Kubernetes vs Docker - 10 Key Differences

Kubernetes and Docker are the most used platforms in DevOps for containerization and orchestration needs. Kubernetes and Docker have some similarities but are different tools. In this article, we will see the differences between Kubernetes and DevOps.

This article covers the following topics:

• What are Containers in DevOps?
• What is Orchestration in DevOps?
• What is Kubernetes?
• What is Docker?
• Kubernetes vs Docker
• What is Docker Swarm?
• Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm
• Kubernetes vs Docker: Which one is right for you?
• Using Kubernetes with Docker: Better Together

Before going to our topic of discussion, Kubernetes vs Docker, let’s first know about what an orchestration platform is and what a container is. Keep reading!

What are the Containers?

Containers solve the issues raised during application development. When developers are ready to move their code to production, they come across problems like the code that works fine on their machine does not work well on production. The reason here could be a different operating system, dependencies, and libraries. To overcome such issues, containers in cloud computing are being used.

What is Orchestration in DevOps?

Orchestration in DevOps means automating and organizing tasks so that different tools, systems, and processes work together smoothly.

Imagine building a house. Orchestration is like a project manager ensuring the plumber, electrician, and carpenter do their jobs in the right order, without delays. In DevOps, it could mean automating code testing, container building, and deployment all in one smooth workflow.

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes is a standard orchestration platform for containers. Developed by Google, it is an open-source container management software. It helps in managing containerized applications developed in virtual, physical, and cloud environments. Many cloud providers support Kubernetes.

Features of Kubernetes

• Automation: This helps control the server that hosts the container.
• Self-monitoring: This is used to check the health of containers and nodules.
• Run everywhere: As Kubernetes is open-source, it allows us to move our workloads anywhere.
• Autoscaling: Scaling in Kubernetes allows us to scale resources both horizontally and vertically.

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Advantages of Kubernetes

• Automated rollback and deployment
• Configuration and secrets management
• Service discovery
• Load balancing
• Container health management

Disadvantages of Kubernetes

• Complex installation and configuration process
• Not compatible with composing tools
• Complicated manual cluster deployment
• Intricate horizontal autoscaling

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Kubernetes vs. Docker: Which Powers Your DevOps Better?

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What is Docker?

Docker is the most popular lightweight containerization technology. Docker, in another approach, is a software packing and delivery platform. It is computer software used for virtualization. Virtualization is performed on the system level in Docker containers. Docker allows us to run on many operating systems on the same host. Docker and virtual machines (VMs) are two popular technologies used for deploying and managing applications in modern IT environments.

This Docker Cheat Sheet is a must-read when studying Docker.

Features of Docker

• Application agility: This feature allows us to execute any kind of application.
• Security management: This allows us to save secrets on Swarm and gives access to valid secrets. It has some commands like secret inspect and create secret. 
• Developer productivity: This feature is used to make the rapid deployment of applications easy and also helps reduce resources. 
• Routing mesh: It is used to enable connections even if there is no task to run on the nodes.

Advantages of Docker

• Efficient and easier initial setup
• Simple and fast configuration
• Describes the application life cycle
• Works and integrates with the existing Docker tools
• Provides accurate documentation

Disadvantages of Docker

• Weak infrastructure handling
• No storage option
• Poor monitoring option
• Poor graphical operations
• No support for health checks

Watch this video to dive deeper into this topic.

Kubernetes vs Docker

The following are some of the differences between Kubernetes and Docker:

As you have seen the difference between Docker and Kubernetes, let us know about “What is Docker Swarm?”

To get a clear understanding of Kubernetes and Docker, check out our video:

What is Docker Swarm?

Docker Swarm is a new version of Docker used by developers in the software development process. It is a cluster of one or more computers running Docker applications. It is open-source and is available for both Mac and Windows. It is a container orchestration tool that allows users to manage multiple containers deployed across many host machines.

Let us move to the next topic Kubernetes vs Docker swarm.

Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm

The following are some of the differences between Kubernetes and Docker Swarm:

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Kubernetes vs Docker: Which one is right for you? 

Docker helps us build and ship containers, while Kubernetes(K8s) is an orchestration tool for managing containerized applications with autoscaling and auto-healing up. If your requirement is for simple containerization, use Docker. In case, your need is handling complex workloads, scaling, or running multi-container applications, you should prefer Kubernetes.

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Using Kubernetes with Docker: Better Together

Kubernetes and Docker work well together. Together they make our infrastructure more robust and our applications highly available.

Let’s take an example of an online store, Docker will help you to create containers for different services like login, products, and payments whereas Kubernetes will make sure these containers are running smoothly, scale them when more users visit (more load), and restart them if something goes wrong. Together, they help ensure the app runs efficiently and reliably.

Conclusion

I hope this blog gives you a clear picture of what Kubernetes and Docker mean, the differences between Kubernetes, Docker, and Docker Swarm, and how well both Kubernetes and Docker work together. If you want to learn DevOps tools like Kubernetes, Docker, and Docker Swarm in-depth, you can enroll in our trending DevOps course.