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Docker vs OpenVZ: What are the differences?

Introduction

Docker and OpenVZ are both popular containerization technologies used for virtualization, but they have key differences that set them apart.

  1. Architecture: Docker utilizes a containerization approach at the application level, whereas OpenVZ works at the operating system level with a container-based virtualization solution. Docker containers are isolated from the host system but share the same kernel, while OpenVZ containers have their kernel modules and are more tightly integrated with the host system.

  2. Portability: Docker containers are more portable as they can run on any system that has Docker installed, regardless of the underlying operating system. On the other hand, OpenVZ containers are limited to running on systems that support the OpenVZ kernel.

  3. Resource Management: Docker provides more flexibility in resource management through the use of cgroups and namespaces, allowing users to control CPU, memory, and other resources. OpenVZ offers efficient resource management through its streamlined kernel-level virtualization, providing better performance in some cases.

  4. Overhead and Performance: Docker has less overhead compared to OpenVZ, making it more suitable for lightweight, single-application containers. OpenVZ, due to its OS-level virtualization, may have higher overhead but can offer better performance for applications requiring closer integration with the host system.

  5. Networking: Docker provides network isolation for containers through a virtual bridge and network namespaces. OpenVZ, on the other hand, uses a single network stack for all containers, which can lead to potential security concerns but simplifies network configuration.

  6. Security: Docker is often considered more secure due to its layered approach to containerization and image management. OpenVZ, while also providing isolation, may have security implications if the host OS is compromised, as all containers share the same kernel.

In Summary, Docker and OpenVZ differ in their architecture, portability, resource management, overhead, networking, and security approaches, each offering unique benefits and trade-offs in containerization.

Decisions about Docker and OpenVZ
Florian Sager
IT DevOp at Agitos GmbH · | 3 upvotes · 404.7K views
Chose
LXDLXD
over
DockerDocker

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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Pros of Docker
Pros of OpenVZ
  • 823
    Rapid integration and build up
  • 691
    Isolation
  • 521
    Open source
  • 505
    Testa­bil­i­ty and re­pro­ducibil­i­ty
  • 460
    Lightweight
  • 218
    Standardization
  • 185
    Scalable
  • 106
    Upgrading / down­grad­ing / ap­pli­ca­tion versions
  • 88
    Security
  • 85
    Private paas environments
  • 34
    Portability
  • 26
    Limit resource usage
  • 17
    Game changer
  • 16
    I love the way docker has changed virtualization
  • 14
    Fast
  • 12
    Concurrency
  • 8
    Docker's Compose tools
  • 6
    Easy setup
  • 6
    Fast and Portable
  • 5
    Because its fun
  • 4
    Makes shipping to production very simple
  • 3
    Highly useful
  • 3
    It's dope
  • 2
    Very easy to setup integrate and build
  • 2
    HIgh Throughput
  • 2
    Package the environment with the application
  • 2
    Does a nice job hogging memory
  • 2
    Open source and highly configurable
  • 2
    Simplicity, isolation, resource effective
  • 2
    MacOS support FAKE
  • 2
    Its cool
  • 2
    Docker hub for the FTW
  • 2
    Super
  • 0
    Asdfd
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    Cons of Docker
    Cons of OpenVZ
    • 8
      New versions == broken features
    • 6
      Unreliable networking
    • 6
      Documentation not always in sync
    • 4
      Moves quickly
    • 3
      Not Secure
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      What is Docker?

      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

      What is OpenVZ?

      Virtuozzo leverages OpenVZ as its core of a virtualization solution offered by Virtuozzo company. Virtuozzo is optimized for hosters and offers hypervisor (VMs in addition to containers), distributed cloud storage, dedicated support, management tools, and easy installation.

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      What companies use OpenVZ?
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      What tools integrate with Docker?
      What tools integrate with OpenVZ?

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      What are some alternatives to Docker and OpenVZ?
      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.
      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.
      Cloud Foundry
      Cloud Foundry is an open platform as a service (PaaS) that provides a choice of clouds, developer frameworks, and application services. Cloud Foundry makes it faster and easier to build, test, deploy, and scale applications.
      Vagrant
      Vagrant provides the framework and configuration format to create and manage complete portable development environments. These development environments can live on your computer or in the cloud, and are portable between Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
      See all alternatives