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Docker Machine VS Docker Swarm

Compare Docker Machine VS Docker Swarm and see what are their differences

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Docker Machine logo Docker Machine

Machine management for a container-centric world

Docker Swarm logo Docker Swarm

Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.
  • Docker Machine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-20
  • Docker Swarm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01

Docker Machine features and specs

  • Cross-platform portability
    Docker Machine enables users to create and manage Docker hosts on local machines or cloud platforms, offering seamless cross-platform portability and integration across different environments.
  • Consistent environment setup
    Simplifies the process of setting up development environments, ensuring that configurations are consistent across various machines and reducing setup errors.
  • Integration with multiple drivers
    Supports various infrastructure providers like AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, VirtualBox, and more, allowing for flexibility in deploying and managing containers across different platforms.
  • Automated provisioning
    Automates the creation and provisioning of Docker hosts, reducing the manual steps and saving time for developers and system administrators.
  • Facilitates swarm creation
    Eases the creation and management of Docker Swarm clusters, simplifying orchestration and scaling of Docker containers.

Possible disadvantages of Docker Machine

  • No longer actively maintained
    Docker Machine is deprecated and no longer actively maintained, making it less reliable for production use and missing out on the latest updates and community support.
  • Complexity in management
    Managing multiple Docker Machines can become complex, especially in larger environments, requiring additional tools and scripts to handle configurations and updates efficiently.
  • Limited functionality
    Compared to other modern container orchestration tools, like Kubernetes, Docker Machine offers limited functionality in terms of orchestration and scaling capabilities.
  • Dependency on external tools
    Relies on external drivers and plugins which may introduce compatibility issues or require additional maintenance and troubleshooting efforts.
  • Resource overhead
    Running Docker Machine, especially on local environments like VirtualBox, can introduce additional resource overhead, potentially affecting the performance and speed of operations.

Docker Swarm features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Docker Swarm is easy to set up and use, especially for those already familiar with Docker. It integrates seamlessly into the Docker ecosystem, providing a straightforward solution for container orchestration without the need for additional tools.
  • Native Docker Integration
    Swarm is built into Docker, meaning that Docker users do not need to install or configure another orchestration tool. This provides a consistent experience from development to production.
  • Declarative Service Model
    Swarm allows users to define the desired state of their services, and the system works to maintain that state. This includes scaling services up or down, and handling load balancing.
  • Easy Scaling
    Docker Swarm makes it easy to scale applications horizontally by simply changing the number of replicas of a service. The platform manages the distribution of these replicas across the available nodes.
  • Built-in Load Balancing
    Swarm includes built-in load balancing, distributing incoming client requests to running containers based on task states and node availability.

Possible disadvantages of Docker Swarm

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to Kubernetes, Docker Swarm has a more limited ecosystem of plugins, extensions, and third-party integrations. This can make it less flexible for complex or custom setups.
  • Less Feature-Rich
    Although sufficient for many use cases, Swarm lacks some advanced features that other orchestrators like Kubernetes offer, such as custom scheduling policies, complex networking configurations, and a broader range of storage options.
  • Community and Support
    The Docker Swarm community is smaller and less active compared to Kubernetes. This affects the available support, community-contributed tools, and overall development pace.
  • Scaling Limits
    While Docker Swarm can handle small to medium-sized clusters efficiently, it may not perform as well as Kubernetes in very large-scale deployments, particularly in terms of resource management and fault tolerance.
  • Future Uncertainty
    With Docker's increasing focus on Kubernetes, the long-term future of Docker Swarm is uncertain. This raises concerns about investing in a technology that might not be as actively developed or supported in the future.

Docker Machine videos

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Docker Swarm videos

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Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm | Container Orchestration War | Kubernetes Training | Edureka

More videos:

  • Review - Roberto Fuentes – NodeJS with Docker Swarm

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Docker Machine and Docker Swarm)

Docker Machine

Docker Swarm

Developer Tools
16 16%
Developer Tools
84% 84
Dev Ops
100 100%
Dev Ops
0% 0
DevOps Tools
18 18%
DevOps Tools
82% 82
Containers As A Service
0 0%
Containers As A Service
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

Docker Machine Reviews

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Docker Swarm Reviews

Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
With Docker Swarm, you can create and manage a cluster of Docker nodes, enabling the deployment and scaling of containerized applications across a distributed environment.
Source: humalect.com
11 Best Rancher Alternatives Multi Cluster Orchestration Platform
Next, we have Docker Swarm on our alternatives to rancher list. Docker Swarm is a lightweight container orchestration tool that lets you create, deploy and manage containerized applications. It is even one of the most popular container orchestration tools after Kubernetes.
Source: technicalustad.com
Docker Swarm vs Kubernetes: how to choose a container orchestration tool
Docker Swarm is an open-source container orchestration platform built and maintained by Docker. Under the hood, Docker Swarm converts multiple Docker instances into a single virtual host. A Docker Swarm cluster generally contains three items:
Source: circleci.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Docker Swarm should be more popular than Docker Machine. It has been mentiond 3 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.

Docker Machine mentions (1)

Docker Swarm mentions (3)

  • Ask HN: Why did K8s win against Docker Swarm?
    Docker Swarm Classic (https://github.com/docker-archive/classicswarm) is dead. Docker Swarm Mode is alive, and I know some people use it, but it's very niche compared to k8s. As someone who interacts with k8s regularly, I often feel like there is a place for a simpler k8s alternative. But looking at history I see the attempts like Swarm fail. What do you think played the decisive role in the k8s victory? Features,... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • K8s vs Docker Swarm
    So the thing is support for Swarm was delegated to Mirantis, https://www.mirantis.com/blog/mirantis-will-continue-to-support-and-develop-docker-swarm/ since it was delegated very little was done to move forward swarm _> https://github.com/moby/swarmkit/commits/master , docker swarm itself (docker the company) is deprecated https://github.com/docker-archive/classicswarm . I think because there's no way to... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • #30DaysOfAppwrite: Docker Swarm Integration
    Docker Swarm is a container orchestration tool built right into the Docker CLI which allows us to deploy our Docker services to a cluster of hosts, instead of just the one allowed with Docker Compose. This is known as Swarm Mode, not to be confused with the classic Docker Swarm that is no longer being developed as a standalone product. Docker Swarm works great with Appwrite as it builds upon the Compose... - Source: dev.to / almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

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

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Helm.sh - The Kubernetes Package Manager

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker

Apache Mesos - Apache Mesos abstracts resources away from machines, enabling fault-tolerant and elastic distributed systems to easily be built and run effectively.

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