Docker Compose vs kaniko

Overview

Docker Compose

Stacks22.3K

Followers16.5K

Votes501

GitHub Stars36.4K

Forks5.5K

kaniko

Stacks44

Followers79

Votes4

GitHub Stars15.7K

Forks1.5K

Docker Compose vs kaniko: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker Compose and kaniko are both popular tools used in containerization and building container images. However, there are key differences between them. In this article, we will explore and highlight the main differences between Docker Compose and kaniko.

Build Context and Dependencies: When using Docker Compose, the build context for the container image is typically the directory where the Dockerfile is located. Docker Compose is mainly used to define and run multi-container applications, where each container can have its own Dockerfile and build context. On the other hand, kaniko allows building container images from a remote source, such as a Git repository. It can also handle complex dependencies by pulling the source code and dependencies during the build process, making it suitable for building images in CI/CD pipelines.
Build Location: Docker Compose builds the container image directly on the host machine where Docker is installed. This means that the host machine requires Docker to be installed for building the images. On the contrary, kaniko runs as a container itself, which means it can build container images without the need for Docker to be installed on the host machine. This flexibility allows kaniko to be used in environments where Docker is not available or cannot be installed.
Build Isolation and Security: Docker Compose builds images on the host machine, which can introduce security concerns as the host environment can have access to the built image layers. In contrast, kaniko ensures build isolation and security by building the images within separate containers, preventing the host environment from accessing the intermediate image layers. This helps to improve security and prevents potential leakage of sensitive information during the build process.
Building OCI Images: Docker Compose builds Docker images in the Docker image format, which is specific to Docker. However, kaniko supports building Open Container Initiative (OCI) images, which are a more standardized and portable format for container images. This means that container images built with kaniko can be easily consumed and run by other container runtimes that support OCI image format.
Git Integration: While Docker Compose does not have built-in Git integration for building images directly from a remote source, kaniko provides native support for Git repositories. With kaniko, you can specify a Git repository URL and branch or commit hash to automatically fetch the source code during the build process. This feature is particularly useful in CI/CD workflows where the source code is regularly updated and needs to be automatically built into container images.
Caching Mechanism: Docker Compose builds images with a basic caching mechanism, which checks if the files in the build context have changed before rebuilding the image. If no changes are detected, the previously built image layers are used, which can significantly speed up subsequent builds. Kaniko, on the other hand, provides a more advanced caching mechanism that takes into account the exact files and dependencies used during the build. This ensures that only the necessary components are rebuilt, reducing build time even further.

In summary, Docker Compose is primarily used for defining and running multi-container applications with local build context, while kaniko offers more flexibility and security by allowing remote source builds, supporting OCI images, providing built-in Git integration, and offering advanced caching mechanisms.

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Advice on Docker Compose, kaniko

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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Detailed Comparison

Docker Compose	kaniko
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.	A tool to build container images from a Dockerfile, inside a container or Kubernetes cluster. kaniko doesn't depend on a Docker daemon and executes each command within a Dockerfile completely in userspace. This enables building container images in environments that can't easily or securely run a Docker daemon, such as a standard Kubernetes cluster.
-	Build container images in environments that can't easily or securely run a Docker daemon, such as a standard Kubernetes cluster
Statistics
GitHub Stars 36.4K	GitHub Stars 15.7K
GitHub Forks 5.5K	GitHub Forks 1.5K
Stacks 22.3K	Stacks 44
Followers 16.5K	Followers 79
Votes 501	Votes 4
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	Pros 3 No need for docker demon 1 Automation using jules Cons 1 Slow compared to docker
Integrations
Docker	Kubernetes Docker Google Cloud Container Builder

What are some alternatives to Docker Compose, kaniko?

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 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 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

Related Comparisons

Docker Compose vs kaniko: What are the differences?

Introduction

Build Context and Dependencies: When using Docker Compose, the build context for the container image is typically the directory where the Dockerfile is located. Docker Compose is mainly used to define and run multi-container applications, where each container can have its own Dockerfile and build context. On the other hand, kaniko allows building container images from a remote source, such as a Git repository. It can also handle complex dependencies by pulling the source code and dependencies during the build process, making it suitable for building images in CI/CD pipelines.
Build Location: Docker Compose builds the container image directly on the host machine where Docker is installed. This means that the host machine requires Docker to be installed for building the images. On the contrary, kaniko runs as a container itself, which means it can build container images without the need for Docker to be installed on the host machine. This flexibility allows kaniko to be used in environments where Docker is not available or cannot be installed.
Build Isolation and Security: Docker Compose builds images on the host machine, which can introduce security concerns as the host environment can have access to the built image layers. In contrast, kaniko ensures build isolation and security by building the images within separate containers, preventing the host environment from accessing the intermediate image layers. This helps to improve security and prevents potential leakage of sensitive information during the build process.
Building OCI Images: Docker Compose builds Docker images in the Docker image format, which is specific to Docker. However, kaniko supports building Open Container Initiative (OCI) images, which are a more standardized and portable format for container images. This means that container images built with kaniko can be easily consumed and run by other container runtimes that support OCI image format.
Git Integration: While Docker Compose does not have built-in Git integration for building images directly from a remote source, kaniko provides native support for Git repositories. With kaniko, you can specify a Git repository URL and branch or commit hash to automatically fetch the source code during the build process. This feature is particularly useful in CI/CD workflows where the source code is regularly updated and needs to be automatically built into container images.
Caching Mechanism: Docker Compose builds images with a basic caching mechanism, which checks if the files in the build context have changed before rebuilding the image. If no changes are detected, the previously built image layers are used, which can significantly speed up subsequent builds. Kaniko, on the other hand, provides a more advanced caching mechanism that takes into account the exact files and dependencies used during the build. This ensures that only the necessary components are rebuilt, reducing build time even further.

Docker Compose vs kaniko

Overview

Docker Compose vs kaniko: What are the differences?