Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GitLab VS Docker Swarm

Compare GitLab VS Docker Swarm and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

GitLab logo GitLab

Create, review and deploy code together with GitLab open source git repo management software | GitLab

Docker Swarm logo Docker Swarm

Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.
  • GitLab Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-17
  • Docker Swarm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01

GitLab

Release Date
2014 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
California
Founder(s)
Dmitriy Zaporozhets
Employees
1,000 - 1,999

GitLab features and specs

  • Integrated DevOps Platform
    GitLab provides a single application for the entire DevOps lifecycle, which simplifies the workflow and reduces the need for multiple tools.
  • CI/CD Capabilities
    It offers powerful Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) features, enabling automated testing and deployment.
  • Self-Hosted and SaaS Options
    GitLab can be hosted on your own servers or used as a cloud-hosted service, providing flexibility depending on your needs.
  • Strong Security Features
    GitLab includes various security features such as code quality analysis, vulnerability management, and compliance management.
  • Robust Community and Support
    There is a large community and extensive documentation available, along with professional support options.

Possible disadvantages of GitLab

  • Complexity for New Users
    The extensive features and functionalities can be overwhelming for newcomers, requiring a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    Self-hosting a GitLab instance requires substantial server resources, which can be costly.
  • Price
    While there is a free tier, the advanced features are part of the paid plans, which can be expensive for small teams or startups.
  • User Interface
    Some users find the interface less intuitive and harder to navigate compared to other platforms like GitHub.
  • Performance Issues
    Large repositories or high usage can sometimes lead to performance issues, especially on self-hosted instances.

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.

GitLab videos

Introduction to GitLab Workflow

More videos:

  • Review - GitLab Review App Working Session

Docker Swarm videos

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 GitLab and Docker Swarm)
Code Collaboration
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Git
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
0 0%
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 GitLab and Docker Swarm

GitLab Reviews

  1. Reinhard
    · Boss at CLOUD Meister ·
    perfect for Freelancers!

The Top 11 Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Tools
GitLab’s in-context testing solution simplifies the development process by automating both application and infrastructure management on a single platform.Why We Picked GitLab: We like GitLab’s automation of testing and compliance across development workflows. Its in-context testing minimizes license costs and reduces the learning curve.
The Top 10 GitHub Alternatives
GitLab is a web-based DevSecOps (take that, Call of Duty) platform that allows software development teams to plan, build, and ship secure code all in one application. GitLab offers a range of features and tools to support the entire software development lifecycle, from project planning and source code management to continuous integration, delivery, and deployment.
The Best Alternatives to Jenkins for Developers
CI/CD GitLab, as a complete DevOps platform, provides an integrated CI/CD solution along with its other features. If your team is already using GitLab for controlling versions and managing projects, the addition of GitLab CI/CD can be very smooth. The offering in CI/CD by GitLab is quite customizable and it backs up many programming languages as well as application test...
Source: morninglif.com
Top 7 GitHub Alternatives You Should Know (2024)
Most of the listed alternatives offer free tier plans for individuals or small teams. Tools like GitLab and Bitbucket allow users to host unlimited repositories without cost.
Source: snappify.com
Best GitHub Alternatives for Developers in 2023
While GitLab features an extensive set of capabilities, this can also serve as a weakness since beginners may find the developer tool overwhelming to begin with. The user interface compounds this issue by being outdated and unintuitive. GitLab could benefit from more third-party integrations, and its performance tends to struggle when dealing with large repositories or CI/CD...

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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GitLab seems to be a lot more popular than Docker Swarm. While we know about 133 links to GitLab, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Docker Swarm. 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.

GitLab mentions (133)

  • India Open Source Development: Harnessing Collaborative Innovation for Global Impact
    Indian developers have embraced platforms like GitHub and GitLab, which serve as global meeting points for coding projects. Developer communities such as FOSSAsia and Open Source India regularly organize hackathons, webinars, and code sprints that bring together enthusiasts to tackle both local and global problems. - Source: dev.to / 16 days ago
  • Open Source Funding: Strategies, Case Studies, and Best Practices
    In this article, we explore funding methods that empower projects such as Red Hat, GitLab, and Blender. Our discussion focuses on overlaying robust financial models with community-led efforts while incorporating advanced technologies like blockchain and smart contracts for secure, transparent fund distribution. With clear definitions, tables, bullet lists, and real-world examples, we aim to provide a holistic view... - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • The Hidden Challenges of Building with AWS
    💡** My Take:** If you’re not ready to spend hours debugging AWS configurations, you might want to consider other cloud options, such as DigitalOcean or Gitlab for CI/CD. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Understanding Open Source Developer Support Networks
    The foundation of OSS is its community. OSDSNs offer platforms like GitHub and GitLab that encourage communication and collaboration, creating a sense of belonging among developers. These platforms are essential for managing projects and enhancing motivation within the community. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Navigating the Financial Landscape of Open Source Projects
    The open core model involves offering a core open-source product while providing premium features as part of a separate, paid product. This model encourages community involvement by allowing free access to the foundational version. Meanwhile, it supports sustainability by charging for advanced features tailored to specific market needs. GitLab exemplifies this model, offering a free version alongside premium... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

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 GitLab and Docker Swarm, you can also consider the following products

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.

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

BitBucket - Bitbucket is a free code hosting site for Mercurial and Git. Manage your development with a hosted wiki, issue tracker and source code.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Gitea - A painless self-hosted Git service

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