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Docker Swarm vs etcd: What are the differences?
Key Differences between Docker Swarm and etcd
Docker Swarm is a container orchestration tool that allows users to manage and control a cluster of Docker nodes, while etcd is a distributed key-value store that provides a reliable and highly-available storage solution for distributed systems.
Architecture: Docker Swarm uses a master-worker architecture, where the master node manages the swarm cluster and worker nodes execute tasks. On the other hand, etcd uses a peer-to-peer architecture, where all nodes are peers and cooperate to maintain consistency.
Purpose: Docker Swarm primarily focuses on providing a container orchestration platform, allowing users to deploy and manage applications in a swarm cluster. In contrast, etcd is designed to be a distributed key-value store, preserving data across failures and providing a reliable storage solution for applications.
Data Consistency: Docker Swarm does not prioritize strong data consistency but rather ensures availability and partition tolerance. In contrast, etcd follows the principles of the Raft consensus algorithm to achieve strong consistency, guaranteeing that all nodes see the same data at the same time.
Leadership Election: In Docker Swarm, leadership election is based on the underlying raft consensus algorithm. If the leader node fails, a new leader is elected. In etcd, leadership election follows the Raft algorithm as well, but additional mechanisms such as lease-based revocation and leader demotion are employed to handle failures more effectively.
Fault Tolerance: Docker Swarm provides fault tolerance by supporting replication of containers across multiple worker nodes. If a worker node fails, the containers are automatically rescheduled on other available nodes. Etcd achieves fault tolerance by replicating data across multiple etcd nodes, ensuring that the system is resilient to failures.
API and Functionality: Docker Swarm provides a comprehensive API and command-line interface (CLI) for managing containers, services, and the swarm cluster. Etcd, on the other hand, exposes a simple key-value API, allowing users to get, set, and delete data stored in the distributed key-value store.
In summary, Docker Swarm is primarily focused on container orchestration and provides a master-worker architecture, while etcd is a distributed key-value store that ensures strong data consistency and fault-tolerance using a peer-to-peer architecture.
Our whole DevOps stack consists of the following tools:
- GitHub (incl. GitHub Pages/Markdown for Documentation, GettingStarted and HowTo's) for collaborative review and code management tool
- Respectively Git as revision control system
- SourceTree as Git GUI
- Visual Studio Code as IDE
- CircleCI for continuous integration (automatize development process)
- Prettier / TSLint / ESLint as code linter
- SonarQube as quality gate
- Docker as container management (incl. Docker Compose for multi-container application management)
- VirtualBox for operating system simulation tests
- Kubernetes as cluster management for docker containers
- Heroku for deploying in test environments
- nginx as web server (preferably used as facade server in production environment)
- SSLMate (using OpenSSL) for certificate management
- Amazon EC2 (incl. Amazon S3) for deploying in stage (production-like) and production environments
- PostgreSQL as preferred database system
- Redis 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.
Pros of Docker Swarm
- Docker friendly55
- Easy to setup46
- Standard Docker API40
- Easy to use38
- Native23
- Free22
- Clustering made easy13
- Simple usage12
- Integral part of docker11
- Cross Platform6
- Labels and annotations5
- Performance5
- Easy Networking3
- Shallow learning curve3
Pros of etcd
- Service discovery11
- Fault tolerant key value store6
- Secure2
- Bundled with coreos2
- Consol integration1
- Privilege Access Management1
- Open Source1
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Cons of Docker Swarm
- Low adoption9
Cons of etcd
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What is Docker Swarm?
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