Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Docker Swarm VS Capistrano

Compare Docker Swarm VS Capistrano 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.

Capistrano logo Capistrano

A remote server automation and deployment tool written in Ruby
  • Docker Swarm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01
  • Capistrano Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18

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.

Capistrano features and specs

  • Automated Deployment
    Capistrano automates the deployment process, reducing the risk of human error and saving time by allowing for continuous deployment.
  • SSH Support
    Leverages SSH for secure communication with servers, ensuring a safe and encrypted connection which is essential for production environments.
  • Customizable Workflows
    Provides the flexibility to customize deployment workflows and tasks to fit unique requirements, offering more control over the deployment process.
  • Rollbacks
    Supports easy rollbacks to previous versions, which is crucial in quickly reverting changes in case of deployment issues.
  • Multi-Server Support
    Enables deployment to multiple servers, making it suitable for applications requiring load balancing or distributed systems.

Possible disadvantages of Capistrano

  • Ruby Dependency
    Requires Ruby, which can be a limitation for teams not using Ruby for other parts of their stack or have restrictions on adding new dependencies.
  • Initial Configuration Complexity
    Setting up Capistrano can be complex, especially for those unfamiliar with Ruby or SSH, requiring an additional learning curve.
  • Limited Windows Support
    Primarily designed for Unix-based systems, which may present challenges when deploying to or from Windows environments.
  • Plugin Dependency Management
    While powerful plugins exist, managing them and their dependencies can lead to complexities and potential conflicts over time.
  • Not Ideal for Non-Ruby Projects
    Originally designed for Ruby on Rails applications, making it less seamless for projects that don't fit this framework.

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

Capistrano videos

Ranch Road Boots EPIC In-Depth Review: Capistrano Black

More videos:

  • Review - Armani Exchange Capistrano watch review
  • Review - Review Americas Best Value Laguna Inn & Suites (San Juan Capistrano (CA), United States)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Docker Swarm and Capistrano)
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
73 73%
27% 27
Continuous Integration
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 Capistrano

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

Capistrano Reviews

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

Based on our record, Capistrano should be more popular than Docker Swarm. It has been mentiond 10 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

Capistrano mentions (10)

  • Multiple deployments and High Availability with Mina and Ruby on Rails
    However this model is generic to any client-server / monolithic / micro services approach and to any languages and frameworks. In my project I use Mina (Formerly using Capistrano), so that means that on each deployment the script makes a SSH-in to the remote machine and performs the deployment process: Git clone, Git pull, rake db:migrate assets:precompile, puma:restart, etc… Before using Capistrano I was doing... - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Type of programming language.
    I think Capistrano is a good example. Their homepage snippet shows you what a DSL is. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Peace - Zero Stress Automation framework + website
    I think it's something like https://capistranorb.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • How do I learn production/deployment process?
    That should give you lots of stuff to research but I'll leave you with a final point: Every project is going to be different. Use the right tool for the right job; for a small application you definitely don't need Kubernetes, you might be fine without any pipeline at all. For example, Ruby on Rails projects can use a tool called capistrano to script deploys and you can run that from your local machine any time you... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Jenkins CI or CI/CD
    I personally consider Jenkins a Task Runner that has a massive collection of CI plugins. Anyone can do deployments/delivery from a task runner, but any deployments I had to do in Jenkins ended up needing custom code written to do the actual work. This isn't unique to Jenkins; before the days of kubernetes, we had tools like capistrano or Config Management tools like Chef and Puppet that were capable of doing... Source: almost 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

Ansible - Radically simple configuration-management, application deployment, task-execution, and multi-node orchestration engine

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Deployer - Deployment Tool for PHP

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

Driver Talent - Driver Talent is an easy to use application, designed to help you get the drivers you need for your system.