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  1. Stackups
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  4. Virtual Machine Platforms And Containers
  5. Docker vs Docker Machine

Docker vs Docker Machine

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Docker
Docker
Stacks194.2K
Followers143.8K
Votes3.9K
Docker Machine
Docker Machine
Stacks430
Followers518
Votes12

Docker vs Docker Machine: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Docker and Docker Machine.

  1. Installation and Setup: Docker can be installed directly on a host operating system and is used for managing containers. On the other hand, Docker Machine is a separate tool that helps in the installation, configuration, and management of Docker on remote hosts or virtual machines.

  2. Multiple Host Management: Docker can only manage containers on the local host, while Docker Machine can manage containers on multiple remote hosts or virtual machines. This allows for easy scaling and distribution of containerized applications across different environments.

  3. Provisioning and Management of Hosts: Docker Machine automates the process of provisioning and managing hosts by creating and configuring virtual machines on various cloud providers or local hypervisors. Docker, on the other hand, focuses on container orchestration and management rather than host provisioning.

  4. Platform Support: Docker is available for a wide variety of operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. Docker Machine, however, has limited support and may not work seamlessly on all operating systems.

  5. Remote SSH Access: Docker Machine provides a convenient way to SSH into remote hosts and manage containers on them. Docker, on the other hand, does not offer this feature natively and requires additional configuration to access containers on remote hosts.

  6. Integration with Other Tools: Docker Machine integrates well with other tools in the Docker ecosystem, such as Docker Compose and Docker Swarm, allowing for easy management of multi-host container deployments. Docker, on the other hand, focuses on container management and orchestration within a single host environment.

In summary, Docker is primarily focused on local container management, while Docker Machine extends this functionality by enabling management of containers on remote hosts or virtual machines. Docker Machine also automates the process of provisioning and managing hosts, making it easier to scale and distribute containerized applications.

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Advice on Docker, Docker Machine

Florian
Florian

IT DevOp at Agitos GmbH

Oct 22, 2019

Decided

lxd/lxc and Docker aren't congruent so this comparison needs a more detailed look; but in short I can say: the lxd-integrated administration of storage including zfs with its snapshot capabilities as well as the system container (multi-process) approach of lxc vs. the limited single-process container approach of Docker is the main reason I chose lxd over Docker.

483k views483k
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Detailed Comparison

Docker
Docker
Docker Machine
Docker Machine

The Docker Platform is the industry-leading container platform for continuous, high-velocity innovation, enabling organizations to seamlessly build and share any application — from legacy to what comes next — and securely run them anywhere

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.

Integrated developer tools; open, portable images; shareable, reusable apps; framework-aware builds; standardized templates; multi-environment support; remote registry management; simple setup for Docker and Kubernetes; certified Kubernetes; application templates; enterprise controls; secure software supply chain; industry-leading container runtime; image scanning; access controls; image signing; caching and mirroring; image lifecycle; policy-based image promotion
-
Statistics
Stacks
194.2K
Stacks
430
Followers
143.8K
Followers
518
Votes
3.9K
Votes
12
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 823
    Rapid integration and build up
  • 692
    Isolation
  • 521
    Open source
  • 505
    Testa­bil­i­ty and re­pro­ducibil­i­ty
  • 460
    Lightweight
Cons
  • 8
    New versions == broken features
  • 6
    Documentation not always in sync
  • 6
    Unreliable networking
  • 4
    Moves quickly
  • 3
    Not Secure
Pros
  • 12
    Easy docker hosts management
Integrations
Java
Java
Docker Compose
Docker Compose
VirtualBox
VirtualBox
Linux
Linux
Amazon EC2 Container Service
Amazon EC2 Container Service
Docker Swarm
Docker Swarm
boot2docker
boot2docker
Kubernetes
Kubernetes
Vagrant
Vagrant
Google Kubernetes Engine
Google Kubernetes Engine
No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Docker, Docker Machine?

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.

LXD

LXD

LXD isn't a rewrite of LXC, in fact it's building on top of LXC to provide a new, better user experience. Under the hood, LXD uses LXC through liblxc and its Go binding to create and manage the containers. It's basically an alternative to LXC's tools and distribution template system with the added features that come from being controllable over the network.

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.

LXC

LXC

LXC is a userspace interface for the Linux kernel containment features. Through a powerful API and simple tools, it lets Linux users easily create and manage system or application containers.

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.

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