Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Docker VS Kustomize

Compare Docker VS Kustomize and see what are their differences

Docker logo Docker

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

Kustomize logo Kustomize

Kustomize is an intelligent Kubernetes native configuration management software that comes with the manifestation to add, remove, or update configuration options without the need for forking.
  • Docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • Kustomize Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-07

Docker

Website
docker.com
$ Details
Release Date
2013 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Solomon Hykes
Employees
50 - 99

Kustomize

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
-

Docker features and specs

  • Portability
    Docker containers are designed to run consistently across different environments such as development, testing, and production, ensuring that software behaves the same regardless of where it's deployed.
  • Efficiency
    Docker containers share the host OS kernel and use fewer resources compared to traditional virtual machines, which allows for faster startups and reduced overhead.
  • Isolation
    Containers encapsulate the application and its dependencies in a separate environment, which minimizes conflicts between different applications' dependencies.
  • Scalability
    Docker makes it easier to scale applications quickly and manage resource allocation dynamically, which is particularly useful for microservices architectures.
  • Continuous Integration and Deployment
    Docker facilitates CI/CD processes by making it easier to automate the deployment pipeline, resulting in faster code releases and more frequent updates.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    A vast community and a rich ecosystem of tools and pre-built images in Docker Hub, enabling you to quickly find and reuse code and solutions.

Possible disadvantages of Docker

  • Complexity
    While Docker can simplify certain aspects of deployment, it adds a layer of complexity to the infrastructure that might require specialized knowledge and training.
  • Security
    Containers share the host OS kernel, which can pose security risks if an attacker gains access to the kernel. Proper isolation and security measures must be implemented.
  • Persistent Data
    Managing persistent data in Docker can be challenging, as containers are ephemeral and the default storage solutions are not always suitable for all applications.
  • Monitoring and Debugging
    Traditional monitoring and debugging tools might not work well with containerized applications, requiring specialized tools and approaches which can complicate troubleshooting.
  • Performance Overhead
    Although lighter than virtual machines, Docker containers can still introduce performance overheads, especially when multiple containers are running simultaneously.
  • Compatibility
    Not all software and systems are fully compatible with Docker, which can limit its use in certain legacy applications and complex environments.

Kustomize features and specs

  • Declarative Syntax
    Kustomize provides a declarative approach to managing Kubernetes configurations, allowing users to specify desired states in YAML files rather than using scripts or imperative commands.
  • No Templating Required
    Unlike Helm, Kustomize does not use templates, reducing complexity and potential errors in rendering templates. Users can simply modify YAML files directly.
  • Layered Customization
    It allows users to apply multiple overlays or transformations to base configurations, enabling a modular and reusable approach to manage environments like dev, staging, and production.
  • Integration with kubectl
    Kustomize is integrated with kubectl since version 1.14, making it easy to use and deploy directly from the command line without needing additional tools.

Possible disadvantages of Kustomize

  • Complexity for Large Projects
    While Kustomize is great for simple transformations, managing large projects with many overlays can become complex, as dependencies and transformations have to be explicitly defined and managed.
  • Limited Features Compared to Helm
    Kustomize offers fewer features compared to Helm, such as lifecycle management and rich templating, which might be needed for more sophisticated deployment requirements.
  • Learning Curve
    Users new to Kubernetes configuration management might find Kustomize's model and functions hard to grasp initially, as it requires understanding of its specific YAML structure and practices.
  • Lack of Native Dependency Management
    Kustomize does not support native dependency management of resources, which can complicate handling interdependent resources compared to other tools like Helm.

Analysis of Docker

Overall verdict

  • Docker is considered a strong choice for containerization due to its robust feature set, community support, and ecosystem. It is praised for making applications more portable and for reducing 'it works on my machine' issues. However, like any technology, it has a learning curve and may not be necessary for simpler projects.

Why this product is good

  • Docker is a widely-used platform that simplifies and accelerates the process of developing, testing, and deploying applications by using containerization technology. It allows developers to package applications and their dependencies into lightweight, portable containers that can run consistently across any environment. This greatly enhances efficiency, scalability, and collaboration within development teams.

Recommended for

  • Developers seeking to streamline application deployment across multiple environments
  • Teams looking for consistency in application performance and operations
  • Organizations that require scalable solutions for microservices architectures
  • Projects that benefit from CI/CD practices and need automation in deployment pipelines

Docker videos

What is Docker in 5 minutes

More videos:

  • Tutorial - What is Docker? Why it's popular and how to use it to save money (tutorial)
  • Review - Real World PHP Dockerfile Review, from a #Docker Captain

Kustomize videos

CNCF-KCNA — Kustomize

More videos:

  • Review - ⚡️ Enlightning - Kustomize Demystified
  • Review - Define And Deploy Apps - Feat. Helm, Kustomize, Carvel ytt, and cdk8s (You Choose!, Ch. 1, Ep. 3)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Docker and Kustomize)
Developer Tools
92 92%
8% 8
Development
0 0%
100% 100
Containers As A Service
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
84 84%
16% 16

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 and Kustomize

Docker Reviews

Exploring 7 Efficient Alternatives to MAMP for Local Development Environments
Though not specifically designed for PHP development, Docker offers a containerized approach to create, deploy, and run applications. It enables easy installation of PHP, web servers, and databases within containers, facilitating quick and consistent development environment setups.
Source: medium.com
Top 6 Alternatives to XAMPP for Local Development Environments
Docker - A containerization platform that allows developers to package applications and their dependencies into containers. Docker Compose can be used to define multi-container application stacks, including web servers, databases, and other services. Features powerful portability and consistency, supports rapid building, sharing, and container management, suitable for...
Source: dev.to
The Top 7 Kubernetes Alternatives for Container Orchestration
Docker uses images as templates to create new containers using Docker engine commands such as Build -t or run -d.
Kubernetes Alternatives 2023: Top 8 Container Orchestration Tools
Docker is an open-source platform for building, managing, deploying containerized applications. Swarm is a native feature in Docker with a group of virtual or physical machines that lets you schedule, cluster, and run Docker applications. It is a Docker alternative for Kubernetes that provides high portability, agility, and high availability.
Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
Docker Swarm is a native clustering and orchestration solution provided by Docker, the leading containerization platform.
Source: humalect.com

Kustomize Reviews

We have no reviews of Kustomize yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Docker might be a bit more popular than Kustomize. We know about 74 links to it since March 2021 and only 58 links to Kustomize. 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 mentions (74)

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Kustomize mentions (58)

  • The Problem with Modern Engineering Isn't Speed. It's Chaos
    As Ops person, I both feel for you and them. With Helm, yea, that's awful to inflict on developers, use Kustomize with Templates instead (https://kustomize.io/) However, like most companies, Ops is easy place to cut and they commonly reduce us below outstanding workload. However, when they do, they still push the dev teams to deliver so here we are. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Even more OpenTelemetry - Kubernetes special
    Docker Compose is great for demos: docker compose up, and you're good to go, but I know no organization that uses it in production. Deploying workloads to Kubernetes is much more involved than that. I've used Kubernetes for demos in the past; typing kubectl apply -f is dull fast. In addition to GitOps, which isn't feasible for demos, the two main competitors are Helm and Kustomize. I chose the former for its... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Using GitOps to Manage a KWOK Deployment
    When working with Flux, you can use a tool called Kustomize to place your main configs in a base directory, and then modify any of these configs using a copy placed in an overlays directory. It’s preferable this way than messing with your main config. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Getting started on MOCO, the MySQL Operator for Kubernetes Part 1
    Customize manifests If you want to edit the manifest, config/ directory contains the source YAML for kustomize. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Building Web Applications Using Amazon EKS : AWS Project
    Please discover more details on Kustomize here, Kustomize official document. - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Helm.sh - The Kubernetes Package Manager

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

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

GitHub - Originally founded as a project to simplify sharing code, GitHub has grown into an application used by over a million people to store over two million code repositories, making GitHub the largest code host in the world.

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker