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Docker

Stacks177.6K

Followers142.7K

+ 1

Votes3.9K

Docker Machine

Stacks434

Followers518

+ 1

Votes12

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Docker vs Docker Machine: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss the key differences between Docker and Docker Machine.

Installation and Setup: Docker can be installed directly on a host operating system and is used for managing containers. On the other hand, Docker Machine is a separate tool that helps in the installation, configuration, and management of Docker on remote hosts or virtual machines.
Multiple Host Management: Docker can only manage containers on the local host, while Docker Machine can manage containers on multiple remote hosts or virtual machines. This allows for easy scaling and distribution of containerized applications across different environments.
Provisioning and Management of Hosts: Docker Machine automates the process of provisioning and managing hosts by creating and configuring virtual machines on various cloud providers or local hypervisors. Docker, on the other hand, focuses on container orchestration and management rather than host provisioning.
Platform Support: Docker is available for a wide variety of operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. Docker Machine, however, has limited support and may not work seamlessly on all operating systems.
Remote SSH Access: Docker Machine provides a convenient way to SSH into remote hosts and manage containers on them. Docker, on the other hand, does not offer this feature natively and requires additional configuration to access containers on remote hosts.
Integration with Other Tools: Docker Machine integrates well with other tools in the Docker ecosystem, such as Docker Compose and Docker Swarm, allowing for easy management of multi-host container deployments. Docker, on the other hand, focuses on container management and orchestration within a single host environment.

In summary, Docker is primarily focused on local container management, while Docker Machine extends this functionality by enabling management of containers on remote hosts or virtual machines. Docker Machine also automates the process of provisioning and managing hosts, making it easier to scale and distribute containerized applications.

Decisions about Docker and Docker Machine

Florian Sager

IT DevOp at Agitos GmbH · Oct 22, 2019 | 3 upvotes · 474.3K views

Chose

LXD

over

Docker

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 Docker Machine

823
Rapid integration and build up
692
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
Package the environment with the application
2
Super
2
Open source and highly configurable
2
Simplicity, isolation, resource effective
2
MacOS support FAKE
2
Its cool
2
Does a nice job hogging memory
2
Docker hub for the FTW
2
HIgh Throughput
2
Very easy to setup integrate and build
0
Asdfd

12
Easy docker hosts management

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Cons of Docker

Cons of Docker Machine

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 companies use Docker?

What companies use Docker Machine?

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What tools integrate with Docker?

What tools integrate with Docker Machine?

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What are some alternatives to Docker and Docker Machine?

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

Docker vs Docker Machine