StackShareStackShare
Follow on
StackShare

Discover and share technology stacks from companies around the world.

Follow on

© 2025 StackShare. All rights reserved.

Product

  • Stacks
  • Tools
  • Feed

Company

  • About
  • Contact

Legal

  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
  1. Stackups
  2. Application & Data
  3. Infrastructure as a Service
  4. Cluster Management
  5. Kubernetes vs Mesosphere

Kubernetes vs Mesosphere

OverviewDecisionsComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Mesosphere
Mesosphere
Stacks80
Followers108
Votes6
Kubernetes
Kubernetes
Stacks61.2K
Followers52.8K
Votes685

Kubernetes vs Mesosphere: What are the differences?

Introduction

In the realm of container management platforms, Kubernetes and Mesosphere are two prominent options that offer distinct features and functionalities. Understanding the key differences between these platforms can help organizations make informed decisions about which solution best suits their needs.

  1. Architecture: Kubernetes follows a container orchestration model characterized by a master node that manages multiple worker nodes. In contrast, Mesosphere utilizes the DC/OS (Datacenter Operating System) architecture, which includes a unified resource pool to manage containers and other applications, offering a more comprehensive approach to workload management.

  2. Scalability: Kubernetes is known for its scalability and allows for horizontal scaling of containerized applications by adding more worker nodes to the cluster. Mesosphere, on the other hand, provides scalability through the use of Apache Mesos, enabling efficient resource allocation across diverse workloads and supporting large-scale deployments with ease.

  3. Ease of Use: Kubernetes is regarded for its simplicity and ease of use, making it popular among developers for managing containerized applications effectively. In comparison, Mesosphere offers a more complex setup due to its versatile capabilities, which may require additional resources and expertise to operate efficiently.

  4. Community Support: Kubernetes boasts a large and active open-source community that continuously contributes to its development and enhancement. Mesosphere also has a supportive community; however, its user base may be relatively smaller compared to Kubernetes, potentially impacting the availability of resources and community-driven solutions.

  5. Compatibility: Kubernetes is compatible with various cloud providers and on-premises environments, offering flexibility in deployment options. Mesosphere, while adaptable to multiple environments, is particularly well-suited for enterprises seeking a unified platform for managing diverse workloads across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

  6. Cost Considerations: In terms of cost, Kubernetes is often favored for its cost-effectiveness and minimal resource requirements, providing a practical solution for organizations with budget constraints. Mesosphere, with its advanced features and comprehensive management capabilities, may involve higher operational costs and resource investments.

In Summary, understanding the key differences between Kubernetes and Mesosphere is crucial for organizations seeking the optimal container management platform that aligns with their specific requirements and operational objectives.

Share your Stack

Help developers discover the tools you use. Get visibility for your team's tech choices and contribute to the community's knowledge.

View Docs
CLI (Node.js)
or
Manual

Advice on Mesosphere, Kubernetes

Simon
Simon

Senior Fullstack Developer at QUANTUSflow Software GmbH

Apr 27, 2020

DecidedonGitHubGitHubGitHub PagesGitHub PagesMarkdownMarkdown

Our whole DevOps stack consists of the following tools:

  • @{GitHub}|tool:27| (incl. @{GitHub Pages}|tool:683|/@{Markdown}|tool:1147| for Documentation, GettingStarted and HowTo's) for collaborative review and code management tool
  • Respectively @{Git}|tool:1046| as revision control system
  • @{SourceTree}|tool:1599| as @{Git}|tool:1046| GUI
  • @{Visual Studio Code}|tool:4202| as IDE
  • @{CircleCI}|tool:190| for continuous integration (automatize development process)
  • @{Prettier}|tool:7035| / @{TSLint}|tool:5561| / @{ESLint}|tool:3337| as code linter
  • @{SonarQube}|tool:2638| as quality gate
  • @{Docker}|tool:586| as container management (incl. @{Docker Compose}|tool:3136| for multi-container application management)
  • @{VirtualBox}|tool:774| for operating system simulation tests
  • @{Kubernetes}|tool:1885| as cluster management for docker containers
  • @{Heroku}|tool:133| for deploying in test environments
  • @{nginx}|tool:1052| as web server (preferably used as facade server in production environment)
  • @{SSLMate}|tool:2752| (using @{OpenSSL}|tool:3091|) for certificate management
  • @{Amazon EC2}|tool:18| (incl. @{Amazon S3}|tool:25|) for deploying in stage (production-like) and production environments
  • @{PostgreSQL}|tool:1028| as preferred database system
  • @{Redis}|tool:1031| as preferred in-memory database/store (great for caching)

The main reason we have chosen Kubernetes over Docker Swarm is related to the following artifacts:

  • Key features: Easy and flexible installation, Clear dashboard, Great scaling operations, Monitoring is an integral part, Great load balancing concepts, Monitors the condition and ensures compensation in the event of failure.
  • Applications: An application can be deployed using a combination of pods, deployments, and services (or micro-services).
  • Functionality: Kubernetes as a complex installation and setup process, but it not as limited as Docker Swarm.
  • Monitoring: It supports multiple versions of logging and monitoring when the services are deployed within the cluster (Elasticsearch/Kibana (ELK), Heapster/Grafana, Sysdig cloud integration).
  • Scalability: All-in-one framework for distributed systems.
  • Other Benefits: Kubernetes is backed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), huge community among container orchestration tools, it is an open source and modular tool that works with any OS.
12.8M views12.8M
Comments

Detailed Comparison

Mesosphere
Mesosphere
Kubernetes
Kubernetes

Mesosphere offers a layer of software that organizes your machines, VMs, and cloud instances and lets applications draw from a single pool of intelligently- and dynamically-allocated resources, increasing efficiency and reducing operational complexity.

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.

Built on top of open source technology;Grow to tens of thousands of nodes effortlessly while dynamically allocating resources with ease.;Mesosphere keeps your apps running by rebalancing resources and restarting failed tasks automatically.;Mesosphere packs each server with multiple apps, increasing resource utilization.;
Lightweight, simple and accessible;Built for a multi-cloud world, public, private or hybrid;Highly modular, designed so that all of its components are easily swappable
Statistics
Stacks
80
Stacks
61.2K
Followers
108
Followers
52.8K
Votes
6
Votes
685
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 6
    Devops
Pros
  • 166
    Leading docker container management solution
  • 130
    Simple and powerful
  • 108
    Open source
  • 76
    Backed by google
  • 58
    The right abstractions
Cons
  • 16
    Steep learning curve
  • 15
    Poor workflow for development
  • 8
    Orchestrates only infrastructure
  • 4
    High resource requirements for on-prem clusters
  • 2
    Too heavy for simple systems
Integrations
Amazon EC2
Amazon EC2
OpenStack
OpenStack
Docker
Docker
Red Hat OpenShift
Red Hat OpenShift
Apache Mesos
Apache Mesos
Vagrant
Vagrant
Docker
Docker
Rackspace Cloud Servers
Rackspace Cloud Servers
Microsoft Azure
Microsoft Azure
Google Compute Engine
Google Compute Engine
Ansible
Ansible
Google Kubernetes Engine
Google Kubernetes Engine

What are some alternatives to Mesosphere, Kubernetes?

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.

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.

Nomad

Nomad

Nomad is a cluster manager, designed for both long lived services and short lived batch processing workloads. Developers use a declarative job specification to submit work, and Nomad ensures constraints are satisfied and resource utilization is optimized by efficient task packing. Nomad supports all major operating systems and virtualized, containerized, or standalone applications.

Apache Mesos

Apache Mesos

Apache Mesos is a cluster manager that simplifies the complexity of running applications on a shared pool of servers.

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.

k3s

k3s

Certified Kubernetes distribution designed for production workloads in unattended, resource-constrained, remote locations or inside IoT appliances. Supports something as small as a Raspberry Pi or as large as an AWS a1.4xlarge 32GiB server.

Related Comparisons

GitHub
Bitbucket

Bitbucket vs GitHub vs GitLab

GitHub
Bitbucket

AWS CodeCommit vs Bitbucket vs GitHub

Kubernetes
Rancher

Docker Swarm vs Kubernetes vs Rancher

gulp
Grunt

Grunt vs Webpack vs gulp

Graphite
Kibana

Grafana vs Graphite vs Kibana