Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Azure Container Service VS containerd

Compare Azure Container Service VS containerd and see what are their differences

Azure Container Service logo Azure Container Service

Azure Container Service is a solution that optimizes the configuration of popular open-source tools and technologies specifically for Azure, it provides an open solution that offers portability for both users containers and users application configu…

containerd logo containerd

An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability
  • Azure Container Service Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-22
  • containerd Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-15

Azure Container Service features and specs

  • Scalability
    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) allows easy scaling of applications up and down based on demand, offering automated tools to control cluster size and resource allocation.
  • Integration
    AKS offers seamless integration with other Azure services, such as Azure Active Directory, Azure DevOps, and monitoring tools, enhancing overall functionality and security.
  • Managed Service
    As a managed service, AKS takes care of critical tasks like health monitoring and maintenance, reducing the operational overhead for developers and engineers.
  • Security
    AKS provides built-in security through role-based access control (RBAC), network policies, and Azure AD integration, ensuring secure cluster and application environments.
  • Cost Efficiency
    With pay-as-you-go pricing and auto-scaling capabilities, AKS provides cost-effective solutions to manage containerized applications based on current resource needs.

Possible disadvantages of Azure Container Service

  • Complexity
    Managing and configuring AKS for specific requirements can be complex and requires a good understanding of Kubernetes concepts and Azure services.
  • Learning Curve
    For teams new to Kubernetes, there can be a steep learning curve when adopting AKS, slowing down initial development and deployment processes.
  • Latency
    Depending on the geographical location of the Azure data centers and the users, latency issues may occur, potentially impacting application performance.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Using AKS heavily can lead to dependency on Microsoft Azure services, making it more challenging to switch to other cloud providers in the future.
  • Customization Limitations
    While AKS provides a managed environment, some advanced customizations may not be supported, restricting flexibility compared to self-managed Kubernetes clusters.

containerd features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Containerd focuses on providing core container primitives, making it lightweight and efficient compared to more comprehensive container management platforms.
  • CNCF Graduated
    Being a CNCF (Cloud Native Computing Foundation) graduated project means containerd has undergone rigorous scrutiny and is recognized as stable and secure.
  • Highly Modular
    Containerd provides a well-defined API with gRPC, making it highly modular and allowing for fine-grained control over container lifecycle management.
  • Kubernetes Integration
    Containerd acts as the default container runtime for Kubernetes via the CRI (Container Runtime Interface) plugin, ensuring excellent synergy with Kubernetes-managed environments.
  • Vendor-Neutral
    Containerd is an open-source project that is vendor-neutral, promoting community collaboration and reducing vendor lock-in.
  • Wide Industry Support
    Spearheaded initially by Docker, containerd has received wide support from tech giants like Google and Alibaba, ensuring a broad and robust adoption across the industry.

Possible disadvantages of containerd

  • Limited to Container Management
    Unlike platforms like Docker, containerd focuses solely on container lifecycle management and does not offer advanced networking, storage solutions, or orchestration engines.
  • Complex Integration
    While offering a high level of control, containerd’s modularity can translate into higher complexity when it comes to integrating it with other tools, such as monitoring and logging systems.
  • Fewer Features Out-of-the-Box
    Containerd provides fewer features out-of-the-box compared to more comprehensive container management systems, which may require additional components to achieve a similar feature set.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its focus on being a low-level runtime, containerd can have a steeper learning curve for users not familiar with container runtime internals.

Azure Container Service videos

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containerd videos

Deep Dive: containerd - Derek McGowan, Docker & Phil Estes, IBM Cloud

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Azure Container Service and containerd)
Cloud Computing
34 34%
66% 66
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
44 44%
56% 56
Cloud Storage
0 0%
100% 100

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Reviews

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containerd Reviews

5 Container Alternatives to Docker
containerd is described as “an industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability.” An incubating project of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, containerd is available as a daemon for Linux or Windows.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, containerd should be more popular than Azure Container Service. It has been mentiond 55 times since March 2021. 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.

Azure Container Service mentions (26)

  • Azure Container Instances vs Sliplane
    Azure container instances offers vertical scaling. You can specify the exact number of CPU and Memory that should be reserved for your containers, CPU is limited to 4 virtual cores, memory up to 16 GB. Horizontal scaling is not supported out of the box. In theory it's possible by adding a load balancer in front of your instances, but Azure offers two different products that already do that: Azure Container Apps... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Orchestrating Distributed Apps (Spin/Rust and .NET/C#) with .NET Aspire/Dapr
    Next post, we will explore the ability to deploy this sample app on AKS with SpinKube. Stay stunned, we can do even more. Thanks for reading it ❤️. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • 15 Options To Build A Kubernetes Playground (with Pros and Cons)
    Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) is a managed Kubernetes offering from Microsoft Azure. It enables users to deploy and manage containerized applications using Kubernetes without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure. AKS integrates with Azure services like Azure Container Registry, Azure Monitor, and Azure Active Directory, providing a comprehensive solution for deploying... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Fun with Avatars: Containerize the app for deployment & distribution | Part. 2
    Container Orchestration tools: These are used to automate the deployment, scaling, monitoring, and management of containerized applications. These tools simplify the complexities of managing and coordinating containers across a cluster of machines. They include Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, Amazon ECS, Microsoft AKS, Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), etc. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • What does it cost to host a simple nuxt application in Azure? What is the best way of hosting?
    When you want the "full" Nuxt experience, you will need to host the Node.js process. This can be done with Azure app service, Azure container instances, Azure container apps or even AKS. Source: almost 2 years ago
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containerd mentions (55)

  • Kubernetes Without Docker: Why Container Runtimes Are Changing the Game in 2025
    Containerd Official Site The runtime powering most cloud K8s clusters and your future mental breakdowns. - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • Creating containers with containerd on ARM
    Also, Containers are the tool when you want to speed your process of updating your software and get modularity and portability when deploying your solutions. In this post you will learn how containerd together with nerdctl can help you with this use case scenario. Check their official websites for more info https://containerd.io and https://github.com/containerd/nerdctl. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Beyond Docker - A DevOps Engineer's Guide to Container Alternatives
    Having operated large Kubernetes clusters, one learns to love the focused approach of containerd. A light-weight, high-performance container runtime, it powers a lot of container platforms, including indirectly, Kubernetes. From my experience, containerd really does one thing and does it well: it runs containers efficiently. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Top 8 Docker Alternatives to Consider in 2025
    Containerd operates as a fundamental container runtime that manages the complete container lifecycle, functioning at a lower level than Docker while providing core container operations. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • You run containers, not dockers - Discussing Docker variants, components and versioning
    So once we had a single binary, then "Docker, Inc" started separating the functionalities into multiple binaries on Linux. That was the beginning the of dependencies and components we have today, except that these dependencies are now not limited to Docker. Containerd can also be the container runtime of Kubernetes. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Azure Container Service and containerd, 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.

CRI-O - Lightweight Container Runtime for Kubernetes

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

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

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

rkt - App Container runtime