Docker Swarm VS Kubernetes VS Openshift

Introduction

Containers have become a popular way for organisations to package and deploy their applications. They provide a lightweight, portable and consistent environment that can run across different environments and platforms. However, managing and scaling containerised applications can be complex and requires a container orchestration system. In this blog, we will be comparing three popular container orchestration systems: Docker Swarm, Kubernetes and Openshift. These three systems are widely adopted by organisations of all sizes and across industries for managing containerised applications in production environments. We will be looking at their benefits, features, and use cases to help you understand which one is the best fit for your organisation.

What is Docker Swarm?

Docker Swarm is a native clustering and orchestration solution for Docker. It allows you to create and manage a group of Docker containers as a single, virtual host. With Swarm, you can easily scale your application horizontally by adding more containers to the cluster, and Docker Swarm will automatically distribute and balance the load across the available containers. Additionally, Docker Swarm provides built-in service discovery, making it easy to discover and connect to the services running within your cluster.

What is Kubernetes?

Kubernetes, also known as K8s, is an open-source container orchestration system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerised applications. It is designed to provide a platform-agnostic and portable way to manage and schedule containerised workloads and services.

Kubernetes uses a declarative approach, meaning that an administrator describes the desired state of the system, and the Kubernetes system makes the necessary adjustments to the actual state of the system to match the desired state. This approach allows for more efficient scaling and updates of applications, as well as better management of resources.

What is Openshift?

Openshift is a container orchestration platform developed by Red Hat. It is based on Kubernetes, and provides additional features and functionality for deploying and managing containerised applications in production environments. Openshift provides a comprehensive set of tools for building, deploying, and managing containerised applications in a consistent and repeatable way.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Docker Swarm	Kubernetes	OpenShift
Scalability	Good	Excellent	Excellent
High-Availability	Good	Good	Excellent
Self-healing	Good	Good	Excellent
Load balancing	Good	Good	Excellent
Service Discovery	Good	Good	Excellent
Storage orchestration	Basic	Good	Excellent
Rollouts and rollbacks	Basic	Good	Excellent
Resource management	Basic	Good	Excellent
CI/CD	Basic	Good	Excellent
Security and Compliance	Basic	Good	Excellent
Hybrid and Multi-cloud	Basic	Good	Excellent

So where would you use Docker Swarm?

Example: A small retail company that runs a few web applications and a database on a small cluster of servers could benefit from using Docker Swarm. The company’s IT team is not very familiar with container orchestration systems, but they are already using Docker to package their applications. By using Docker Swarm, they can easily create and manage a group of Docker containers as a single, virtual host, and easily scale their application horizontally by adding more containers to the cluster. Additionally, Docker Swarm provides built-in service discovery, making it easy for the IT team to discover and connect to the services running within their cluster.

Overall, Docker Swarm is a good fit for organisations that want a simple and easy-to-use container orchestration system, and are already using Docker to package their applications. It’s also a good fit for organisations that have a small scale cluster of servers and don’t have a big IT team with container orchestration expertise.

So where would you use Kubernetes?

For example, a large e-commerce company that runs multiple microservices and needs to handle a high volume of traffic could benefit from using Kubernetes. The company’s IT team is familiar with container orchestration systems, and they are already using containers to package their applications. By using Kubernetes, they can easily deploy, scale, and manage their containerised applications in a consistent and repeatable way, across different environments and cloud providers.

Overall, Kubernetes is a good fit for organisations that want a powerful and flexible container orchestration system, and have a large-scale cluster of servers. It’s also a good fit for organisations that are already using containers to package their applications, and have an IT team with container orchestration expertise. Additionally, Kubernetes is widely adopted across different industries and cloud providers which makes it a popular choice among organisations that want to have a portable and platform-agnostic container orchestration system.

So where would you use OpenShift?

Example: A financial services company that needs to comply with strict regulatory requirements and needs to manage a large number of applications, could benefit from using Openshift. The company’s IT team is familiar with container orchestration systems, and they are already using containers to package their applications. By using Openshift, they can easily deploy, scale, and manage their containerised applications in a consistent and repeatable way, across different environments and cloud providers. Additionally, OpenShift provides built-in support for security and compliance, which allows the financial services company to meet regulatory requirements and ensure the security of their applications and data.

Overall, Openshift is a good fit for organisations that want a comprehensive and enterprise-ready container orchestration platform, and have a large scale cluster of servers. It’s also a good fit for organisations that are already using containers to package their applications, have an IT team with container orchestration expertise, and have specific regulatory compliance or security requirements. Additionally, Openshift provides built-in support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, which makes it a great option for organisations looking to deploy applications across different environments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Openshift are all popular container orchestration systems that provide a way for organisations to easily deploy, scale, and manage containerised applications in production environments. Each of these systems offers its own set of benefits and features that make them suitable for different use cases and organisations.

In summary, each of these systems offers its own set of benefits and features that make them suitable for different use cases and organisations. By understanding the specific needs of your organisation and the features offered by each system, you can make an informed decision on which container orchestration system is the best fit for your organisation. Whether you choose Docker Swarm, Kubernetes or OpenShift, you can be confident that you will have a robust and flexible solution for managing your containerised applications in production environments.