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Skaffold vs Tilt: What are the differences?
Introduction
Skaffold and Tilt are two popular tools used in the Kubernetes ecosystem for developer productivity and building containerized applications. They both aim to streamline the development workflow and provide easier ways to build and deploy applications on Kubernetes. Although they share similar goals, there are key differences between Skaffold and Tilt that make them suited for different use cases.
Architecture: Skaffold follows a more traditional build and deploy approach. It builds container images separately and then deploys them to a Kubernetes cluster. On the other hand, Tilt takes a different approach by directly syncing code changes to a running app in a cluster, avoiding the need for rebuilding and redeploying the whole image.
Live Updates: Tilt offers real-time updates to the running application as code changes are made, without requiring a rebuild or redeploy. It leverages tools like file syncing and live reloading to provide instant feedback during development. Skaffold, on the other hand, focuses on rebuilding and redeploying the application for updates, which can introduce a longer feedback loop.
Workflow Flexibility: Skaffold provides a flexible configuration approach, allowing developers to define different deployment profiles and easily switch between them. It supports different build strategies and allows customization at different stages of the deployment process. Tilt, while also flexible, focuses primarily on providing a streamlined and simplified development experience without too much configuration overhead.
Community and Ecosystem: Skaffold has a larger and more mature community compared to Tilt. This translates into more resources, documentation, and community support available for Skaffold. It also means that Skaffold has more integrations and plugins with other tools in the Kubernetes ecosystem. Tilt, being a relatively newer tool, has a smaller community, but is quickly gaining popularity and traction.
Ease of Setup: Skaffold requires a bit more initial setup compared to Tilt. It involves writing a configuration file to define the build and deployment steps. Tilt, on the other hand, has a simpler setup process and requires fewer explicit configurations, making it easier to get started quickly.
Supported Development Languages: Skaffold has broader support for different programming languages, build tools, and frameworks. It can be used with various language-specific build tools like Maven, Gradle, or npm. Tilt, while also supporting multiple languages, has a narrower focus on certain languages and frameworks. It provides additional features and optimizations specifically tailored for those languages.
In summary, Skaffold and Tilt are both powerful tools for building and deploying containerized applications on Kubernetes. Skaffold follows a more traditional build and deploy approach, providing flexibility and a mature ecosystem, while Tilt focuses on a streamlined and real-time development experience, with simplified setup and a growing community.
