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Rancher VS VMware ESXi

Compare Rancher VS VMware ESXi and see what are their differences

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Contents:
  1. » Base Details
  2. » Videos
  3. » Reviews
  4. » Alternatives

Rancher logo Rancher

Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

VMware ESXi logo VMware ESXi

VMware ESXi is a bare metal hypervisor that installs easily on to your server and partitions it into multiple virtual machines. Discover what it can do for you today
  • Rancher Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-24
  • VMware ESXi Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-22

Rancher features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Rancher provides an intuitive interface for managing Kubernetes clusters, making it accessible for both seasoned DevOps professionals and those new to container orchestration.
  • Multi-Cluster Management
    Rancher simplifies the management of multiple Kubernetes clusters, whether they are on-premise, in the cloud, or a combination of both, from a single dashboard.
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Rancher includes built-in monitoring and alerting features using Prometheus and Grafana, providing robust insights into cluster health and performance.
  • Security and Access Control
    Rancher offers detailed Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policies to ensure that users have appropriate permissions, enhancing security and compliance.
  • Integrated CI/CD Pipelines
    Rancher integrates seamlessly with popular CI/CD tools, streamlining the development and deployment process across multiple environments.
  • Scalability
    Rancher is designed to easily scale with your needs, supporting a large number of clusters and nodes efficiently.
  • Open-Source
    Rancher is an open-source project, which means it is free to use and benefit from community contributions and transparency.

Possible disadvantages of Rancher

  • Complex Initial Setup
    While Rancher simplifies ongoing management, the initial setup and configuration can be complex and time-consuming for newcomers.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running Rancher can be resource-intensive, requiring substantial CPU and memory, which might be a concern for smaller environments or budgets.
  • Potential Overhead
    Introducing Rancher adds an additional layer between the user and the Kubernetes clusters, potentially introducing latency and an extra point of failure.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its user-friendly interface, Rancher encompasses a wide array of features that require time and effort to learn and utilize fully.
  • Limited Vendor Support
    Some cloud providers have more robust support and native tools for their Kubernetes services, which might make Rancher less appealing if tight integration with a specific provider's ecosystem is required.

VMware ESXi features and specs

  • Stability and Reliability
    VMware ESXi is known for its stability and reliability in managing virtualized environments, ensuring consistent performance and minimal downtime.
  • Bare-Metal Hypervisor
    As a bare-metal hypervisor, ESXi runs directly on server hardware without needing an additional operating system, which enhances performance and resource management.
  • Resource Efficiency
    ESXi offers efficient resource allocation and management, allowing for high levels of resource utilization and scalability in virtual environments.
  • Advanced Features
    VMware ESXi supports advanced features such as vMotion, High Availability (HA), and Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), which contribute to better management and optimization of resources.
  • Large Ecosystem
    Being widely adopted, ESXi benefits from a large community and ecosystem, offering extensive support and a wide range of third-party integrations.

Possible disadvantages of VMware ESXi

  • Cost
    While ESXi is available as a free version, many advanced features require paid licenses, which can be expensive for small and medium-sized businesses.
  • Complexity
    Managing and configuring ESXi environments can be complex, particularly for those who are new to virtualization, potentially increasing the learning curve for administrators.
  • Hardware Compatibility
    ESXi has strict hardware compatibility requirements, meaning it may not run on all hardware configurations, requiring careful planning and possible hardware investment.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of ESXi has limitations that can restrict access to some features and scalability options, potentially necessitating an upgrade to a paid version for full functionality.
  • Support and Maintenance
    While community support is available, organizations may need to invest in formal support contracts from VMware for more reliable and dedicated service.

Rancher videos

+ Add

Slime Rancher Review - Worthabuy?

More videos:

  • Review - 2019 Honda Rancher 420 Review Long term 1000 plus KM
  • Review - TEST RIDE: 2015 Honda Rancher 420

VMware ESXi videos

+ Add

AMD Ryzen with VMware ESXi 6.5 - Ultimate Homelab? We Tried It

More videos:

  • Review - VMware ESXi Quick Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Rancher and VMware ESXi)

Rancher

VMware ESXi

DevOps Tools
100 100%
DevOps Tools
0% 0
Cloud Computing
70 70%
Cloud Computing
30% 30
Developer Tools
100 100%
Developer Tools
0% 0
Cloud Management
0 0%
Cloud Management
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Rancher and VMware ESXi. 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 Rancher and VMware ESXi

Rancher Reviews

Kubernetes Alternatives 2023: Top 8 Container Orchestration Tools
Rancher is an open-source container orchestration platform. With it, you can manage production containers across different platforms, including on-premises and the public cloud. As a Platform as a Service, it simplifies container management by allowing access to a set of available open source technologies, rather than having to build platforms from scratch.
Source: www.servertribe.com
Top 12 Kubernetes Alternatives to Choose From in 2023
Rancher also offers integration with popular container runtimes and networking solutions, making it an excellent choice for teams seeking a comprehensive PaaS solution for their Kubernetes deployments.
Source: humalect.com
11 Best Rancher Alternatives Multi Cluster Orchestration Platform
Create a Kubernetes cluster, then link it to Rancher to use Rancher with Kubernetes. Rancher offers a web-based dashboard, an API, tools for deploying and scaling containerized apps and services, and resources for managing and monitoring your cluster.
Source: technicalustad.com
Docker Alternatives
An open-source code, Rancher is another one among the list of Docker alternatives that is built to provide organizations with everything they need. This software combines the environments required to adopt and run containers in production. A rancher is built on Kubernetes. This tool helps the DevOps team by making it easier to testing, deploying and managing the...
Source: www.educba.com
Heroku vs self-hosted PaaS
All in all I’m intrigued by Rancher but since I am looking for something simple then it is too advanced and resource intensive for my small side projects. I will however look into Rancher a bit more later and try to deploy one of my projects to it. That will probably be a blog post in it’s own!
Source: www.mskog.com

VMware ESXi Reviews

8 Free & Best Open source bare metal hypervisors (Foss)
Note: VMware ESXi is not a FOSS project but free to download and use. It is here just for knowledge…
Source: www.how2shout.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Rancher seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 24 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.

Rancher mentions (24)

  • Terraform code for kubernetes on vsphere?
    I don't know in which extend you plan to use Kubernetes in the future, but if it is aimed to become several huge production clusters, you should looks into Apps like Rancher: https://rancher.com. Source: over 2 years ago
  • I want to provide some free support for community, how should I start?
    But I think once you have a good understanding of K8S internal (components, how thing work underlying, etc.), you can use some tool to help you provision / maintain k8s cluster easier (look for https://rancher.com/ and alternatives). Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Don't Use Kubernetes, Yet
    A few years, I would have said no. Now, I'm cautiously optimistic about it. Personally, I think that you can use something like Rancher (https://rancher.com/) or Portainer (https://www.portainer.io/) for easier management and/or dashboard functionality, to make the learning curve a bit more approachable. For example, you can create a deployment through the UI by following a wizard that also offers you... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Building an Internal Kubernetes Platform
    Alternatively, it is also possible to use a multi-cloud or hybrid-cloud approach, which combines several cloud providers or even public and private clouds. Special tools such as Rancher and OpenShift can be very useful to run this type of system. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • Five Dex Alternatives for Kubernetes Authentication
    Rancher provides a Rancher authentication proxy that allows user authentication from a central location. With this proxy, you can set the credential for authenticating users that want to access your Kubernetes clusters. You can create, view, update, or delete users through Rancher’s UI and API. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
View more

VMware ESXi mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of VMware ESXi yet. Tracking of VMware ESXi recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Rancher and VMware ESXi, you can also consider the following products

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

Proxmox VE - Proxmox is an open-source server virtualization management solution that offers the ability to manage virtual server technology with the Linux OpenVZ and KVM technology.

Terraform - Tool for building, changing, and versioning infrastructure safely and efficiently.

vSphere - Get started with VMware vSphere editions, the world’s leading server virtualization platform and the best foundation for your apps, your cloud, and your business.

Puppet Enterprise - Get started with Puppet Enterprise, or upgrade or expand.

c12n.cloud - 100% Open Source based cloud solution for your own private IaaS based on OpenStack, Kubernetes and Ceph

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