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Podman VS CRI-O

Compare Podman VS CRI-O and see what are their differences

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Podman logo Podman

Simple debugging tool for pods and images

CRI-O logo CRI-O

Lightweight Container Runtime for Kubernetes
  • Podman Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-30
  • CRI-O Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21

Podman features and specs

  • Daemonless Architecture
    Podman does not require a daemon to run containers, which simplifies its architecture and minimizes the potential attack surface.
  • Rootless Containers
    Podman allows running containers as a non-root user, enhancing security by reducing the risk associated with running processes as the root user.
  • Kubernetes Support
    Podman has built-in support for Kubernetes, enabling easier transition and orchestration of containers at scale.
  • Compatibility with Docker CLI
    Podman provides a Docker-compatible command line interface, making it easy for users to migrate from Docker with minimal changes to their workflows.
  • Enhanced Security
    With features like user namespaces and no central daemon, Podman offers improved security compared to traditional container runtimes.
  • Open Source
    Podman is an open-source project, which provides transparency and community-driven development.

Possible disadvantages of Podman

  • Limited Ecosystem
    The ecosystem around Podman is not as extensive as that of Docker, potentially limiting the availability of third-party tools and integrations.
  • Learning Curve
    Users familiar with Docker may face a learning curve when adapting to some of Podman’s unique features and CLI differences.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running rootless containers can introduce some performance overhead due to the additional layers of user namespace translation.
  • Less Mature
    Podman is relatively newer compared to Docker, which means it might not be as battle-tested in enterprise environments.
  • Inconsistent Behavior
    Certain Podman features may behave differently than Docker, which might lead to unexpected issues during container management and automation.

CRI-O features and specs

  • Lightweight
    CRI-O is designed to be a minimal container runtime, which means it has a smaller footprint compared to other runtimes like Docker. This can result in lower memory and CPU usage, contributing to better performance and efficiency.
  • Kubernetes Integration
    CRI-O is built specifically to integrate seamlessly with Kubernetes, implementing the Kubernetes Container Runtime Interface (CRI). This ensures better compatibility and more tailored features for Kubernetes environments.
  • Security
    CRI-O is designed with security in mind and minimizes the attack surface by strictly following the principle of least privilege. It also supports compatibility with various security frameworks, such as SELinux and AppArmor.
  • Vendor Neutral
    CRI-O is an open-source project under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), meaning it is vendor-neutral and has a diverse community contributing to its development. This decentralization helps in avoiding vendor lock-in.
  • Pluggable CNI
    CRI-O supports Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins out of the box, providing flexibility in choosing different network providers based on specific use-case requirements.

Possible disadvantages of CRI-O

  • Limited Features
    Because CRI-O is designed to be lightweight and minimalist, it lacks some of the extensive features offered by more comprehensive container solutions like Docker. Features like image building may require additional tools.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    While CRI-O is gaining popularity, it does not yet have as robust a community or ecosystem as Docker, potentially resulting in fewer available third-party tools and integrations.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    CRI-O may not be the most beginner-friendly environment due to its specific focus on Kubernetes integration and lack of standalone features like Docker Compose. Newcomers might find the learning curve steeper.
  • Debugging Tools
    The ecosystem around CRI-O is still maturing, and dedicated debugging tools are less comprehensive compared to other container runtimes like Docker, which could pose challenges in troubleshooting.
  • Release Cycle
    CRI-O's release cycle is tightly aligned with Kubernetes releases, which can be a double-edged sword. While it ensures compatibility, it also means that businesses must keep their CRI-O and Kubernetes versions in sync.

Analysis of Podman

Overall verdict

  • Podman is a solid option for users seeking a secure, flexible, and rootless alternative to Docker. It performs efficiently and provides strong compatibility with existing container management workflows.

Why this product is good

  • Podman is considered a good tool due to its daemonless architecture, which enhances security and provides more flexibility in container management. Unlike Docker, Podman can run containers under rootless mode, allowing non-root users to manage containers and reducing the attack surface. Podman's compatibility with Docker command-line interface (CLI) and its ability to run in a Kubernetes-like environment using pods make it versatile for diverse container management tasks.

Recommended for

  • Developers and system administrators who require a rootless container management solution.
  • Teams focused on security and minimal permissions for container management.
  • Organizations looking to integrate container management closely with Kubernetes without relying on Docker.
  • Users who are comfortable with command-line interface tools and container technologies.

Analysis of CRI-O

Overall verdict

  • CRI-O is considered a good choice for users who are running Kubernetes and prefer a streamlined, Kubernetes-native container runtime. Its compatibility with Kubernetes standards and its focus on using lightweight components make it a reliable option for a Kubernetes environment.

Why this product is good

  • CRI-O is an open-source container runtime specifically focused on providing a lightweight, minimal and stable runtime environment for Kubernetes. It is designed to meet the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) which enables Kubernetes to use different container runtimes. CRI-O simplifies the stack by using existing Open Container Initiative (OCI) projects which reduces overhead and complexity. It benefits from Kubernetes integration, offering security and performance optimizations tailored for Kubernetes workloads.

Recommended for

  • Organizations using Kubernetes as their primary container orchestration system.
  • Teams looking for a minimal and stable runtime compatible with the Kubernetes CRI.
  • Developers who need a runtime that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes tools and workflows.
  • Projects that prioritize security and compliance with OCI standards.

Podman videos

+ Add

PODMAN vs DOCKER - should you switch now?

More videos:

  • Review - Actually, podman Might Be Better Than docker
  • Review - Container (Podman) Review - Kominfo PROA Training Lab 2

CRI-O videos

+ Add

Running Containers on Podman/CRI-o - Introduction working with Podman containers

More videos:

  • Tutorial - CRI-O: Development Process & How to Contribute - Urvashi Mohnani & Peter Hunt, Red Hat
  • Review - CRI-O: O Container Runtime feito para o Kubernetes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Podman and CRI-O)

Podman

CRI-O

Developer Tools
75 75%
Developer Tools
25% 25
Cloud Computing
62 62%
Cloud Computing
38% 38
Productivity
100 100%
Productivity
0% 0
Cloud Storage
0 0%
Cloud Storage
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Podman and CRI-O. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Podman and CRI-O

Podman Reviews

Podman vs Docker: Comparing the Two Containerization Tools
Rootless processes. Because of its daemonless architecture, Podman can perform truly rootless operations. Users do not have to be granted root privileges to run Podman commands, and Podman does not have to rely on a root-privileged process.
Source: www.linode.com

CRI-O Reviews

We have no reviews of CRI-O yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Podman should be more popular than CRI-O. It has been mentiond 125 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.

Podman mentions (125)

View more

CRI-O mentions (21)

  • We clone a running VM in 2 seconds
    Yes - using Cri-o[0] or docker checkpoint/restore api (which uses cri-o) [0] - https://cri-o.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Top 8 Docker Alternatives to Consider in 2025
    CRI-O provides a lightweight container runtime specifically designed for Kubernetes, implementing the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) with optimized performance. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • 7 Best Practices for Container Security
    Container engine security focuses on the underlying runtime system that manages and executes containers, such as Docker, containerd, or CRI-O. These container engines are responsible for interfacing with the operating system kernel to provide the isolated environments that containers run within. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • 5 Alternatives to Docker Desktop
    Minikube supports various container runtimes, including Docker, containerd, and CRI-O, allowing flexibility in the development environment. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • The Road To Kubernetes: How Older Technologies Add Up
    Kubernetes on the backend used to utilize docker for much of its container runtime solutions. One of the modular features of Kubernetes is the ability to utilize a Container Runtime Interface or CRI. The problem was that Docker didn't really meet the spec properly and they had to maintain a shim to translate properly. Instead users could utilize the popular containerd or cri-o runtimes. These follow the Open... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Podman and CRI-O, you can also consider the following products

containerd - An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability

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

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

Flox - Manage and share development environments with all the frameworks and libraries you need, then publish artifacts anywhere. Harness the power of Nix.

rkt - App Container runtime

Buildah - Buildah is a web-based OCI container tool that allows you to manage the wide range of images in your OCI container and helps you to build the image container from the scratch.

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