Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Google Kubernetes Engine VS OrbStack

Compare Google Kubernetes Engine VS OrbStack and see what are their differences

Google Kubernetes Engine logo 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.

OrbStack logo OrbStack

Fast, light, simple Docker & Linux on macOS
  • Google Kubernetes Engine Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-05
  • OrbStack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

Google Kubernetes Engine features and specs

  • Managed Service
    GKE is a fully managed service, which means Google takes care of tasks like provisioning, maintenance, and updates of the cluster, reducing the operational burden on users.
  • Scalability
    GKE offers robust scalability options, allowing you to easily scale your applications up or down based on demand. This is facilitated through auto-scaling features for both nodes and pods.
  • Integration with Google Cloud Services
    GKE integrates seamlessly with other Google Cloud services such as Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and more, providing a streamlined experience for leveraging multiple cloud tools.
  • Security
    GKE offers advanced security features like private clusters, and integrates with Google Cloud IAM, which allows for fine-grained access control, helping to secure your Kubernetes environment.
  • Ease of Use
    GKE's comprehensive dashboard, command-line interface, and supporting documentation make it easy to deploy, manage, and monitor Kubernetes clusters.
  • Global Reach
    With GKE, you can deploy clusters across multiple regions and zones, giving you the ability to build highly available, geographically dispersed applications.

Possible disadvantages of Google Kubernetes Engine

  • Cost
    While GKE offers extensive features, it can be more expensive compared to other Kubernetes solutions, especially when additional services and high-availability features are utilized.
  • Limited Customization
    As a managed service, GKE has some limitations in terms of customization and control over the underlying infrastructure compared to self-managed Kubernetes environments.
  • Complexity
    Despite its ease of use features, GKE still requires a certain level of expertise to efficiently manage Kubernetes clusters, which can be a steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Dependence on Google Cloud
    Using GKE ties you to the Google Cloud ecosystem, which may limit flexibility if you decide to migrate to a different cloud provider or adopt a multi-cloud strategy.
  • Resource Constraints
    Like all cloud services, GKE nodes can be subject to resource limits and quotas imposed by Google Cloud, which can impact performance if not properly managed.
  • SLA and Downtime
    While Google Cloud offers Service Level Agreements (SLAs), there is still a risk of downtime which could affect your applications. Additionally, relying on a third-party provider means issues may take time to resolve.

OrbStack features and specs

  • Performance
    OrbStack is optimized for high performance, providing faster boot times and efficient resource usage compared to other virtualization platforms.
  • User Interface
    The platform offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that simplifies management and set up of virtual machines and containers.
  • Integration
    OrbStack integrates well with various development tools and environments, enhancing workflow efficiency for developers.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    It supports multiple platforms, making it versatile and accessible for users across different operating systems.
  • Security
    The platform is designed with robust security features to protect virtualized environments and ensure data integrity.

Possible disadvantages of OrbStack

  • Limited Documentation
    Some users might find the available documentation scarce, making it harder to find solutions to specific issues or advanced configurations.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, there may still be a learning curve for users who are new to virtualization technologies.
  • Pricing
    Depending on the licensing model, OrbStack can be costly for individual developers or small teams with limited budgets.
  • Resource Intensity
    Though efficient, the platform may require significant system resources, which could be a drawback for users with less powerful hardware.
  • Compatibility Issues
    While OrbStack supports various platforms, there might be occasional compatibility issues with specific hardware or software configurations.

Google Kubernetes Engine videos

Getting Started with Containers and Google Kubernetes Engine (Cloud Next '18)

More videos:

  • Review - Optimize cost to performance on Google Kubernetes Engine
  • Tutorial - Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) | Coupon: UDEMYSEP20 - Kubernetes Made Easy | Kubernetes Tutorial

OrbStack videos

OrbStack: A Lightweight Alternative for Docker

More videos:

  • Review - Practices for Docker on Mac Mini M2 Pro with OrbStack #mac #orbstack #docker #container

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Google Kubernetes Engine and OrbStack)
Developer Tools
85 85%
15% 15
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
Design Tools
0 0%
100% 100
DevOps Tools
88 88%
12% 12

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Google Kubernetes Engine and OrbStack

Google Kubernetes Engine Reviews

Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a prominent choice for a Kubernetes alternative. It is provided and managed by Google Cloud, which offers fully managed Kubernetes services.
Source: humalect.com
11 Best Rancher Alternatives Multi Cluster Orchestration Platform
Google Kubernetes Engine is a CaaS (container as a service) platform that lets you easily create, resize, manage, update, upgrade, and debug container clusters. Google Kubernetes Engine, aka GKE, was the first managed Kubernetes service, and therefore, it is highly regarded in the industry.
Top 10 Best Container Software in 2022
If you need a speedy creation of developer environments, working on micro services-based architecture and if you want to deploy production grade clusters then Docker and Google Kubernetes Engine would be the most suitable tools. They are very well suited for DevOps team.
7 Best Containerization Software Solutions of 2022
If you’re looking for a managed solution to help you deploy and scale containerized apps on your virtual machines quickly, Google Kubernetes Engine is a great choice.
Source: techgumb.com

OrbStack Reviews

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

Based on our record, Google Kubernetes Engine should be more popular than OrbStack. It has been mentiond 49 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.

Google Kubernetes Engine mentions (49)

  • Google Cloud Unveils A4 VMs with NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs for AI
    Integration with Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), which supports up to 65,000 nodes per cluster, facilitating robust AI infrastructure. - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Deploy Gemini-powered LangChain applications on GKE
    In my previous post, we explored how LangChain simplifies the development of AI-powered applications. We saw how its modularity, flexibility, and extensibility make it a powerful tool for working with large language models (LLMs) like Gemini. Now, let's take it a step further and see how we can deploy and scale our LangChain applications using the robust infrastructure of Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) and the... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Securing Applications Using Keycloak's Helm Chart
    Kubernetes cluster: You need a running Kubernetes cluster that supports persistent volumes. You can use a local cluster, like kind or Minikube, or a cloud-based solution, like GKE%20orEKS or EKS. The cluster should expose ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) for external access. Persistent storage should be configured to retain Keycloak data (e.g., user credentials, sessions) across restarts. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Simplify development of AI-powered applications with LangChain
    In a later post, I will take a look at how you can use LangChain to connect to a local Gemma instance, all running in a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • 26 Top Kubernetes Tools
    Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is another managed Kubernetes service that lets you spin up new cloud clusters on demand. It's specifically designed to help you run Kubernetes workloads without specialist Kubernetes expertise, and it includes a range of optional features that provide more automation for admin tasks. These include powerful capabilities around governance, compliance, security, and configuration... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
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OrbStack mentions (23)

  • Docker limits unauthenticated pulls to 10/HR/IP from Docker Hub, from March 1
    If you're on Mac worth checking out the commercial https://orbstack.dev/ Reasonable price for better dev efficiency. Free for personal use. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Build a data-intensive Next.js app with Tinybird and Cursor
    This is a Docker image, so you just need a Docker runtime on your machine (if you're using MacOS, I recommend OrbStack). - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Troubleshooting Docker Desktop: Tips and Alternatives for Developers
    OrbStack: Although it’s a paid tool, OrbStack promises faster, lighter, and simpler container and Linux management compared to Docker Desktop. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Docker Desktop Broken on Mac OS Update for over a Week
    How can update like this even happen and I'm still waiting for the post mortem on this. [0] Quite frankly a very basic intern mistake but done by "seniors". In the mean time, I'm using Orbstack. [1] Much faster, lightweight and native. [0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42695066. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Hosting HuggingFace Models with KoboldCpp and RunPod
    Simply run docker compose down or use GUIs such as Rancher Desktop, Docker Desktop, or OrbStack to shut down the containers. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Google Kubernetes Engine and OrbStack, you can also consider the following products

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

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker

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

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

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

Amazon EKS - Amazon EKS makes it easy for you to run Kubernetes on AWS without needing to install and operate your own Kubernetes clusters.