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AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs Docker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 14, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Cloud Development Kit (...
Ranking in Development Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is 9.6%, up from 9.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 42.0%, up from 38.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Asif  Meem - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-deploy solution that can be used to write code to provision infrastructure
We use AWS CDK for defining infrastructure as code You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure. The solution has a significant quality of life improvement for software developers who can code to spin up infrastructure on AWS. Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular…
AnandanB - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-built images can be pulled and used instantly, saving time and effort
Docker volumes. When I integrated volumes, I faced challenges. I have not essentially used add volumes to the existing instances. Maybe, I am not familiar with adding volumes to the existing Docker images. That might be a challenge, but it should be fairly straightforward. I'm just not aware of it. So just for me personally, it is a challenge. Docker has all the major support already. They should publish all the build images of Docker on an open-source resource like Github. They should support all the stuff. For example, now Docker supplies all these standard images, like database images or whatever image that the standard application is related to. Whenever there is Docker Compose information available on an open-source community project, that image should also be maintained and supported by Docker itself instead of the dev team doing it. Docker should take an interest in building those images and maintaining them for the public community projects that are hosted.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment."
"One of the most valuable aspects of CDK is its ability to integrate various components seamlessly, such as Lambda functions, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and EventBridge."
"You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure."
"AWS CDK has notably streamlined the deployment process compared to other methods, primarily by defining cloud infrastructure as code."
"AWS CDK offers seamless integration, which was a significant factor in choosing it for cloud computing."
"The setup process is very straightforward."
"The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality"
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
"The solution helps save costs."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
"The most valuable feature is the simple containerization."
"I am impressed with the product's independence. We can also deploy it anywhere."
"The current version is quite good with our application."
"The solution offers speed and flexibility."
 

Cons

"They could allow combining multiple languages, such as JavaScript and Python for the platform. At present, we can use only one language."
"The primary issue we've encountered is pricing. Some customers find the pricing to be somewhat high. Additionally, there's a discrepancy between the promised resource utilization and the actual utilization. The resource utilization calculations don't align with the provided guidelines. So, the pricing and resource utilization calculations could be refined."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular programming languages."
"There are some issues with different plugins."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"Unfortunately, base images are not currently available."
"The runtime and security could improve in Docker. Security is paramount in the cloud and important."
"Docker could improve by providing the ability to use the GPU for parallel processing. If there was the capability of using the GPU it would improve the machine learning that I want to use."
"The vendor should release a monitoring tool or include monitoring capabilities in Docker"
"Docker could improve by having more advanced features."
"The solution is not easy to manage and it is one of the reasons why people introduce orchestration tools to manage it."
"The stability could be improved."
"I advise new users to review their website, commands, and the steps for creating images."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since AWS CDK is an open-source solution, it's free to use."
"Docker's price is good."
"It's free."
"It's an open-source solution, so it doesn't cost anything"
"The product is not expensive."
"Docker is a free-to-use solution. However, Docker Enterprise is not free."
"We use the open-source version."
"I use the solution's open-source version."
"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS CDK?
The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CDK?
Over time, I expect AWS to become more cost-efficient and resilient. Although the pricing is currently high, I hope they continue to improve their system, which will lead to cost reductions.
What needs improvement with AWS CDK?
There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging. The IAM policies could be simplified to make the setup process more straightfor...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?
Regarding the cost, Mirantis Container Cloud is cheaper than other solutions like Red Hat. The license costs around 10,000 Indian rupees per year.
What needs improvement with Docker?
Mirantis Container Cloud should have AI integration tools, which are not available right now. These tools should assist in app scalability and deployment error handling.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.