Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Docker Swarm VS boot2docker

Compare Docker Swarm VS boot2docker and see what are their differences

Docker Swarm logo Docker Swarm

Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.

boot2docker logo boot2docker

boot2docker is a lightweight Linux distribution made specifically to run Docker containers.
  • Docker Swarm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01
  • boot2docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-24

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.

boot2docker features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Boot2docker is lightweight and has a small footprint, as it's built on Tiny Core Linux, which makes it fast and efficient to run on various systems.
  • Quick Setup
    It offers a quick and straightforward setup for Docker on non-Linux systems, allowing developers to get started with containerization rapidly without extensive configurations.
  • Portable
    Being a VM that runs Docker, boot2docker can be easily moved or recreated on different machines, ensuring environment consistency across development systems.

Possible disadvantages of boot2docker

  • Limited Features
    Boot2docker may not have all the features and functionalities of a full Docker installation on a native Linux environment, which might limit advanced operations.
  • Deprecated
    Boot2docker has been deprecated in favor of Docker Desktop, which means it might not receive updates or support, potentially leading to security risks.
  • Requires Virtualization
    Since it runs Docker inside a VM, it requires virtualization support on the host machine, which may not be available or optimal in all environments.

Analysis of Docker Swarm

Overall verdict

  • Docker Swarm is a good choice for small to medium-sized deployments where ease of setup and tight integration with Docker are priorities. However, for larger, more complex environments or when advanced features like custom scheduling and multi-cloud support are necessary, other orchestration tools like Kubernetes might be more appropriate.

Why this product is good

  • Docker Swarm is considered good for users who need a simple, integrated tool for managing containers across a cluster of hosts. Its main strengths include seamless integration with Docker, easy setup, and support for multi-host networking and scaling of services. Swarm is a part of Docker, and therefore it benefits from Docker's comprehensive ecosystem, tooling, and documentation. It is particularly suitable for scenarios where a lightweight and straightforward orchestration solution is desired.

Recommended for

  • Developers who are already familiar with Docker and want minimal learning curve for orchestration.
  • Small to medium-sized teams looking for easy-to-use, efficient management of containerized applications.
  • Environments where tight integration with Docker CLI and ecosystem is preferred over advanced orchestration capabilities.

Docker Swarm videos

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

More videos:

  • Review - Roberto Fuentes – NodeJS with Docker Swarm

boot2docker videos

Installing VirtualBox, and Boot2Docker to run Docker Containers in OSX/Windows

More videos:

  • Demo - boot2docker v0.2 demo

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Docker Swarm and boot2docker)
Developer Tools
77 77%
23% 23
DevOps Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Hosting
0 0%
100% 100
Containers As A Service
100 100%
0% 0

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 Swarm and boot2docker

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.
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

boot2docker Reviews

We have no reviews of boot2docker yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Docker Swarm seems to be more popular. 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 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: about 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 / about 4 years ago

boot2docker mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of boot2docker yet. Tracking of boot2docker recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Docker Swarm and boot2docker, you can also consider the following products

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

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

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Docker - Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.

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

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.