Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Nanos VS Docker

Compare Nanos VS Docker and see what are their differences

Nanos logo Nanos

Run code faster than the speed of light. A unikernel running one and only one application in a virtualized environment. More secure and faster than Linux. All while keeping it simple.

Docker logo Docker

Docker is an open platform that enables developers and system administrators to create distributed applications.
  • Nanos Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-13
  • Docker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25

Nanos features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

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.

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

Nanos videos

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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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Nanos and Docker)
Operating Systems
100 100%
0% 0
Developer Tools
2 2%
98% 98
Containers As A Service
0 0%
100% 100
Virtualization
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

Nanos Reviews

We have no reviews of Nanos yet.
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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

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Docker should be more popular than Nanos. It has been mentiond 74 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.

Nanos mentions (15)

  • BareMetal OS
    Then maybe a unikernel such as Nanos would work better for you. https://nanos.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Asterinas: OS kernel written in Rust and providing Linux-compatible ABI
    This is a very large rationale for what we are building with https://nanos.org . - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • OS for Secure Containers?
    Going to toot my own horn here but if you're looking for something like a container with a security focus that is precisely what https://nanos.org was built for. No users, no login/ssh, no ability to run other programs other than the one that is already running. It kills off entire CWE's such as CWE-77/CWE-78 and neutralizes a large amount of nasty payloads forcing attackers to put in the work. It has all the same... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Show HN: Convert your Containerfile to a bootable OS
    Erlang on Xen was most definitely an inspiration behind what we're working on with https://nanos.org . - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Nanos – A Unikernel
    I am a bit confused, there are three sites: * https://nanos.org/ * https://nanovms.com/ * https://ops.city/ And I am not sure what "thing" I am using. Is there some disambiguation? I know is OPS is the orchestration CLI, but I am confused at the difference between Nanos and NanoVMs. What should I call the section of my README that deals with this tech? Currently gone with Nanos/OPS but I am confused. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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Docker mentions (74)

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What are some alternatives?

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

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

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

Qubes OS - Qubes is a security-oriented, free and open-source operating system for personal computers that allows you to securely compartmentalize your digital life.‎Download Mirrors · ‎Qubes R4.

GrapheneOS - GrapheneOS is an open source privacy and security focused mobile OS with Android app compatibility.

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker

Linux kernel - The Linux kernel is the operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating...