Docker Swarm vs containerd

Overview

Docker Swarm

Stacks779

Followers990

Votes282

containerd

Stacks81

Followers140

Votes5

Docker Swarm vs containerd: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker Swarm and containerd are both popular containerization technologies widely used in the industry. While they share some similarities, there are key differences between the two technologies. Understanding these differences can help in making an informed decision when choosing the right containerization solution for a particular use case.

Orchestration vs. Container Runtime: One of the main differences between Docker Swarm and containerd is their primary focus. Docker Swarm is a container orchestration platform that allows managing and scaling a cluster of Docker hosts, while containerd is a container runtime that focuses on the execution and management of individual containers. Docker Swarm provides powerful orchestration features like service discovery, load balancing, and rolling updates, whereas containerd focuses on efficiently running containers on a single host.
Complexity and Features: Docker Swarm offers a higher level of abstraction and includes more features out of the box compared to containerd. It provides an easy-to-use, declarative way to define services using Docker Compose files, which simplifies the deployment and management of multi-container applications. On the other hand, containerd provides a lightweight container runtime with a minimal set of functionalities, making it more suitable for environments where simplicity and performance are of utmost importance.
Community and Ecosystem: Docker Swarm benefits from being part of the larger Docker ecosystem, which includes a vast community of users, extensive documentation, and a rich set of plugins and tools that integrate seamlessly with Docker. This ecosystem provides a wealth of resources and support for developers and operators using Docker Swarm. In contrast, while containerd is gaining popularity, its community and ecosystem are not as mature as Docker Swarm's, and there might be less third-party tooling available specifically for containerd.
Architecture: Docker Swarm is built on top of Docker Engine and leverages its existing components and functionality. It uses the "swarm mode" feature of Docker Engine to create and manage a swarm of Docker hosts. On the other hand, containerd is designed as a standalone runtime and does not rely on Docker Engine. It provides a consistent API for container management, making it compatible with various container systems and orchestrators beyond Docker.
Scalability and Performance: Docker Swarm is known for its scalability and can handle large clusters with thousands of nodes. It offers built-in load balancing and automatic scaling to distribute workloads across the swarm. In contrast, containerd is more lightweight and optimized for performance. It focuses on efficiently executing individual containers and may provide better performance in scenarios where scale is not the primary concern.
Support for Standards and Compatibility: Docker Swarm, being part of the Docker ecosystem, benefits from compatibility with the wider Docker ecosystem, including Docker images, Docker Compose, and Docker networking. It integrates seamlessly with other Docker tools and services. On the other hand, while containerd is designed with a focus on compatibility and adheres to standards like the Open Container Initiative (OCI), it may require additional configuration or tooling to work with other Docker-specific components.

In Summary, Docker Swarm is a powerful container orchestration platform with extensive features and a mature ecosystem, suitable for managing and scaling a cluster of Docker hosts. On the other hand, containerd is a lightweight container runtime that focuses on performance and simplicity, making it a good choice for scenarios where lightweight execution and strict control over container management are crucial.

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Advice on Docker Swarm, containerd

Simon

Senior Fullstack Developer at QUANTUSflow Software GmbH

Apr 27, 2020

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Our whole DevOps stack consists of the following tools:

@{GitHub}|tool:27| (incl. @{GitHub Pages}|tool:683|/@{Markdown}|tool:1147| for Documentation, GettingStarted and HowTo's) for collaborative review and code management tool
Respectively @{Git}|tool:1046| as revision control system
@{SourceTree}|tool:1599| as @{Git}|tool:1046| GUI
@{Visual Studio Code}|tool:4202| as IDE
@{CircleCI}|tool:190| for continuous integration (automatize development process)
@{Prettier}|tool:7035| / @{TSLint}|tool:5561| / @{ESLint}|tool:3337| as code linter
@{SonarQube}|tool:2638| as quality gate
@{Docker}|tool:586| as container management (incl. @{Docker Compose}|tool:3136| for multi-container application management)
@{VirtualBox}|tool:774| for operating system simulation tests
@{Kubernetes}|tool:1885| as cluster management for docker containers
@{Heroku}|tool:133| for deploying in test environments
@{nginx}|tool:1052| as web server (preferably used as facade server in production environment)
@{SSLMate}|tool:2752| (using @{OpenSSL}|tool:3091|) for certificate management
@{Amazon EC2}|tool:18| (incl. @{Amazon S3}|tool:25|) for deploying in stage (production-like) and production environments
@{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| as preferred database system
@{Redis}|tool:1031| as preferred in-memory database/store (great for caching)

The main reason we have chosen Kubernetes over Docker Swarm is related to the following artifacts:

Key features: Easy and flexible installation, Clear dashboard, Great scaling operations, Monitoring is an integral part, Great load balancing concepts, Monitors the condition and ensures compensation in the event of failure.
Applications: An application can be deployed using a combination of pods, deployments, and services (or micro-services).
Functionality: Kubernetes as a complex installation and setup process, but it not as limited as Docker Swarm.
Monitoring: It supports multiple versions of logging and monitoring when the services are deployed within the cluster (Elasticsearch/Kibana (ELK), Heapster/Grafana, Sysdig cloud integration).
Scalability: All-in-one framework for distributed systems.
Other Benefits: Kubernetes is backed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), huge community among container orchestration tools, it is an open source and modular tool that works with any OS.

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Detailed Comparison

Docker Swarm	containerd
Swarm serves the standard Docker API, so any tool which already communicates with a Docker daemon can use Swarm to transparently scale to multiple hosts: Dokku, Compose, Krane, Deis, DockerUI, Shipyard, Drone, Jenkins... and, of course, the Docker client itself.	An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness, and portability
-	OCI Image Spec support; OCI Runtime Spec support (aka runC); Image push and pull support; Container runtime and lifecycle support; Network primitives for creation, modification, and deletion of interfaces; Multi-tenant supported with CAS storage for global images; Management of network namespaces containers to join existing namespaces
Statistics
Stacks 779	Stacks 81
Followers 990	Followers 140
Votes 282	Votes 5
Pros & Cons
Pros 55 Docker friendly 46 Easy to setup 40 Standard Docker API 38 Easy to use 23 Native Cons 9 Low adoption	Pros 3 No Need for docker shim 2 Supports Kubernetes version greater than 1.21 0 No kubernetes support after 1.22 0 Needs docker shim to work on kubernetes
Integrations
Docker	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Docker Swarm, containerd?

Kubernetes

Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers. It handles scheduling onto nodes in a compute cluster and actively manages workloads to ensure that their state matches the users declared intentions.

Rancher

Rancher is an open source container management platform that includes full distributions of Kubernetes, Apache Mesos and Docker Swarm, and makes it simple to operate container clusters on any cloud or infrastructure platform.

Docker Compose

With Compose, you define a multi-container application in a single file, then spin your application up in a single command which does everything that needs to be done to get it running.

Tutum

Tutum lets developers easily manage and run lightweight, portable, self-sufficient containers from any application. AWS-like control, Heroku-like ease. The same container that a developer builds and tests on a laptop can run at scale in Tutum.

Portainer

It is a universal container management tool. It works with Kubernetes, Docker, Docker Swarm and Azure ACI. It allows you to manage containers without needing to know platform-specific code.

Codefresh

Automate and parallelize testing. Codefresh allows teams to spin up on-demand compositions to run unit and integration tests as part of the continuous integration process. Jenkins integration allows more complex pipelines.

CAST.AI

It is an AI-driven cloud optimization platform for Kubernetes. Instantly cut your cloud bill, prevent downtime, and 10X the power of DevOps.

k3s

Certified Kubernetes distribution designed for production workloads in unattended, resource-constrained, remote locations or inside IoT appliances. Supports something as small as a Raspberry Pi or as large as an AWS a1.4xlarge 32GiB server.

Flocker

Flocker is a data volume manager and multi-host Docker cluster management tool. With it you can control your data using the same tools you use for your stateless applications. This means that you can run your databases, queues and key-value stores in Docker and move them around as easily as the rest of your app.

Kitematic

Simple Docker App management for Mac OS X

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