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  1. Stackups
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  4. Container Tools
  5. Docker Compose vs Dumb-init

Docker Compose vs Dumb-init

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Docker Compose
Docker Compose
Stacks22.3K
Followers16.5K
Votes501
GitHub Stars36.4K
Forks5.5K
Dumb-init
Dumb-init
Stacks5
Followers19
Votes0
GitHub Stars7.2K
Forks356

Docker Compose vs Dumb-init: What are the differences?

Introduction:

1. Deployment Process: Docker Compose is used for defining and running multi-container Docker applications, while Dumb-init is specifically used as an init system for Docker containers to reap all of the benefits of running as PID 1 in a container.

2. Features: Docker Compose provides a way to orchestrate containers, networks, and volumes, while Dumb-init focuses solely on improving process management in containers by handling signals and reaping zombie processes efficiently.

3. Community Support: Docker Compose is maintained and supported by Docker Inc., which has a large community of users and contributors, while Dumb-init is maintained by Yelp and lacks the same level of community support.

4. Overhead: Docker Compose adds some overhead by running additional services like the Compose file parser and orchestrator, while Dumb-init has minimal overhead as it is a lightweight and focused tool designed for a specific purpose.

5. Flexibility: Docker Compose allows for more flexibility and customization in defining complex multi-container applications with features like service dependencies and networking, while Dumb-init is a simpler tool that focuses on improving the container's init process.

6. Use Case: Docker Compose is ideal for development and testing environments where multiple services need to be orchestrated and managed, while Dumb-init is better suited for production environments where efficient process management and signal handling are critical.

In Summary, Docker Compose is a versatile tool for orchestrating multi-container applications, while Dumb-init is a lightweight init system focused on improving process management in Docker containers.

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Advice on Docker Compose, Dumb-init

Michael
Michael

CEO at asencis Ltd

Jan 5, 2021

Needs advice

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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Comments

Detailed Comparison

Docker Compose
Docker Compose
Dumb-init
Dumb-init

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.

dumb-init runs as PID 1, acting like a simple init system. It launches a single process and then proxies all received signals to a session rooted at that child process. Since your actual process is no longer PID 1, when it receives signals from dumb-init, the default signal handlers will be applied, and your process will behave as you would expect. If your process dies, dumb-init will also die, taking care to clean up any other processes that might still remain.

-
Acts like a simple init system, Runs as PID1 instead of your process
Statistics
GitHub Stars
36.4K
GitHub Stars
7.2K
GitHub Forks
5.5K
GitHub Forks
356
Stacks
22.3K
Stacks
5
Followers
16.5K
Followers
19
Votes
501
Votes
0
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 123
    Multi-container descriptor
  • 110
    Fast development environment setup
  • 79
    Easy linking of containers
  • 68
    Simple yaml configuration
  • 60
    Easy setup
Cons
  • 9
    Tied to single machine
  • 5
    Still very volatile, changing syntax often
No community feedback yet
Integrations
Docker
Docker
Docker
Docker

What are some alternatives to Docker Compose, Dumb-init?

Kubernetes

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

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 Swarm

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.

Tutum

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kitematic

Simple Docker App management for Mac OS X

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