CoreOS vs Docker

Overview

Docker

Stacks194.2K

Followers143.8K

Votes3.9K

CoreOS

Stacks216

Followers297

Votes44

CoreOS vs Docker: What are the differences?

Introduction

CoreOS and Docker are both popular containerization platforms used in the development and deployment of applications. While they share some similarities, there are distinct differences between the two.

Containerization Approach: CoreOS and Docker differ in their approach to containerization. CoreOS utilizes the concept of containers as lightweight virtual machines, providing a minimalistic operating system. On the other hand, Docker focuses on creating containers that encapsulate specific application components, running on top of the host operating system.
Operating System Integration: CoreOS is designed to be a standalone operating system, specifically optimized to run containers. It includes features like automatic updates, clustered management, and distributed key-value store. In contrast, Docker can be installed on various operating systems, integrating with the existing host OS to run containers.
Orchestration and Clustering: Docker provides basic clustering and orchestration capabilities through Docker Swarm mode. It allows users to create a swarm of Docker hosts and manage containers across the cluster. CoreOS, on the other hand, comes with built-in orchestration using Kubernetes, which provides more advanced features like auto-scaling, service discovery, and load balancing.
Security and Isolation: CoreOS places a strong emphasis on security and isolation, ensuring that containers are isolated from each other and from the host system. It achieves this through features like SELinux, AppArmor, and secure boot. While Docker also provides security features, it may require additional configurations to achieve the same level of isolation as CoreOS.
Storage and Networking: CoreOS offers a distributed file system called etcd, which can be used for service discovery and configuration management. It also includes built-in support for overlay networks, allowing containers to communicate with each other across different hosts. In contrast, Docker relies on external solutions like Docker volumes and Docker networking plugins for storage and networking functionalities.
Community and Ecosystem: Docker has a larger user community and ecosystem compared to CoreOS. It has a vast repository of pre-built Docker images and a wide range of third-party tools and integrations. This expansive ecosystem makes it easier for developers to find resources and solutions for their containerization needs.

In Summary, CoreOS and Docker differ in their containerization approach, operating system integration, orchestration capabilities, security and isolation, storage and networking solutions, and the size of their respective communities and ecosystems.

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Advice on Docker, CoreOS

Florian

IT DevOp at Agitos GmbH

Oct 22, 2019

Decided

lxd/lxc and Docker aren't congruent so this comparison needs a more detailed look; but in short I can say: the lxd-integrated administration of storage including zfs with its snapshot capabilities as well as the system container (multi-process) approach of lxc vs. the limited single-process container approach of Docker is the main reason I chose lxd over Docker.

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Detailed Comparison

Docker	CoreOS
The Docker Platform is the industry-leading container platform for continuous, high-velocity innovation, enabling organizations to seamlessly build and share any application — from legacy to what comes next — and securely run them anywhere	It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.
Integrated developer tools; open, portable images; shareable, reusable apps; framework-aware builds; standardized templates; multi-environment support; remote registry management; simple setup for Docker and Kubernetes; certified Kubernetes; application templates; enterprise controls; secure software supply chain; industry-leading container runtime; image scanning; access controls; image signing; caching and mirroring; image lifecycle; policy-based image promotion	Great to develop; Test; Operate
Statistics
Stacks 194.2K	Stacks 216
Followers 143.8K	Followers 297
Votes 3.9K	Votes 44
Pros & Cons
Pros 823 Rapid integration and build up 692 Isolation 521 Open source 505 Testability and reproducibility 460 Lightweight Cons 8 New versions == broken features 6 Documentation not always in sync 6 Unreliable networking 4 Moves quickly 3 Not Secure	Pros 20 Container management 15 Lightweight 9 Systemd Cons 3 End-of-lifed
Integrations
Java Docker Compose VirtualBox Linux Amazon EC2 Container Service Docker Swarm boot2docker Kubernetes Docker Machine Vagrant	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Docker, CoreOS?

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others’. It also means ‘I am what I am because of who we all are’. The Ubuntu operating system brings the spirit of Ubuntu to the world of computers.

Debian

Debian systems currently use the Linux kernel or the FreeBSD kernel. Linux is a piece of software started by Linus Torvalds and supported by thousands of programmers worldwide. FreeBSD is an operating system including a kernel and other software.

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Fedora

Fedora is a Linux-based operating system that provides users with access to the latest free and open source software, in a stable, secure and easy to manage form. Fedora is the largest of many free software creations of the Fedora Project. Because of its predominance, the word "Fedora" is often used interchangeably to mean both the Fedora Project and the Fedora operating system.

Linux Mint

The purpose of Linux Mint is to produce a modern, elegant and comfortable operating system which is both powerful and easy to use.

LXD

LXD isn't a rewrite of LXC, in fact it's building on top of LXC to provide a new, better user experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through liblxc and its Go binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the added features that come from being controllable over the network.

CentOS

The CentOS Project is a community-driven free software effort focused on delivering a robust open source ecosystem. For users, we offer a consistent manageable platform that suits a wide variety of deployments. For open source communities, we offer a solid, predictable base to build upon, along with extensive resources to build, test, release, and maintain their code.

Linux

A clone of the operating system Unix, written from scratch by Linus Torvalds with assistance from a loosely-knit team of hackers across the Net. It aims towards POSIX and Single UNIX Specification compliance.

Gentoo Linux

It is a free operating system based on either Linux or FreeBSD that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Alpine Linux

Alpine Linux is a security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox.

Related Comparisons

CoreOS vs Docker: What are the differences?

Introduction

Containerization Approach: CoreOS and Docker differ in their approach to containerization. CoreOS utilizes the concept of containers as lightweight virtual machines, providing a minimalistic operating system. On the other hand, Docker focuses on creating containers that encapsulate specific application components, running on top of the host operating system.
Operating System Integration: CoreOS is designed to be a standalone operating system, specifically optimized to run containers. It includes features like automatic updates, clustered management, and distributed key-value store. In contrast, Docker can be installed on various operating systems, integrating with the existing host OS to run containers.
Orchestration and Clustering: Docker provides basic clustering and orchestration capabilities through Docker Swarm mode. It allows users to create a swarm of Docker hosts and manage containers across the cluster. CoreOS, on the other hand, comes with built-in orchestration using Kubernetes, which provides more advanced features like auto-scaling, service discovery, and load balancing.
Security and Isolation: CoreOS places a strong emphasis on security and isolation, ensuring that containers are isolated from each other and from the host system. It achieves this through features like SELinux, AppArmor, and secure boot. While Docker also provides security features, it may require additional configurations to achieve the same level of isolation as CoreOS.
Storage and Networking: CoreOS offers a distributed file system called etcd, which can be used for service discovery and configuration management. It also includes built-in support for overlay networks, allowing containers to communicate with each other across different hosts. In contrast, Docker relies on external solutions like Docker volumes and Docker networking plugins for storage and networking functionalities.
Community and Ecosystem: Docker has a larger user community and ecosystem compared to CoreOS. It has a vast repository of pre-built Docker images and a wide range of third-party tools and integrations. This expansive ecosystem makes it easier for developers to find resources and solutions for their containerization needs.

CoreOS vs Docker

Overview

CoreOS vs Docker: What are the differences?