Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Anbox VS Docker

Compare Anbox VS Docker and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Anbox logo Anbox

Anbox puts Android into a container and every Android application will be integrated with your...

Docker logo Docker

Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.
  • Anbox Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22
  • Docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25

Anbox

Website
anbox.io
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
Release Date
-

Docker

Website
docker.com
$ Details
Release Date
2013 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Solomon Hykes
Employees
50 - 99

Anbox features and specs

  • Open Source
    Anbox is an open-source project, which means that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance the code. This promotes transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Native Performance
    Anbox runs Android in a container rather than emulating it, which allows it to take full advantage of the underlying hardware and perform more efficiently.
  • Security
    By running Android applications in a container, Anbox isolates them from the host system, potentially reducing security risks compared to other methods.
  • Integration
    Anbox integrates well with the host Linux system, allowing you to use the same desktop environment and tools you are accustomed to while running Android applications.
  • No Dual Boot Required
    You can run Android applications alongside your regular Linux applications without needing to reboot or manage a dual-boot configuration.

Possible disadvantages of Anbox

  • Limited App Compatibility
    Not all Android applications will run smoothly or at all on Anbox, due to differences in hardware requirements or proprietary dependencies such as Google Play Services.
  • Complex Setup
    Setting up Anbox can be challenging, especially for users who are not familiar with Linux or containerization technologies.
  • Performance Issues
    While Anbox offers native performance, some users may still encounter performance issues or limitations depending on their hardware and the specific applications they are running.
  • Limited Graphics Support
    Anbox may have limited support for GPU acceleration, affecting the performance of graphically intensive applications and games.
  • Community Support
    As an open-source project, Anbox relies heavily on community support. Official support might be limited, which can be a drawback for users needing professional or timely help.

Docker features and specs

  • Portability
    Docker containers are designed to run consistently across different environments such as development, testing, and production, ensuring that software behaves the same regardless of where it's deployed.
  • Efficiency
    Docker containers share the host OS kernel and use fewer resources compared to traditional virtual machines, which allows for faster startups and reduced overhead.
  • Isolation
    Containers encapsulate the application and its dependencies in a separate environment, which minimizes conflicts between different applications' dependencies.
  • Scalability
    Docker makes it easier to scale applications quickly and manage resource allocation dynamically, which is particularly useful for microservices architectures.
  • Continuous Integration and Deployment
    Docker facilitates CI/CD processes by making it easier to automate the deployment pipeline, resulting in faster code releases and more frequent updates.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    A vast community and a rich ecosystem of tools and pre-built images in Docker Hub, enabling you to quickly find and reuse code and solutions.

Possible disadvantages of Docker

  • Complexity
    While Docker can simplify certain aspects of deployment, it adds a layer of complexity to the infrastructure that might require specialized knowledge and training.
  • Security
    Containers share the host OS kernel, which can pose security risks if an attacker gains access to the kernel. Proper isolation and security measures must be implemented.
  • Persistent Data
    Managing persistent data in Docker can be challenging, as containers are ephemeral and the default storage solutions are not always suitable for all applications.
  • Monitoring and Debugging
    Traditional monitoring and debugging tools might not work well with containerized applications, requiring specialized tools and approaches which can complicate troubleshooting.
  • Performance Overhead
    Although lighter than virtual machines, Docker containers can still introduce performance overheads, especially when multiple containers are running simultaneously.
  • Compatibility
    Not all software and systems are fully compatible with Docker, which can limit its use in certain legacy applications and complex environments.

Anbox videos

Testing Android Apps on Anbox

More videos:

  • Review - Running Android Apps In Linux With AnBox
  • Review - Native Android apps on Linux? Anbox

Docker videos

What is Docker in 5 minutes

More videos:

  • Tutorial - What is Docker? Why it's popular and how to use it to save money (tutorial)
  • Review - Real World PHP Dockerfile Review, from a #Docker Captain

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Anbox and Docker)
Gaming
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Emulators
100 100%
0% 0
Containers As A Service
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Anbox and Docker. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Anbox and Docker

Anbox Reviews

Android Desktop Shootout: Android x86 vs. Bliss vs. Phoenix OS vs. PrimeOS
AnboxAnbox is a container Android system designed to run on Linux. It’s more of a virtual machine than a standalone OS. However, it’s a great way to see if you want to use an Android desktop before changing your Linux system.

Docker Reviews

Exploring 7 Efficient Alternatives to MAMP for Local Development Environments
Though not specifically designed for PHP development, Docker offers a containerized approach to create, deploy, and run applications. It enables easy installation of PHP, web servers, and databases within containers, facilitating quick and consistent development environment setups.
Source: medium.com
Top 6 Alternatives to XAMPP for Local Development Environments
Docker - A containerization platform that allows developers to package applications and their dependencies into containers. Docker Compose can be used to define multi-container application stacks, including web servers, databases, and other services. Features powerful portability and consistency, supports rapid building, sharing, and container management, suitable for...
Source: dev.to
The Top 7 Kubernetes Alternatives for Container Orchestration
Docker uses images as templates to create new containers using Docker engine commands such as Build -t or run -d.
Kubernetes Alternatives 2023: Top 8 Container Orchestration Tools
Docker is an open-source platform for building, managing, deploying containerized applications. Swarm is a native feature in Docker with a group of virtual or physical machines that lets you schedule, cluster, and run Docker applications. It is a Docker alternative for Kubernetes that provides high portability, agility, and high availability.
Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
Docker Swarm is a native clustering and orchestration solution provided by Docker, the leading containerization platform.
Source: humalect.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Docker might be a bit more popular than Anbox. We know about 73 links to it since March 2021 and only 64 links to Anbox. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Anbox mentions (64)

  • Call of duty mobile
    It's definitely possible, you have android virtualization options for linux like QEMU, VirtualBox, Anbox, WayDroid, but most of these are either not great or a bit too advanced for this. Easiest / best bet off the top of my head is dual booting Windows and using BlueStacks. Source: about 2 years ago
  • I'm looking for a lightweight distro that runs android apps
    This isn't really a distro, but you could try Anbox, which wouldn't have the performance overhead of a virtual machine. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I just want to use Linux :(
    If school apps have an android alternative anbox may allow you to use it on your linux desktop... Just a thought! Source: over 2 years ago
  • Android Emulator for Linux
    I have used Anbox when I needed to run an Android App on Linux. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Minecraft Bedrock
    Does anyone know a way to play Minecraft bedrock on Linux(specifically fedora). I used to use this launcher: mcpelauncher.readthedocs.io, But it has been discontinued and no longer works with the latest version, which I need to be able to play on a friend's real. I've tried using anbox, but it never loaded, and I tried using waydroid, but the internet wasn't working. Don't tell me to just use java, I already do,... Source: over 2 years ago
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Docker mentions (73)

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Anbox and Docker, you can also consider the following products

BlueStacks - BlueStacks is a website designed to format mobile apps to be compatible to desktop computers, opening up mobile gaming to laptops and other computers. Read more about BlueStacks.

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers

Android-x86 - Run Android on your PC.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

NoxPlayer - Nox App Player is a free Android emulator dedicated to bring the best experience for users to play Android games and apps on PC and Mac.

Apache Karaf - Apache Karaf is a lightweight, modern and polymorphic container powered by OSGi.