Argo vs RancherOS: What are the differences?

Argo and RancherOS are two container orchestration platforms. Let's explore the key differences between them.

1. Container Runtime: Argo uses Kubernetes as its underlying container runtime, which provides a highly scalable and flexible environment for managing containers. On the other hand, RancherOS uses Docker as its container runtime, which is widely adopted and offers a comprehensive ecosystem of tools and services for container management.

2. Operating System: Argo relies on the host operating system for its underlying infrastructure and networking stack, allowing users to choose different operating systems based on their requirements. In contrast, RancherOS is an operating system designed specifically for running containers, providing a minimalistic and lightweight environment that is optimized for containerized workloads.

3. Management Interface: Argo offers a web-based management interface, providing a user-friendly dashboard for managing and monitoring containers, as well as associated resources. RancherOS, on the other hand, provides a command-line interface (CLI) as its primary management tool, allowing users to interact with the platform through command-line commands and scripts.

4. Container Persistence: Argo supports persistent storage for containers through the use of Kubernetes' persistent volume framework, allowing data to be stored even if a container is restarted or rescheduled. RancherOS, however, does not have native support for persistent storage, although external solutions can be integrated to provide this functionality if required.

5. Container Networking: Argo leverages the networking capabilities provided by Kubernetes, allowing containers to communicate with each other and external resources through various network plugins and configurations. RancherOS provides its own networking solution called CNI (Container Network Interface), which offers flexible networking options for containerized environments.

6. Application Packaging: Argo uses Docker images for packaging and distributing applications, allowing users to easily deploy containers with pre-configured environments. RancherOS, on the other hand, supports the use of Docker images as well as system containers, which are lightweight containers that include only essential system-level components and services.

In summary, Argo is a container-native workflow engine designed for Kubernetes applications, facilitating automation and management of complex workflows. RancherOS, on the other hand, is a lightweight Linux distribution optimized for Docker containers, offering a minimalistic operating system environment.