Codefresh vs Earthly: What are the differences?

Codefresh vs Earthly

Codefresh and Earthly are both popular tools in the DevOps ecosystem. While they share some similarities, there are key differences that set them apart.

1. Build Execution: Codefresh primarily focuses on Docker-based orchestration and continuous integration and deployment pipelines. It provides a cloud-native CI/CD platform with ready-to-use integrations. On the other hand, Earthly is a modern build automation tool that emphasizes reproducibility, maintainability, and performance. It uses a declarative syntax and focuses on building images and artifacts consistently across different environments.

2. Build Configuration: Codefresh uses a declarative YAML-based pipeline configuration file to define the steps for building, testing, and deploying applications. It provides predefined steps and integrations, making it easier to set up pipelines. In contrast, Earthly uses a higher-level syntax for defining builds. It allows you to define dependencies, build processes, and artifacts using a language similar to Dockerfiles. This gives more flexibility and control over the build process.

3. Dependency Management: Codefresh supports dependency management through the use of package managers like npm, Maven, and Pip. It provides built-in steps and plugins to handle these dependencies. Earthly, on the other hand, has a built-in caching mechanism that allows you to define and manage fine-grained dependencies. It intelligently tracks changes and only rebuilds what is necessary, leading to faster and more efficient builds.

4. Developer Experience: Codefresh provides a user-friendly web-based interface for managing CI/CD pipelines and monitoring their execution. It also integrates with source control systems like GitHub and Bitbucket, providing a seamless developer experience. Earthly, on the other hand, focuses on providing a command-line interface (CLI) and editor plugins to aid developers in writing and managing build scripts. It excels in providing a consistent and developer-friendly workflow.

5. Supported Platforms: Codefresh is a cloud-native solution that runs on its own infrastructure and supports various cloud providers like AWS, GCP, and Azure. It also offers on-premises installations for enterprise customers. Earthly, on the other hand, is platform-agnostic and runs on any machine that supports Docker. This makes it suitable for both cloud and on-premises environments.

6. Community and Ecosystem: Codefresh has an active community and ecosystem with a wide range of pre-built integrations, plugins, and extensions. It also provides extensive documentation and support resources. Earthly, being a relatively newer tool, has a smaller but growing community. It offers tight integration with the Docker ecosystem and benefits from the existing Docker community and tooling.

In Summary, Codefresh is a cloud-native CI/CD platform with a focus on Docker-based orchestration and predefined integrations, while Earthly is a modern build automation tool emphasizing reproducibility, maintainability, and performance through a flexible and declarative approach for building Docker images and artifacts consistently across different environments.