Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

minikube VS Docker Swarm

Compare minikube VS Docker Swarm and see what are their differences

minikube logo minikube

Run Kubernetes locally. Contribute to kubernetes/minikube development by creating an account on GitHub.

Docker Swarm logo Docker Swarm

Native clustering for Docker. Turn a pool of Docker hosts into a single, virtual host.
  • minikube Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-27
  • Docker Swarm Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-01

minikube features and specs

  • Easy Setup
    Minikube provides a straightforward setup process, allowing users to quickly run Kubernetes clusters on local machines with minimal configuration.
  • Lightweight
    Designed for local development and testing, Minikube is lightweight and enables developers to spin up a Kubernetes environment without the overhead of a full-scale production setup.
  • Multi-platform Support
    Minikube supports multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it accessible for developers working across different platforms.
  • Feature Rich
    Minikube offers a variety of Kubernetes features, including support for a wide range of Kubernetes APIs, which can be useful for development and testing.
  • Extensible
    It supports add-ons and configurations that allow developers to extend its functionality to suit their development needs.

Possible disadvantages of minikube

  • Limited Scalability
    Minikube is designed for local use and small-scale testing; it is not suitable for large-scale or production-grade deployments.
  • Resource Intensive
    Despite being lightweight compared to full-scale Kubernetes deployments, Minikube can still require significant local resources, which may affect the performance of the host machine.
  • Performance Limitations
    As a local Kubernetes solution, Minikube may not deliver the same performance and resource efficiency as cloud-based Kubernetes environments, particularly for intensive workloads.
  • Networking Challenges
    Configuring complex network setups in Minikube can be challenging, especially for users who are replicating multi-node clusters that require elaborate networking configurations.
  • Not Suitable for Production
    Minikube is specifically designed for development and testing purposes, meaning it lacks features needed for production deployments, such as scalability, high availability, and robust security.

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.

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.

minikube videos

Minikube in Kubernetes | Coupon: UDEMYNOV20 | Udemy: Kubernetes Made Easy | Kubernetes Tutorial

More videos:

  • Review - Minikube: Bringing Kubernetes to the Next Billion Users - Thomas Strรถmberg, Google
  • Review - Using minikube (Kubernetes) for Local Node.js Development [I]

Docker Swarm videos

Kubernetes vs Docker Swarm | Container Orchestration War | Kubernetes Training | Edureka

More videos:

  • Review - Roberto Fuentes โ€“ NodeJS with Docker Swarm

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to minikube and Docker Swarm)
Developer Tools
26 26%
74% 74
Cloud Computing
44 44%
56% 56
DevOps Tools
16 16%
84% 84
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using minikube and Docker Swarm. 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 minikube and Docker Swarm

minikube Reviews

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

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, minikube should be more popular than Docker Swarm. It has been mentiond 21 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.

minikube mentions (21)

  • Building Llama as a Service (LaaS)
    With the containerized Node.js/Express API, I could run multiple containers, scaling to handle more traffic. Using a tool called minikube, we can easily spin up a local Kubernetes cluster to horizontally scale Docker containers. It was possible to keep one shared instance of the database, and many APIs were routed with an internal Kubernetes load balancer. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Can I scale my dockerized Flask solution with Kubernetes?
    Install Minicube - a tool that allows us to spin up a Kubernetes cluster in a local machine Run minikube start to start your Kubernetes cluster Run minikube dashboard to spin up a web-based user interface that allows you to manage your Kubernetes cluster. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • DevOps experience without Kubernetes
    Https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube for local learning that's lightweight. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Minikube service URL not working
    Root@vagrant-ubuntu-trusty:~/docker-containers# docker imagesREPOSITORY TAG IMAGE ID CREATED SIZEdockercontainers\_jenkins latest bb1142706601 4 days ago 1.03GBdockercontainers\_sonar latest 3f021a73750c 4 days ago ... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Best way to install and use kubernetes for learning
    Minikube (https://github.com/kubernetes/minikube) - based off of docker machine, uses driver for backend, so can use KVM, Vagrant, or Docker itself to bootstrap K8S cluster. Source: almost 3 years 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 / 10 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: over 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 / over 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

Kind - Kind is a web-based tool that provides you the features to operate the local kubernetes clusters with the help of a docker container named nodes.

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

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

AutoFac - An addictive .NET IoC container. Contribute to autofac/Autofac development by creating an account on GitHub.

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

Helm.sh - The Kubernetes Package Manager