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  5. Docker vs Dumb-init

Docker vs Dumb-init

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Docker
Docker
Stacks194.2K
Followers143.8K
Votes3.9K
Dumb-init
Dumb-init
Stacks5
Followers19
Votes0
GitHub Stars7.2K
Forks356

Docker vs Dumb-init: What are the differences?

# Key Differences between Docker and Dumb-init

Docker and Dumb-init are both tools used in containerization, but they have distinct features and purposes. 

1. **Container Management**: Docker is a complete containerization platform that provides tools for building, deploying, and managing containers, while Dumb-init is a simple init system designed specifically for use inside containers to handle reaping zombie processes and signal forwarding.

2. **Size and Resource Usage**: Docker is a powerful yet bulky tool, with a larger footprint and resource requirements, suitable for complex container environments. In contrast, Dumb-init is lightweight, with minimal overhead, making it more suitable for simpler container setups where resource utilization is a concern.

3. **Functionality**: Docker offers a wide range of functionalities such as networking, storage, orchestration, and more, making it suitable for various container workflows. On the other hand, Dumb-init is focused solely on initializing and managing processes within a container, offering a more streamlined and specific solution.

4. **Compatibility**: Docker is a widely adopted containerization platform with extensive community support, compatibility with various operating systems, and a large ecosystem of tools and integrations. Dumb-init, while not as widespread, is highly compatible with most container runtimes and is designed to function well in different container environments.

5. **Ease of Use**: Docker provides a user-friendly interface and robust features that cater to both beginners and advanced users, allowing for easy container deployment and management. In comparison, Dumb-init emphasizes simplicity and ease of implementation, ideal for users looking for a straightforward solution without unnecessary complexities.

6. **Configuration and Customization**: Docker offers extensive configuration options, allowing users to customize various aspects of container setups, networking, and deployment. Conversely, Dumb-init focuses on a specific task and may not provide as many configuration options, leading to a simpler and more streamlined initialization process within containers.

In Summary, Docker is a comprehensive containerization platform with extensive features and capabilities, while Dumb-init is a lightweight and focused tool specifically designed for managing processes within containers, providing a simple and efficient solution for handling process initialization.

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Advice on Docker, Dumb-init

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.

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Detailed Comparison

Docker
Docker
Dumb-init
Dumb-init

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

dumb-init runs as PID 1, acting like a simple init system. It launches a single process and then proxies all received signals to a session rooted at that child process. Since your actual process is no longer PID 1, when it receives signals from dumb-init, the default signal handlers will be applied, and your process will behave as you would expect. If your process dies, dumb-init will also die, taking care to clean up any other processes that might still remain.

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
Acts like a simple init system, Runs as PID1 instead of your process
Statistics
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
7.2K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
356
Stacks
194.2K
Stacks
5
Followers
143.8K
Followers
19
Votes
3.9K
Votes
0
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
No community feedback yet
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
Docker Machine
Docker Machine
Vagrant
Vagrant
No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Docker, Dumb-init?

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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