Docker Hub vs Kubernetes

Overview

Kubernetes

Stacks61.2K

Followers52.8K

Votes685

Docker Hub

Stacks224

Followers262

Votes7

Docker Hub vs Kubernetes: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker Hub and Kubernetes are two popular technologies used in the world of containerization and deployment. While they both serve their own purposes, they differ in several key areas. Let's explore these key differences.

Architecture and Purpose: Docker Hub is a cloud-based service that provides a central repository for Docker images, allowing developers to store and share their container images. It focuses on the container image-building process and is primarily used for building and distributing containers. On the other hand, Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It focuses on the runtime and operational aspects of running containers in production.
Scope of Control: Docker Hub provides control over the container images and their distribution. Developers can push, pull, and manage images using Docker Hub's easy-to-use interface. Kubernetes, on the other hand, provides control over the containerized applications and their infrastructure. It manages the deployment, scaling, and monitoring of applications across multiple containers and hosts.
Networking and Load Balancing: Docker Hub does not provide native networking and load balancing capabilities. It relies on external tools or manual configuration for networking between containers. Kubernetes, on the other hand, has built-in networking and load balancing features. It automatically handles network routing between containers and provides a scalable load balancing solution for distributing traffic.
Application Scalability and Availability: Docker Hub lacks built-in tools for scaling and ensuring high availability of applications. It primarily focuses on the containerization aspect of applications. Kubernetes, on the other hand, excels in application scalability and availability. It allows you to easily scale your application horizontally by adding more replicas and ensures high availability through automatic restarts and replication.
Health Monitoring and Self-Healing: Docker Hub does not have built-in health monitoring and self-healing capabilities. Monitoring and ensuring the health of containers and applications must be handled by external tools or scripts. Kubernetes, on the other hand, monitors the health of containers and applications and provides self-healing capabilities. It automatically restarts failed containers and replaces unhealthy ones to maintain the desired state.
Management and Extensibility: Docker Hub provides a user-friendly interface for managing container images and repositories. However, it is limited to Docker-related tasks and lacks extensive management capabilities. Kubernetes, on the other hand, offers a powerful management interface and API that allows you to manage and monitor your entire cluster. It also supports extensibility through custom resources and controllers, allowing you to extend its functionality as per your requirements.

In summary, Docker Hub focuses on container image building and distribution, while Kubernetes is a comprehensive container orchestration platform that handles the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Kubernetes provides native networking, load balancing, scalability, high availability, health monitoring, and extensive management capabilities that Docker Hub lacks.

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Advice on Kubernetes, Docker Hub

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

Kubernetes	Docker Hub
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.	It is the world's easiest way to create, manage, and deliver your teams' container applications. It is the perfect home for your teams' applications.
Lightweight, simple and accessible;Built for a multi-cloud world, public, private or hybrid;Highly modular, designed so that all of its components are easily swappable	-
Statistics
Stacks 61.2K	Stacks 224
Followers 52.8K	Followers 262
Votes 685	Votes 7
Pros & Cons
Pros 166 Leading docker container management solution 130 Simple and powerful 108 Open source 76 Backed by google 58 The right abstractions Cons 16 Steep learning curve 15 Poor workflow for development 8 Orchestrates only infrastructure 4 High resource requirements for on-prem clusters 2 Too heavy for simple systems	Pros 2 Uses a very familiar collaboration model as GitHub, the 1 Provides public and private repositories 1 Security scanning available 1 Fairly inexpensive with usage based pricing 1 Allows users to set permissions to restrict access or s Cons 1 Lacks LDAP, SAML and OAuth support 1 Does not provide any insight into the registry usage 1 Lacks fine grain access control
Integrations
Vagrant Docker Rackspace Cloud Servers Microsoft Azure Google Compute Engine Ansible Google Kubernetes Engine	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Kubernetes, Docker Hub?

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.

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 Hub vs Kubernetes: What are the differences?

Introduction

Architecture and Purpose: Docker Hub is a cloud-based service that provides a central repository for Docker images, allowing developers to store and share their container images. It focuses on the container image-building process and is primarily used for building and distributing containers. On the other hand, Kubernetes is an open-source container orchestration platform that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It focuses on the runtime and operational aspects of running containers in production.
Scope of Control: Docker Hub provides control over the container images and their distribution. Developers can push, pull, and manage images using Docker Hub's easy-to-use interface. Kubernetes, on the other hand, provides control over the containerized applications and their infrastructure. It manages the deployment, scaling, and monitoring of applications across multiple containers and hosts.
Networking and Load Balancing: Docker Hub does not provide native networking and load balancing capabilities. It relies on external tools or manual configuration for networking between containers. Kubernetes, on the other hand, has built-in networking and load balancing features. It automatically handles network routing between containers and provides a scalable load balancing solution for distributing traffic.
Application Scalability and Availability: Docker Hub lacks built-in tools for scaling and ensuring high availability of applications. It primarily focuses on the containerization aspect of applications. Kubernetes, on the other hand, excels in application scalability and availability. It allows you to easily scale your application horizontally by adding more replicas and ensures high availability through automatic restarts and replication.
Health Monitoring and Self-Healing: Docker Hub does not have built-in health monitoring and self-healing capabilities. Monitoring and ensuring the health of containers and applications must be handled by external tools or scripts. Kubernetes, on the other hand, monitors the health of containers and applications and provides self-healing capabilities. It automatically restarts failed containers and replaces unhealthy ones to maintain the desired state.
Management and Extensibility: Docker Hub provides a user-friendly interface for managing container images and repositories. However, it is limited to Docker-related tasks and lacks extensive management capabilities. Kubernetes, on the other hand, offers a powerful management interface and API that allows you to manage and monitor your entire cluster. It also supports extensibility through custom resources and controllers, allowing you to extend its functionality as per your requirements.

Docker Hub vs Kubernetes

Overview

Docker Hub vs Kubernetes: What are the differences?