Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Buildah VS Apache Portable Runtime

Compare Buildah VS Apache Portable Runtime and see what are their differences

Buildah logo Buildah

Buildah is a web-based OCI container tool that allows you to manage the wide range of images in your OCI container and helps you to build the image container from the scratch.

Apache Portable Runtime logo Apache Portable Runtime

The Apache Portable Runtime (APR) is a supporting library for the Apache web server.
  • Buildah Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-05-27
  • Apache Portable Runtime Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-16

Buildah features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Buildah is a tool focused solely on building OCI and Docker-compatible containers, which makes it less resource-intensive compared to other container building solutions that include additional components like container runtimes.
  • Daemon-less
    Unlike Docker, Buildah does not require a running daemon, meaning it can be used in environments where a daemon is not desired or feasible, enhancing security and reducing footprint.
  • Flexibility
    Buildah provides flexibility by allowing precise control over container image creation, enabling advanced scenarios like building images from scratch, adding content at various stages, and using alternative base images.
  • Security
    Running without a daemon improves security by minimizing attack surfaces and permissions needed for building images, allowing for container creation and management by unprivileged users.
  • Integration with Podman
    Buildah integrates well with Podman, allowing users to manage containers and images without requiring additional integrations, as both are part of the same toolset for comprehensive container management.

Possible disadvantages of Buildah

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Users already familiar with Docker might find Buildah’s command-line interface and functionality to be different, necessitating a learning curve to effectively utilize its capabilities.
  • Less Mature Ecosystem
    Compared to Docker, Buildah has a smaller community and fewer integrations with third-party tools or cloud platforms, potentially limiting its use in complex or niche scenarios.
  • Lack of Windows Support
    As of now, Buildah primarily supports Linux platforms, which can be a limitation for developers using or targeting Windows environments.
  • Limited GUI Tools
    Buildah primarily operates through a command-line interface, with fewer graphical user interface options available, which might not appeal to users who prefer visual management tools.
  • Documentation Gaps
    Although improving, Buildah’s documentation can be less comprehensive and more challenging to navigate than Docker's, potentially making troubleshooting or advanced usage more difficult.

Apache Portable Runtime features and specs

  • Portability
    APR provides a consistent API across various platforms, enabling developers to write applications that are portable between different operating systems.
  • Performance
    APR is designed to provide high-performance solutions for common programming tasks, such as file I/O, network communication, and memory management, optimized for each supported platform.
  • Rich API Set
    APR provides a comprehensive set of APIs for handling tasks like file operations, network sockets, shared memory, and threading, which can simplify application development.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source library, APR allows developers to inspect, modify, and distribute the source code, fostering community collaboration and trust.
  • Apache Integration
    APR is used by Apache HTTP Server and other Apache projects, offering proven stability and performance tested in enterprise environments.

Possible disadvantages of Apache Portable Runtime

  • Complexity
    The wide range of functionality and extensive API set can introduce complexity, making the learning curve steeper for new developers.
  • Limited Language Support
    APR is primarily designed for use with C and C++. Developers using other programming languages may find it less accessible or require additional bindings.
  • Platform Specific Issues
    Despite its goal of portability, certain platform-specific issues or limitations may arise, requiring additional effort to ensure consistent application behavior.
  • Dependency Overhead
    Using APR can introduce additional dependencies into a project, potentially complicating the build process and increasing the size of the deployed application.
  • Not Always Necessary
    For applications that do not require cross-platform compatibility or for environments where minimal external dependencies are preferred, the use of APR might not be justified.

Buildah videos

How to Build a Container Image Using Buildah

Apache Portable Runtime videos

No Apache Portable Runtime videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Buildah and Apache Portable Runtime)
Cloud Computing
64 64%
36% 36
Cloud Storage
0 0%
100% 100
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Buildah should be more popular than Apache Portable Runtime. It has been mentiond 13 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.

Buildah mentions (13)

  • Dockerfmt: A Dockerfile Formatter
    I suspect that the GP was really asking "why not use a different tool", like buildah , buildpacks , nix ,. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Top 8 Docker Alternatives to Consider in 2025
    Buildah specializes in building OCI-compliant container images, offering a more granular and secure approach to image creation compared to traditional Dockerfile builds. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • How to Create a CI/CD Pipeline with Docker
    Lockdown your Dockerized build environments --- Because privileged mode is insecure, you should restrict your CI/CD environments to known users and projects. If this isn't feasible, then instead of using Docker, you could try using a standalone image builder like Buildah to eliminate the risk. Alternatively, configuring rootless Docker-in-Docker can mitigate some --- but not all --- of the security concerns... - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Ko: Easy Go Containers
    In my experience, not using docker to build docker images is a good idea. E.g. buildah[0] with chroot isolation can build images in a GitLab pipeline, where docker would fail. It can still use the same Dockerfile though. If you want to get rid of your Dockerfiles anyway, nix can also build docker images[1] with all the added benefits of nix (reproducibility, efficient building and caching, automatic layering,... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Understanding Docker Architecture: A Beginner's Guide to How Docker Works
    Buildah: This lightweight, open-source command-line tool for building and managing container images. It is an efficient alternative to Docker. With Buildah, you can build images in various ways, including using a Dockerfile, a podmanfile or by running commands in a container. Buildah is a flexible, secure and powerful tool for building container images. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
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Apache Portable Runtime mentions (5)

  • Giving C++ std:regex a C makeover
    Something like that would probably end up similar to GLib or the Apache Portable Runtime. https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/glib/ https://apr.apache.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • My review of the C standard library in practice
    There are many libraries available that you can use as a libc replacement instead of CCAN, if that’s what you prefer [1-3]. Taking on a beefy dependency like that can be overkill, though, if all you need is a linked list or dynamic array implementation. [1] http://library.gnome.org/devel/glib/ [2] http://apr.apache.org/ [3] https://libcork.io/. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Is there a custom "C Standard Library" out there?
    There are many. APR is one of them. APR stands for Apache Portable Runtime. It includes arrays(aprarray) and hash tables(aprhash), but not trees. Source: over 2 years ago
  • A C Standard Library
    A library that already implements some of this called libapr is what I’d consider a good example of libraries of this Ilk. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Git's list of banned C functions
    It's not really complacency: it's that the standard library is intentionally minimalistic to maintain portability and backwards compatibility. If you want sensible string handling, it's usually best to use a high level utility library like GLib(https://developer.gnome.org/glib/stable/) or Apache Portable Runtime(http://apr.apache.org/), or roll your own safe string type (preferably non-null terminating). - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Buildah and Apache Portable Runtime, you can also consider the following products

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

rkt - App Container runtime

containerd - An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability

GlusterFS - GlusterFS is a scale-out network-attached storage file system.

Crane - Crane is a docker image builder to approach light-weight ML users who want to expand a container image with custom apt/conda/pip packages without writing any Dockerfile.

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