Rancher vs fabric8: What are the differences?

# Introduction

1. **Deployment Management**: Rancher focuses on managing containerized applications across environments, providing tools for deploying, updating, and scaling applications easily. In contrast, fabric8 focuses more on continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines using Jenkins, giving developers the ability to automate processes from code commitment to deployment.
2. **Monitoring and Logging**: Rancher offers integrated monitoring and logging solutions, allowing users to track the performance and health of their containers and applications in real-time. On the other hand, fabric8 provides monitoring and logging capabilities through tools like Prometheus and Grafana, giving users more flexibility and customization options.
3. **Networking**: Rancher provides advanced networking features such as software-defined networking (SDN) and load balancing, making it easier to manage network configurations for containers. In contrast, fabric8 focuses on service discovery and routing for microservices, offering different networking solutions that cater specifically to distributed architectures.
4. **Community Support**: Rancher boasts a large and active community, providing users with a wealth of online resources, forums, and user groups to seek help and guidance. While fabric8 also has a community backing, it may not be as extensive or well-established as Rancher's, potentially impacting the availability of support and resources for users.
5. **Platform Compatibility**: Rancher is designed to work with multiple orchestrators, including Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and Mesos, giving users the flexibility to choose the best orchestration tool for their needs. In contrast, fabric8 is more tightly integrated with Kubernetes, offering seamless compatibility and optimization for users leveraging Kubernetes as their primary orchestrator.
6. **Commercial Support**: Rancher provides commercial support options for enterprises looking for additional assistance with their container management needs, offering services such as training, consulting, and premium support. While fabric8 does offer support through Red Hat, the level of commercial support may vary compared to Rancher's dedicated enterprise offerings.

In Summary, Rancher focuses on deployment management, while fabric8 emphasizes CI/CD pipelines, with differences in monitoring, networking, community support, platform compatibility, and commercial support.