Docker Swarm vs Apache Mesos

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Docker Swarm

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Apache Mesos

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Apache Mesos vs Docker Swarm: What are the differences?

Introduction

Apache Mesos and Docker Swarm are both container orchestration tools that help manage and scale applications in a distributed environment. However, they have key differences that differentiate them in terms of functionality and architecture.

  1. Resource Management: Apache Mesos uses fine-grained resource sharing by offering each framework the ability to allocate resources dynamically, leading to more efficient resource utilization. On the other hand, Docker Swarm utilizes a coarser level of resource allocation, where resources are allocated based on the whole container.

  2. Networking: Docker Swarm allows each container to have its unique IP address, which simplifies networking and enables containers to communicate directly. In contrast, Apache Mesos relies on external projects like Marathon or Chronos for networking support, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the networking setup.

  3. Scalability: Docker Swarm is designed for simplicity and is easier to set up and use for small to medium-sized clusters. Apache Mesos, on the other hand, is built for scalability and can handle larger clusters more efficiently due to its fine-grained resource allocation capabilities.

  4. Ecosystem Integration: Apache Mesos has a larger ecosystem and supports a broader range of frameworks such as Marathon, Chronos, and Aurora, making it more versatile for various use cases. Docker Swarm, while integrated with other Docker tools like Docker Compose and Docker CLI, does not have as extensive of an ecosystem as Apache Mesos.

  5. Fault Tolerance: Docker Swarm relies on the Docker daemon for fault tolerance, which can lead to a single point of failure if the daemon goes down. Apache Mesos, on the other hand, distributes the master nodes for fault tolerance ensuring the system remains operational even if a node fails.

  6. Container Image Management: Docker Swarm simplifies container image management by allowing easy distribution and sharing of Docker images through the use of Docker Registry. Apache Mesos, on the other hand, lacks built-in support for container image management and relies on external tools or frameworks to achieve similar functionality.

In Summary, Apache Mesos excels in resource management, ecosystem integration, and fault tolerance, catering more towards large-scale and complex clusters, while Docker Swarm focuses on simplicity, networking, and container image management, making it more suitable for smaller, straightforward deployments.

Decisions about Docker Swarm and Apache Mesos
Simon Reymann
Senior Fullstack Developer at QUANTUSflow Software GmbH · | 30 upvotes · 10.7M views

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.
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Pros of Docker Swarm
Pros of Apache Mesos
  • 55
    Docker friendly
  • 46
    Easy to setup
  • 40
    Standard Docker API
  • 38
    Easy to use
  • 23
    Native
  • 22
    Free
  • 13
    Clustering made easy
  • 12
    Simple usage
  • 11
    Integral part of docker
  • 6
    Cross Platform
  • 5
    Labels and annotations
  • 5
    Performance
  • 3
    Easy Networking
  • 3
    Shallow learning curve
  • 21
    Easy scaling
  • 6
    Web UI
  • 2
    Fault-Tolerant
  • 1
    Elastic Distributed System
  • 1
    High-Available

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Cons of Docker Swarm
Cons of Apache Mesos
  • 9
    Low adoption
  • 1
    Not for long term
  • 1
    Depends on Zookeeper

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What is 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.

What is Apache Mesos?

Apache Mesos is a cluster manager that simplifies the complexity of running applications on a shared pool of servers.

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What are some alternatives to Docker Swarm and Apache Mesos?
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.
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.
Ansible
Ansible is an IT automation tool. It can configure systems, deploy software, and orchestrate more advanced IT tasks such as continuous deployments or zero downtime rolling updates. Ansible’s goals are foremost those of simplicity and maximum ease of use.
CoreOS
It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.
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.
See all alternatives