Developers and SRE professionals often wonder if they should use Kubernetes or Docker for container orchestration and building. What if I told you that you could actually use both in conjunction with each other? In this post, we will compare the differences between Kubernetes vs Docker so you can decide which platform is right for you.
What is Docker Swarm?
Docker is a platform that has a multitude of tools for developers. When we discuss container orchestration, we really are discussing their product titled Docker Swarm. The tools provided in Docker Swarm allow developers to share, run, and create containerized applications. You can still create containers without these tools but there are many benefits to creating them with their tools.
Here are some of the main benefits of using Docker:
- Docker is portable, making it easy to run containers no matter what environment you’re in.
- Independent testing can be accomplished because each container remains separate from the rest.
- It increases CI/CD development efficiency, which allows for software to be delivered faster.
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes has become the standard for container orchestration. This is similar to OpenTelemetry being widely adopted by the DevOps community for application monitoring purposes. Kubernetes assists in managing, scaling, and automating operations in applications. Kubernetes is often called K8s for short.
Here are some of the main benefits of using Kubernetes:
- Kubernetes simplifies the release, development, and shipping of containers in microservice-focused applications.
- This open-source platform has great scalability across single or multiple cloud environments.
Relationship Between Kubernetes and Docker
The main difference between the two is that Kubernetes has a higher complexity and can handle virtually all use cases, while Docker handles limited use cases because of its simplicity. They both have pros and cons so many developers use both of them together to tackle projects within containerized applications.