Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

AWS Fargate VS Docker for AWS

Compare AWS Fargate VS Docker for AWS and see what are their differences

AWS Fargate logo AWS Fargate

AWS Fargate is a compute engine for Amazon ECS and EKS that allows you to run containers without having to manage servers or clusters.

Docker for AWS logo Docker for AWS

Docker Enterprise Edition (EE) for AWS This deployment is fully baked and tested, and comes with the latest Docker Enterprise Edition for AWS. This release is maintained and receives security...
  • AWS Fargate Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-29
  • Docker for AWS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

AWS Fargate features and specs

  • Simplified Management
    AWS Fargate eliminates the need to provision, configure, and scale clusters of virtual machines, simplifying container management and reducing operational overhead.
  • Scalability
    Fargate automatically scales compute capacity to match the resource requirements of your application, ensuring performance and cost-efficiency.
  • Isolation
    Each Fargate task runs in its own environment, providing better security through enhanced isolation between tasks compared to shared environments.
  • Cost Efficiency
    Fargate allows you to pay only for the resources you actually use, such as vCPU and memory, which can be more cost-effective for unpredictable workloads.
  • Integration
    Fargate integrates seamlessly with other AWS services like Amazon ECS, ECR, IAM, and CloudWatch, providing a cohesive ecosystem for building and deploying applications.

Possible disadvantages of AWS Fargate

  • Higher Cost for Persistent Workloads
    While Fargate can be cost-efficient for variable workloads, it may become more expensive compared to EC2 for long-running, persistent workloads due to its pricing model.
  • Configuration Limitations
    Fargate may have limitations on the customization and configuration options available, which can be restrictive for certain use cases requiring highly specialized setups.
  • Cold Start Latency
    Fargate can experience cold start latency, where newly instantiated containers take a few seconds or longer to become operational, which can be a drawback for latency-sensitive applications.
  • Limited to AWS Ecosystem
    Fargate is tied to AWS's ecosystem, potentially causing vendor lock-in and limiting flexibility if you need to transition to a multi-cloud or hybrid environment.
  • Learning Curve
    For teams not familiar with the AWS ecosystem, there can be a learning curve associated with leveraging Fargate and its integrations effectively.

Docker for AWS features and specs

  • Portability
    Docker containers allow applications to be packaged with all their dependencies and environments, ensuring they run the same way across all environments, including AWS.
  • Scalability
    Docker integrates well with AWS services like ECS and EKS, enabling easy scaling of applications by managing containers across a cluster.
  • Resource Efficiency
    Containers are lightweight compared to traditional VMs, allowing for better resource utilization, which can optimize costs on AWS when running multiple applications or services.
  • Rapid Deployment
    Docker accelerates the deployment process, allowing for faster iteration and reduced time-to-market by using containers to deploy consistent environments on AWS.
  • Microservices Support
    Docker promotes a microservices architecture, enabling AWS users to decompose their applications into small, manageable services that can be developed, tested, and deployed independently.

Possible disadvantages of Docker for AWS

  • Complexity
    Managing containers at scale may introduce complexity, requiring a good understanding of container orchestration tools and AWS ecosystem.
  • Data Management
    Persisting data in a Docker environment can be challenging due to the ephemeral nature of containers, requiring additional AWS services or configurations to manage stateful applications.
  • Security Concerns
    Containers share the host operating system kernel, which can potentially lead to security vulnerabilities if not properly managed or isolated.
  • Networking Challenges
    Configuring networks and service discovery within Docker containers on AWS can be intricate, especially when interconnecting multiple containers or different AWS services.
  • Limited by Host OS
    Docker containers must run on a compatible host operating system, which can limit the choice of technologies when deploying across multiple environments in AWS.

AWS Fargate videos

Deep Dive into AWS Fargate

More videos:

  • Tutorial - AWS Fargate Tutorial | AWS Tutorial For Beginners | AWS Certification Training | Edureka
  • Review - AWS Fargate - Running Dockerized Apps

Docker for AWS videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to AWS Fargate and Docker for AWS)
Developer Tools
62 62%
38% 38
Cloud Computing
69 69%
31% 31
Cloud Hosting
57 57%
43% 43
Containers As A Service
100 100%
0% 0

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Reviews

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

AWS Fargate Reviews

Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
For Container-as-a-Service (CaaS) Kubernetes alternatives, AWS Fargate is a great option. It is well-known for simplifying container management and deployment on AWS.
Source: humalect.com
Top 10 Best Container Software in 2022
Using AWS Fargate, you now don’t need to provision, configure, and scale cluster virtual machines to execute containers. This, in turn, eliminates the requirement to select server types, determine at what time to scale your clusters or optimize cluster packing.

Docker for AWS Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Docker for AWS might be a bit more popular than AWS Fargate. We know about 70 links to it since March 2021 and only 51 links to AWS Fargate. 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.

AWS Fargate mentions (51)

  • AWS Serverless Compute Offerings: A Comprehensive Developer’s Guide (2025)
    Security: Tasks run in dedicated runtime environments, ensuring workload isolation (AWS Fargate). - Source: dev.to / about 14 hours ago
  • Large-scale Data Processing with Step Functions : AWS Project
    The workers in this example are containers, running in Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS) with an Amazon Fargate Capacity Provider . Though the workers could potentially run almost anywhere so long as they had access to poll the Step Functions Activity and report SUCCESS/FAILURE back to Step Functions. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Ephemeral Jobs Longer than the Lambda Timeout
    One option is to use ECS run-task with a Fargate launch type. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • AWS and Azure Are at Least 4x–10x More Expensive Than Hetzner
    The AWS equivalent to Cloud Run and Container Apps is called Fargate, https://aws.amazon.com/fargate/. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • AI-assisted software development lifecycle
    Using Amazon Q Developer Chat to generate and update a Dockerfile and create a CloudFormaiton template to deploy the containerized application using Amazon ECS and AWS Fargate. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
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Docker for AWS mentions (70)

  • From Beginner to Pro: Deploying Scalable AI Workloads with Docker & Terraform
    For more information on Docker, you can refer to the official Docker documentation and explore relevant open-source projects on Docker's GitHub. Additionally, for Terraform-related resources, check out the official Terraform documentation and Terraform GitHub. - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Building Autonomous AI Agents with Docker: How to Scale Intelligence
    Docker Official Documentation Docker Hub - AI & Machine Learning Containers Deploying AI with Docker & Kubernetes Docker Community Forums GitHub - AI Agents & Docker Projects. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Docker + Cypress in 2025: How I’ve Perfected My E2E Testing Setup
    Docker Documentation: For container best practices, security tips, and new features. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Docker 101 ft. Avg Web Dev
    For more detailed information, visit the official **Docker documentation.**. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Containers and Docker: Simplifying Software Development
    Docker Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing AWS Fargate and Docker for AWS, you can also consider the following products

Google Kubernetes Engine - Google Kubernetes Engine is a powerful cluster manager and orchestration system for running your Docker containers. Set up a cluster in minutes.

Docker Hub - Docker Hub is a cloud-based registry service

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

Docker Compose - Define and run multi-container applications with Docker

Amazon ECS - Amazon EC2 Container Service is a highly scalable, high-performance​ container management service that supports Docker containers.

Amazon EKS - Amazon EKS makes it easy for you to run Kubernetes on AWS without needing to install and operate your own Kubernetes clusters.