Docker vs Dokku

Overview

Docker

Stacks194.2K

Followers143.8K

Votes3.9K

Dokku

Stacks180

Followers216

Votes69

GitHub Stars31.4K

Forks2.0K

Docker vs Dokku: What are the differences?

Introduction

The following Markdown code provides a comparison between Docker and Dokku, highlighting their key differences.

Containerization Capability: Docker is a full-fledged containerization platform that allows users to create, deploy, and manage containers. It provides a highly efficient way to run applications in isolated environments. On the other hand, Dokku is a platform built on top of Docker, providing a Heroku-like experience for deploying and managing applications. It simplifies container deployment by abstracting away the complexities of Docker commands.
Ease of Use: Docker provides a comprehensive set of features and functionalities for container management, making it suitable for large-scale deployments and complex application setups. However, it requires a learning curve and a good understanding of Docker concepts. In contrast, Dokku aims to provide a simple and minimalistic experience. It abstracts many Docker concepts and offers a streamlined interface for application deployment. Dokku is easier to set up and get started with, especially for developers who are already familiar with Heroku.
Scalability and Orchestration: Docker inherently comes with advanced orchestration capabilities through tools like Swarm and Kubernetes. It allows users to manage large-scale deployments, scale applications horizontally, and provide high availability. Dokku, being a simpler platform, lacks advanced orchestration capabilities. It is primarily focused on individual application deployments and may not be suitable for complex architectures that require extensive scaling and orchestration.
Supported Languages and Frameworks: Docker provides an extensive ecosystem with support for various programming languages and frameworks. It allows users to build and run applications written in different technologies. On the other hand, Dokku is more opinionated and primarily designed for Ruby, Node.js, and Python applications. Although it supports other languages to some extent, the majority of its features and plugins are tailored for these specific technologies.
User Interface: Docker primarily interacts through command-line interfaces (CLIs) or API calls. It provides a powerful CLI for managing containers, images, networks, and other Docker components. In contrast, Dokku comes with a web-based user interface that allows users to manage applications, domains, and plugins from a graphical interface. This makes Dokku more user-friendly for those who prefer a visual interface instead of the command line.
Community and Support: Docker has a vast and active community, with extensive documentation, online forums, and resources available. It is widely adopted by organizations of all sizes and has strong industry support. Dokku, being a more niche platform, has a smaller community compared to Docker. While there are resources and community support available for Dokku, it may not have the same level of extensive documentation and support as Docker.

In summary, Docker is a comprehensive containerization platform with advanced orchestration capabilities, wide language support, a powerful CLI, and a large community. Dokku, on the other hand, is a simplified platform built on top of Docker, providing an easy-to-use interface, a focus on specific languages/frameworks, a web-based UI, and a smaller community.

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Advice on Docker, Dokku

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.

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Detailed Comparison

Docker	Dokku
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	It is an extensible, open source Platform as a Service that runs on a single server of your choice. It helps you build and manage the lifecycle of applications from building to scaling.
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	Open source PAAS alternative to Heroku; No vendor lock-in; Getting started is extremely easy; Extensible & customizable
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 31.4K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 2.0K
Stacks 194.2K	Stacks 180
Followers 143.8K	Followers 216
Votes 3.9K	Votes 69
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 23 Simple 12 Open Source 11 Built on Docker 11 Free 4 Git deploy
Integrations
Java Docker Compose VirtualBox Linux Amazon EC2 Container Service Docker Swarm boot2docker Kubernetes Docker Machine Vagrant	Ubuntu Semaphore Drone.io CloudBees Arch Linux GitLab CI Travis CI CircleCI GitHub Actions Debian

What are some alternatives to Docker, Dokku?

Heroku

Heroku is a cloud application platform – a new way of building and deploying web apps. Heroku lets app developers spend 100% of their time on their application code, not managing servers, deployment, ongoing operations, or scaling.

Clever Cloud

Clever Cloud is a polyglot cloud application platform. The service helps developers to build applications with many languages and services, with auto-scaling features and a true pay-as-you-go pricing model.

Google App Engine

Google has a reputation for highly reliable, high performance infrastructure. With App Engine you can take advantage of the 10 years of knowledge Google has in running massively scalable, performance driven systems. App Engine applications are easy to build, easy to maintain, and easy to scale as your traffic and data storage needs grow.

Red Hat OpenShift

OpenShift is Red Hat's Cloud Computing Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering. OpenShift is an application platform in the cloud where application developers and teams can build, test, deploy, and run their applications.

AWS Elastic Beanstalk

Once you upload your application, Elastic Beanstalk automatically handles the deployment details of capacity provisioning, load balancing, auto-scaling, and application health monitoring.

Render

Render is a unified platform to build and run all your apps and websites with free SSL, a global CDN, private networks and auto deploys from Git.

Hasura

An open source GraphQL engine that deploys instant, realtime GraphQL APIs on any Postgres database.

Cloud 66

Cloud 66 gives you everything you need to build, deploy and maintain your applications on any cloud, without the headache of dealing with "server stuff". Frameworks: Ruby on Rails, Node.js, Jamstack, Laravel, GoLang, and more.

Jelastic

Jelastic is a Multi-Cloud DevOps PaaS for ISVs, telcos, service providers and enterprises needing to speed up development, reduce cost of IT infrastructure, improve uptime and security.

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.

Related Comparisons

Docker vs Dokku: What are the differences?

Introduction

The following Markdown code provides a comparison between Docker and Dokku, highlighting their key differences.

Containerization Capability: Docker is a full-fledged containerization platform that allows users to create, deploy, and manage containers. It provides a highly efficient way to run applications in isolated environments. On the other hand, Dokku is a platform built on top of Docker, providing a Heroku-like experience for deploying and managing applications. It simplifies container deployment by abstracting away the complexities of Docker commands.
Ease of Use: Docker provides a comprehensive set of features and functionalities for container management, making it suitable for large-scale deployments and complex application setups. However, it requires a learning curve and a good understanding of Docker concepts. In contrast, Dokku aims to provide a simple and minimalistic experience. It abstracts many Docker concepts and offers a streamlined interface for application deployment. Dokku is easier to set up and get started with, especially for developers who are already familiar with Heroku.
Scalability and Orchestration: Docker inherently comes with advanced orchestration capabilities through tools like Swarm and Kubernetes. It allows users to manage large-scale deployments, scale applications horizontally, and provide high availability. Dokku, being a simpler platform, lacks advanced orchestration capabilities. It is primarily focused on individual application deployments and may not be suitable for complex architectures that require extensive scaling and orchestration.
Supported Languages and Frameworks: Docker provides an extensive ecosystem with support for various programming languages and frameworks. It allows users to build and run applications written in different technologies. On the other hand, Dokku is more opinionated and primarily designed for Ruby, Node.js, and Python applications. Although it supports other languages to some extent, the majority of its features and plugins are tailored for these specific technologies.
User Interface: Docker primarily interacts through command-line interfaces (CLIs) or API calls. It provides a powerful CLI for managing containers, images, networks, and other Docker components. In contrast, Dokku comes with a web-based user interface that allows users to manage applications, domains, and plugins from a graphical interface. This makes Dokku more user-friendly for those who prefer a visual interface instead of the command line.
Community and Support: Docker has a vast and active community, with extensive documentation, online forums, and resources available. It is widely adopted by organizations of all sizes and has strong industry support. Dokku, being a more niche platform, has a smaller community compared to Docker. While there are resources and community support available for Dokku, it may not have the same level of extensive documentation and support as Docker.

Docker vs Dokku

Overview

Docker vs Dokku: What are the differences?