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  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Container Registry
  4. Container Tools
  5. Docker Machine vs Lens

Docker Machine vs Lens

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Docker Machine
Docker Machine
Stacks430
Followers518
Votes12
Lens
Lens
Stacks151
Followers183
Votes9
GitHub Stars23.0K
Forks1.5K

Docker Machine vs Lens: What are the differences?

Introduction: Docker Machine and Lens are both tools used in the management and monitoring of Docker containers. However, they have key differences that set them apart.

  1. Deployment and Provisioning: Docker Machine is primarily used for the deployment and provisioning of Docker hosts on local machines, cloud providers, or virtual machines. It automates the process of setting up Docker environments, making it easier to create and manage containers. On the other hand, Lens is a Kubernetes IDE and cluster manager that provides a graphical user interface for interacting with Kubernetes clusters, making it more focused on managing Kubernetes resources.

  2. User Interface: Docker Machine is a command-line tool that requires users to run commands and scripts to manage Docker environments. In contrast, Lens offers a user-friendly graphical interface that allows users to visualize their Kubernetes clusters, workloads, and resources in a more intuitive way.

  3. Scope of Management: Docker Machine is primarily focused on managing Docker containers and hosts, providing a simplified interface for working with Docker environments. Lens, on the other hand, is designed specifically for managing and monitoring Kubernetes clusters, providing a comprehensive view of the cluster state and resources.

  4. Monitoring Capabilities: Lens offers advanced monitoring capabilities for Kubernetes clusters, allowing users to track metrics, logs, and events within the cluster. Docker Machine, while offering basic monitoring features, is not as robust in terms of monitoring and troubleshooting capabilities compared to Lens.

  5. Integration with Kubernetes Ecosystem: Lens is tightly integrated with the Kubernetes ecosystem, offering features like Helm chart management, cluster explorer, and seamless integration with the Kubernetes API. Docker Machine, on the other hand, is more focused on managing individual Docker hosts and containers and does not offer the same level of integration with Kubernetes resources.

  6. Community Support and Updates: Lens has a dedicated community that actively contributes to the development and improvement of the tool, resulting in frequent updates and new features. Docker Machine, while widely used, may not receive as frequent updates or community support compared to Lens.

In Summary, Docker Machine is focused on managing Docker containers and hosts through command-line interfaces, while Lens is a Kubernetes IDE with a graphical user interface for managing and monitoring Kubernetes clusters.

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Detailed Comparison

Docker Machine
Docker Machine
Lens
Lens

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.

It is the only IDE you’ll ever need to take control of your Kubernetes clusters. It is a standalone application for MacOS, Windows and Linux operating systems. It is open source and free.

-
Multi Cluster Management; Multiple Workspaces; Built-In Prometheus Stats; Built-in Helm Applications Management; Context Aware Terminal;
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
23.0K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
1.5K
Stacks
430
Stacks
151
Followers
518
Followers
183
Votes
12
Votes
9
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 12
    Easy docker hosts management
Pros
  • 4
    Keep track of cluster changes
  • 2
    Open Source
  • 2
    Easy management of multiple clusters
  • 1
    Local installation, not SaaS
Integrations
Docker
Docker
Kubernetes
Kubernetes
Linux
Linux
macOS
macOS
Windows
Windows

What are some alternatives to Docker Machine, Lens?

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 Compose

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

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.

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