with all its dependencies.
- What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It groups the containers that comprise an application into logical units for easy management and discovery across a cluster of machines. Kubernetes uses container runtimes like containerd and CRI-O to run containers, instead of Docker Engine.
- How do they differ?
Docker focuses on automating individual container creation and deployment on a single host. While it can manage collections of containers with Docker Swarm, it is more limited compared to Kubernetes in terms of scalability and features.
Kubernetes takes container orchestration further by managing clusters of hosts running Linux containers. It handles scheduling, load balancing, and provides a robust platform for automating deployment, scaling, and ensuring the desired state of applications.
- Bottomline:
Docker excels at managing containers on a single system, while Kubernetes is designed for managing and scaling multi-container applications across clusters.
