Investigation: Docker Desktop alternative

Docker Desktop’s licensing terms state that a paid subscription is required for us to continue using it, as we fall into the ‘commercial use’ category of user. As a result, the need to explore free alternatives. To make an informed decision, investigation into other alternatives will help decide on the best approach moving forward.

 Alternatives Considered

1. Podman Desktop: Podman is an open-source, daemonless container management tool designed for Linux, offering a command-line interface (CLI) similar to Docker's. It reduces resource overhead by not requiring a background daemon, making it a lightweight alternative to Docker Desktop. Podman also supports Docker Compose via an external plugin, allowing users to manage multi-container applications.

   Podman Desktop is a graphical interface for managing containers and pods with Podman. It supports OCI containers, Kubernetes, and Docker Compose, and is compatible with Docker Engine, allowing seamless management of Docker containers. The GUI simplifies tasks like container inspection, logging, and volume management.

   Key Features:

   • Daemonless operation for reduced resource usage.

   • Supports Docker Compose and Kubernetes.

   • Lightweight and flexible, with compatibility for Docker workflows.

   Podman Desktop is a lightweight, user-friendly alternative to Docker Desktop, offering full container management functionality with less resource overhead. It’s ideal for users working with Docker-Compose or Docker-based applications.

2. Portainer: Portainer is a lightweight, user-friendly management UI for Docker environments, offering an intuitive web-based interface to manage containers, images, networks, and volumes. It comes in two versions: the free Community Edition, designed for small teams, and the paid Business Edition, which includes advanced features like Kubernetes support, LDAP, SSO integration, and advanced analytics.

   Portainer is designed to have minimal resource overhead. It typically consumes 20-50 MB of RAM for the agent and around 100 MB for the server, with minimal CPU usage unless interacting heavily with containers.

   Key features include:

   • User Interface: A web-based UI for easy container and resource management.

   • Container and Image Management: Simple operations like pulling, deleting, and managing images, as well as starting, stopping, and viewing container logs.

   • Volume and Network Management: Manage Docker volumes and networks directly from the UI.

   • Access Control: Supports user authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) for better security and management.

   While Portainer is a great alternative to Docker Desktop due to its efficiency and ease of use, it lacks the native application experience, as it is accessed through a web browser.

3. Rancher Desktop: Rancher is an open-source container management platform that simplifies the deployment and management of Kubernetes clusters across various environments, including on-premises and cloud. It provides a user-friendly web interface and robust security features like role-based access control and authentication integration for managing multiple clusters.

   Rancher Desktop is an open-source application designed for local Kubernetes development, allowing developers to run Kubernetes clusters on their desktops for testing and developing containerized applications. It supports tools like Kubernetes and containerd, providing a Kubernetes-centric environment. However, Rancher Desktop lacks several Docker-specific features, such as support for Docker networks, volumes, and the docker inspect command. It also does not include built-in container logging, vulnerability scanning, or support for Docker Compose and other Docker workflows.

   In summary, Rancher Desktop is ideal for Kubernetes-focused development but less comprehensive for traditional Docker management tasks.

4. Docker Engine (CLI only): The Docker Command-Line Interface (CLI) is a powerful tool for managing Docker containers, images, networks, and volumes directly from the terminal. Using the CLI allows developers and system administrators to efficiently deploy and manage containerized applications without relying on graphical interfaces. To run Docker without Docker Desktop on Windows, you need to install WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) as a prerequisite. Once Docker Engine is set up and running with WSL 2, you can manage Docker containers, images, networks, and volumes directly via the command-line interface (CLI). This approach eliminates the need for a graphical user interface (GUI) and is a viable alternative for teams comfortable with CLI operations.

   While the absence of a GUI may be seen as a limitation, most Docker tasks are typically performed through the CLI, so the workflow remains largely unchanged. However, this method has some drawbacks, such as the lack of native Windows container support and no GUI-based tools for management.