Docker Compose vs Docker Machine

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Docker Compose

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Docker Machine

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Docker Compose vs Docker Machine: What are the differences?

Key differences between Docker Compose and Docker Machine

Docker Compose and Docker Machine are both tools provided by Docker that help in managing and deploying containers. While they serve different purposes, they can be used together for a complete container management solution.

  1. Docker Compose: Docker Compose is a tool that allows you to define and run multi-container Docker applications. It uses a YAML file to define the services, networks, and volumes required for your application. With Docker Compose, you can easily set up and manage complex applications with multiple containers running together.

  2. Docker Machine: Docker Machine is a tool that helps you create and manage Docker hosts on your local machine or on a remote cloud provider. It allows you to easily provision and manage multiple Docker hosts using different providers such as VirtualBox, AWS, or Azure. Docker Machine is especially useful when you need to set up a Docker development environment on different platforms or in a distributed environment.

  3. Docker Compose allows you to define and manage multi-container applications, whereas Docker Machine is used to manage the Docker hosts themselves. Docker Compose focuses on the orchestration and configuration of the containers, while Docker Machine focuses on the provisioning and management of the hosts.

  4. Docker Compose is used for local development and testing, as it allows you to easily define the services and dependencies required for your application. Docker Machine, on the other hand, is used for deploying and managing Docker hosts in production or staging environments.

  5. Docker Compose is not concerned with the underlying infrastructure, as it abstracts away the details of the hosts and focuses on the containers and their configuration. Docker Machine, on the other hand, is responsible for provisioning and managing the hosts, including choosing the appropriate provider and configuring the networking and storage.

  6. Docker Machine provides a simple and unified interface for managing Docker hosts, regardless of the underlying infrastructure or provider. It allows you to easily create, start, stop, and manage Docker hosts using a single command-line interface. Docker Compose, on the other hand, provides a declarative syntax for defining multi-container applications and their dependencies.

In summary, Docker Compose is used for defining and managing multi-container applications, while Docker Machine is used for provisioning and managing Docker hosts. Compose focuses on the containers and their configuration, while Machine focuses on the infrastructure and hosts.

Decisions about Docker Compose and Docker Machine
Michael Roberts

We develop rapidly with docker-compose orchestrated services, however, for production - we utilise the very best ideas that Kubernetes has to offer: SCALE! We can scale when needed, setting a maximum and minimum level of nodes for each application layer - scaling only when the load balancer needs it. This allowed us to reduce our devops costs by 40% whilst also maintaining an SLA of 99.87%.

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Pros of Docker Compose
Pros of Docker Machine
  • 123
    Multi-container descriptor
  • 110
    Fast development environment setup
  • 79
    Easy linking of containers
  • 68
    Simple yaml configuration
  • 60
    Easy setup
  • 16
    Yml or yaml format
  • 12
    Use Standard Docker API
  • 8
    Open source
  • 5
    Go from template to application in minutes
  • 5
    Can choose Discovery Backend
  • 4
    Scalable
  • 4
    Easy configuration
  • 4
    Kubernetes integration
  • 3
    Quick and easy
  • 12
    Easy docker hosts management

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Cons of Docker Compose
Cons of Docker Machine
  • 9
    Tied to single machine
  • 5
    Still very volatile, changing syntax often
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    What is 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.

    What is Docker Machine?

    Machine lets you create Docker hosts on your computer, on cloud providers, and inside your own data center. It creates servers, installs Docker on them, then configures the Docker client to talk to them.

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    What companies use Docker Compose?
    What companies use Docker Machine?
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    What tools integrate with Docker Compose?
    What tools integrate with Docker Machine?

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    What are some alternatives to Docker Compose and Docker Machine?
    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.
    Docker
    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
    Docker Swarm
    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.
    Helm
    Helm is the best way to find, share, and use software built for Kubernetes.
    Ansible
    Ansible is an IT automation tool. It can configure systems, deploy software, and orchestrate more advanced IT tasks such as continuous deployments or zero downtime rolling updates. Ansible’s goals are foremost those of simplicity and maximum ease of use.
    See all alternatives