Docker vs KVM

Overview

Docker

Stacks194.2K

Followers143.8K

Votes3.9K

KVM

Stacks189

Followers234

Votes8

Docker vs KVM: What are the differences?

Docker vs KVM

Docker and KVM are both popular virtualization technologies used in the world of cloud computing. While both provide isolation for running applications, there are key differences between them that make each suitable for specific use cases.

Containerization vs Hypervisor: Docker uses containerization, which allows applications to be packaged with all the necessary dependencies and run in isolated environments called containers. On the other hand, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) uses a hypervisor to create and manage separate virtual machines that mimic the underlying hardware.
Resource Efficiency: Docker is known for its lightweight design, enabling it to utilize system resources more efficiently compared to KVM. With containerization, Docker shares the host OS and kernel among multiple containers, resulting in faster startup times and lower resource overhead.
Isolation Level: KVM provides a higher level of isolation between virtual machines by emulating separate hardware resources for each VM. In contrast, Docker containers share the underlying host OS and kernel, which may lead to potential security risks if proper measures are not taken.
Application Portability: Docker offers excellent application portability by packaging dependencies and configurations into portable containers. These containers can be easily moved between different environments, such as development, testing, and production, without any compatibility issues. KVM, on the other hand, requires the entire VM image and configuration to be migrated, which can be more complex and time-consuming.
Performance: As Docker containers share the host OS and kernel, they tend to have better overall performance compared to KVM virtual machines. The reduced overhead of virtualization allows applications to run at near-native speed, making Docker well-suited for high-performance workloads.
Management and Deployment: Docker provides a robust set of tools for managing and deploying applications, such as Docker Compose for defining multi-container environments and Docker Swarm for orchestrating and scaling container clusters. KVM, on the other hand, requires more traditional management and deployment tools, often involving manually configuring VMs and managing complex networking setups.

In summary, Docker and KVM offer different approaches to virtualization. Docker provides lightweight containerization for efficient resource utilization and easy application portability, while KVM delivers higher isolation and a more traditional virtual machine model. The choice between them depends on specific requirements, performance needs, and the desired level of isolation for the applications being deployed.

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Advice on Docker, KVM

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	KVM
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	KVM (for Kernel-based Virtual Machine) is a full virtualization solution for Linux on x86 hardware containing virtualization extensions (Intel VT or AMD-V).
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 189
Followers 143.8K	Followers 234
Votes 3.9K	Votes 8
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 4 No license issues 2 Very fast 2 Flexible network options
Integrations
Java Docker Compose VirtualBox Linux Amazon EC2 Container Service Docker Swarm boot2docker Kubernetes Docker Machine Vagrant	No integrations available

What are some alternatives to Docker, KVM?

VirtualBox

VirtualBox is a powerful x86 and AMD64/Intel64 virtualization product for enterprise as well as home use. Not only is VirtualBox an extremely feature rich, high performance product for enterprise customers, it is also the only professional solution that is freely available as Open Source Software under the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) version 2.

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.

Proxmox VE

It is a complete open-source platform for all-inclusive enterprise virtualization that tightly integrates KVM hypervisor and LXC containers, software-defined storage and networking functionality on a single platform, and easily manages high availability clusters and disaster recovery tools with the built-in web management interface.

VMware vSphere

vSphere is the world’s leading server virtualization platform. Run fewer servers and reduce capital and operating costs using VMware vSphere to build a cloud computing infrastructure.

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.

rkt

Rocket is a cli for running App Containers. The goal of rocket is to be composable, secure, and fast.

Qemu

When used as a machine emulator, it can run OSes and programs made for one machine (e.g. an ARM board) on a different machine (e.g. your own PC). By using dynamic translation, it achieves very good performance. When used as a virtualizer, it achieves near native performance by executing the guest code directly on the host CPU. it supports virtualization when executing under the Xen hypervisor or using the KVM kernel module in Linux. When using KVM, it can virtualize x86, server and embedded PowerPC, 64-bit POWER, S390, 32-bit and 64-bit ARM, and MIPS guests.

Parallels Desktop

Parallels Desktop for Mac allows you to seamlessly run both Windows and MacOS applications side-by-side with speed, control and confidence.

Vagrant Cloud

Vagrant Cloud pairs with Vagrant to enable access, insight and collaboration across teams, as well as to bring exposure to community contributions and development environments.

Parallels

It is an application and desktop virtualization software vendor that offers management and delivery platforms for Apple macOS and Microsoft Windows desktop deployments.

Related Comparisons

Docker vs KVM: What are the differences?

Docker vs KVM

Containerization vs Hypervisor: Docker uses containerization, which allows applications to be packaged with all the necessary dependencies and run in isolated environments called containers. On the other hand, KVM (Kernel-based Virtual Machine) uses a hypervisor to create and manage separate virtual machines that mimic the underlying hardware.
Resource Efficiency: Docker is known for its lightweight design, enabling it to utilize system resources more efficiently compared to KVM. With containerization, Docker shares the host OS and kernel among multiple containers, resulting in faster startup times and lower resource overhead.
Isolation Level: KVM provides a higher level of isolation between virtual machines by emulating separate hardware resources for each VM. In contrast, Docker containers share the underlying host OS and kernel, which may lead to potential security risks if proper measures are not taken.
Application Portability: Docker offers excellent application portability by packaging dependencies and configurations into portable containers. These containers can be easily moved between different environments, such as development, testing, and production, without any compatibility issues. KVM, on the other hand, requires the entire VM image and configuration to be migrated, which can be more complex and time-consuming.
Performance: As Docker containers share the host OS and kernel, they tend to have better overall performance compared to KVM virtual machines. The reduced overhead of virtualization allows applications to run at near-native speed, making Docker well-suited for high-performance workloads.
Management and Deployment: Docker provides a robust set of tools for managing and deploying applications, such as Docker Compose for defining multi-container environments and Docker Swarm for orchestrating and scaling container clusters. KVM, on the other hand, requires more traditional management and deployment tools, often involving manually configuring VMs and managing complex networking setups.

Docker vs KVM

Overview

Docker vs KVM: What are the differences?