Docker vs ngrok

Overview

Docker

Stacks194.2K

Followers143.8K

Votes3.9K

ngrok

Stacks419

Followers457

Votes57

GitHub Stars24.4K

Forks4.3K

Docker vs ngrok: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker and ngrok are both tools commonly used in web development and testing. While they serve different purposes, they have some key differences that set them apart.

Deployment and Isolation: Docker is a containerization platform that allows applications to be packaged with all their dependencies, including the operating system. It provides a consistent environment for running applications across different systems. In contrast, ngrok is a tunneling software that creates secure connections to expose local servers to the internet. It does not provide isolation or packaging of applications.
Dynamic IP Address: Docker provides an isolated network environment for containers, which allows them to have their own IP addresses. This means that multiple containers can run on the same host with different IP addresses. Ngrok, on the other hand, generates a temporary, dynamically-assigned public URL for tunneling. This URL is not tied to a specific IP address and can change every time ngrok is started.
Portability: Docker containers can be easily moved between different host machines, making them highly portable. The containerized application will run the same regardless of the underlying infrastructure. Ngrok, on the other hand, is dependent on the host machine and network for tunneling. It requires ngrok to be installed and running on the specific host machine to expose the local server.
Resource Utilization: Docker containers provide efficient resource utilization by sharing the host machine's kernel. They use fewer resources compared to running separate virtual machines for each application. Ngrok, however, requires some resources to create and maintain the tunnel between the local server and the internet. This additional overhead can impact resource utilization, especially on low-powered machines.
Advanced Networking: Docker provides powerful networking capabilities, such as creating networks and defining complex network configurations across containers. It allows for inter-container communication and exposes ports to specific host interfaces. Ngrok, on the other hand, primarily focuses on tunneling and does not offer as many advanced networking features as Docker.
Security: Docker provides an additional layer of security by isolating the application and its dependencies, preventing interference with the host system. It also allows for fine-grained control over network access, environment variables, and resource allocation. Ngrok, while secure in its tunneling, does not provide the same level of isolation or control as Docker.

In summary, Docker is a containerization platform that provides a consistent and portable environment for running applications, with advanced networking capabilities and enhanced security. Ngrok, on the other hand, is a tunneling software that allows secure connections to expose local servers to the internet, but lacks the isolation and portability of Docker.

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Advice on Docker, ngrok

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	ngrok
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	ngrok is a reverse proxy that creates a secure tunnel between from a public endpoint to a locally running web service. ngrok captures and analyzes all traffic over the tunnel for later inspection and replay.
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	Expose any http service behind a NAT or firewall to the internet on a subdomain of ngrok.com;Expose any tcp service behind a NAT or firewall to the internet on a random port of ngrok.com;Inspect all http requests/responses that are transmitted over the tunnel;Replay any request that was transmitted over the tunnel
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 24.4K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 4.3K
Stacks 194.2K	Stacks 419
Followers 143.8K	Followers 457
Votes 3.9K	Votes 57
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 26 Easy to use 11 Super-fast 7 Free 6 Awesome traffic analysis page 5 Reliable custom domains Cons 5 Doesn't Support UDP 1 El tunel SSH cambia de dominio constantemente
Integrations
Java Docker Compose VirtualBox Linux Amazon EC2 Container Service Docker Swarm boot2docker Kubernetes Docker Machine Vagrant	Twilio SendGrid GitHub Slack

What are some alternatives to Docker, ngrok?

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.

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.

Termius

The #1 cross-platform terminal with built-in ssh client which works as your own portable server management system in any situation.

rkt

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

GoTTY

GoTTY is a simple command line tool that turns your CLI tools into web applications.

PageKite

PageKite is a system for exposing localhost servers to the public Internet. It is most commonly used to make local web servers or SSH servers publicly visible, although almost any TCP-based protocol can work if the client knows how to use an HTTP proxy.

MAMP

It can be installed under macOS and Windows with just a few clicks. It provides them with all the tools they need to run WordPress on their desktop PC for testing or development purposes, for example. It doesn't matter if you prefer Apache or Nginx or if you want to work with PHP, Python, Perl or Ruby.

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.

warp

warp lets you securely share your terminal with one simple command: warp open. When connected to your warp, clients can see your terminal exactly as if they were sitting next to you. You can also grant them write access, the equivalent of handing them your keyboard.

Studio 3T

It's the only MongoDB tool that provides three ways to explore data alongside powerful features like query autocompletion, polyglot code generation, a stage-by-stage aggregation query builder, import and export, SQL query support and more.

Related Comparisons

Docker vs ngrok: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker and ngrok are both tools commonly used in web development and testing. While they serve different purposes, they have some key differences that set them apart.

Deployment and Isolation: Docker is a containerization platform that allows applications to be packaged with all their dependencies, including the operating system. It provides a consistent environment for running applications across different systems. In contrast, ngrok is a tunneling software that creates secure connections to expose local servers to the internet. It does not provide isolation or packaging of applications.
Dynamic IP Address: Docker provides an isolated network environment for containers, which allows them to have their own IP addresses. This means that multiple containers can run on the same host with different IP addresses. Ngrok, on the other hand, generates a temporary, dynamically-assigned public URL for tunneling. This URL is not tied to a specific IP address and can change every time ngrok is started.
Portability: Docker containers can be easily moved between different host machines, making them highly portable. The containerized application will run the same regardless of the underlying infrastructure. Ngrok, on the other hand, is dependent on the host machine and network for tunneling. It requires ngrok to be installed and running on the specific host machine to expose the local server.
Resource Utilization: Docker containers provide efficient resource utilization by sharing the host machine's kernel. They use fewer resources compared to running separate virtual machines for each application. Ngrok, however, requires some resources to create and maintain the tunnel between the local server and the internet. This additional overhead can impact resource utilization, especially on low-powered machines.
Advanced Networking: Docker provides powerful networking capabilities, such as creating networks and defining complex network configurations across containers. It allows for inter-container communication and exposes ports to specific host interfaces. Ngrok, on the other hand, primarily focuses on tunneling and does not offer as many advanced networking features as Docker.
Security: Docker provides an additional layer of security by isolating the application and its dependencies, preventing interference with the host system. It also allows for fine-grained control over network access, environment variables, and resource allocation. Ngrok, while secure in its tunneling, does not provide the same level of isolation or control as Docker.

Docker vs ngrok

Overview

Docker vs ngrok: What are the differences?