Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Docker VS Wasmer

Compare Docker VS Wasmer and see what are their differences

Docker logo Docker

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

Wasmer logo Wasmer

The Universal WebAssembly Runtime
  • Docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • Wasmer Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-26

Docker

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

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.

Wasmer features and specs

  • Cross-platform
    Wasmer enables running WebAssembly modules on various platforms like Linux, macOS, and Windows, enhancing portability and flexibility for developers.
  • Performance
    Wasmer is capable of near-native execution speeds, allowing applications to run efficiently by leveraging just-in-time (JIT) or ahead-of-time (AOT) compilation.
  • Language Agnostic
    Wasmer supports multiple programming languages, enabling developers to write in their preferred language and compile it to WebAssembly, enhancing inclusivity and ease of use.
  • Sandboxing
    With Wasmer, applications can run in a secure sandboxed environment, reducing potential security risks often associated with executing untrusted code.
  • Integration
    Wasmer can be embedded into different host languages like JavaScript, Rust, Python, etc., allowing seamless integration into existing projects and workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Wasmer

  • Limited Ecosystem
    Compared to more established technologies, the relatively newer ecosystem around Wasmer might result in fewer libraries, tools, and community support.
  • Complexity
    For developers unfamiliar with WebAssembly or looking for a simple solution, the setup and configuration of Wasmer might pose an initial learning curve.
  • Maturity of WebAssembly
    As WebAssembly is still evolving, some advanced features might not be fully supported, potentially affecting application development and deployment.
  • Debugging
    Debugging WebAssembly modules can be more challenging compared to more traditional binary formats or languages due to limited tooling and support.

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

Wasmer videos

Syrus Akbary – Wasmer for web3 apps

More videos:

  • Review - My Thoughts on ChurnKit, FlowCV and WAPM!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Docker and Wasmer)
Developer Tools
90 90%
10% 10
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100
Containers As A Service
100 100%
0% 0
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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

Reviews

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

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

Wasmer Reviews

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Docker might be a bit more popular than Wasmer. We know about 74 links to it since March 2021 and only 53 links to Wasmer. 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)

View more

Wasmer mentions (53)

  • IoT Architectures Under Pressure: hosting a portable firmware (Part 3)
    Several WASM runtimes are available to execute our code. In this example, we'll use Wasmer, though other options exist. If we compile AOT (Ahead-of-Time), we don’t even need a runtime at all! - Source: dev.to / 17 days ago
  • Hello world from a WASM module in a static binary
    I decided initially to use Wasmer and ended filing a question on their repository because their own native binary build command doesn't work as expected. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • WebAssembly: A promising technology that is quietly being enshitified
    I applaud the author on how clear he made the argument. Note: I work at Wasmer (https://wasmer.io), a WebAssembly runtime. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Bebop v3: a fast, modern replacement to Protocol Buffers
    This is awesome. I'd love to have upstream support in Wasmer ( https://wasmer.io ). - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Show HN: dockerc – Docker image to static executable "compiler"
    Unfortunately cosmopolitan wouldn't work for dockerc. Cosmopolitan works as long as you only use it but container runtimes require additional features. Also containers contain arbitrary executables so not sure how that would work either... As for WASM, this is already possible using container2wasm[0] and wasmer[1]'s ability to generate static binaries. [0]: https://github.com/ktock/container2wasm. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

tmux - tmux is a terminal multiplexer: it enables a number of terminals (or windows), each running a...

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Oh My Zsh - A delightful community-driven framework for managing your zsh configuration.

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

picocli - Application and Data, Languages & Frameworks, and Shell Utilities