Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Buildah VS Docker for AWS

Compare Buildah VS Docker for AWS 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.

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...
  • Buildah Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-05-27
  • Docker for AWS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

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.

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.

Buildah videos

How to Build a Container Image Using Buildah

Docker for AWS videos

No Docker for AWS videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Buildah and Docker for AWS)
Cloud Computing
52 52%
48% 48
Developer Tools
32 32%
68% 68
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Hosting
42 42%
58% 58

User comments

Share your experience with using Buildah and Docker for AWS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Docker for AWS should be more popular than Buildah. It has been mentiond 70 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
View more

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 / 18 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 2 months 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 / 2 months ago
  • Docker 101 ft. Avg Web Dev
    For more detailed information, visit the official **Docker documentation.**. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Containers and Docker: Simplifying Software Development
    Docker Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

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

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

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

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.

Salad Container Engine - Salad Container Engine (SCE) offers affordable fully managed container orchestration and access to highly available compute resources on the globally distributed SaladCloud network.