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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
7.4
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (5th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is 10.1%, up from 5.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 43.6%, up from 36.5% 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…
Renat Babin - PeerSpot reviewer
Easy to deploy with an impressive networking feature
The volumes for persistent storage could be more user friendly right out of the box. I would like an option to just use it as local storage or some kind of NSF or CIF. Or to mount the volume straight to a Google Drive or through a particular cloud storage. It's not that these things are impossible, but you have to do some extra work or configurations.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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 offers seamless integration, which was a significant factor in choosing it for cloud computing."
"AWS CDK has notably streamlined the deployment process compared to other methods, primarily by defining cloud infrastructure as code."
"The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment."
"The setup process is very straightforward."
"It is neat and very flexible."
"It is a quite mature technology."
"Containerization is the most valuable feature. I can communicate to the Docker containers using other containers."
"In our line of work, we've been involved in various sectors, such as industrial products, transportation, client engineering, telecom, and medical. For instance, we're currently developing an IT platform. One key use case we're tackling is device management."
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
"The current version is quite good with our application."
"Docker packages up an application as a single item that you can then run without the need to install or configure it to work on any specific machine."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
 

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"There are some issues with different plugins."
"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."
"The backup compatibility for legacy window stations is an area of concern where improvement is required, especially since my company has certain legacy tools that we are struggling to move."
"Marketing of Docker is one area that needs to improve."
"Deployment could be quicker."
"Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."
"The solution is not easy to manage and it is one of the reasons why people introduce orchestration tools to manage it."
"There are elements of stability that are problematic. One of the most recent upgrades created a major incident on our cloud, whereby the containers were not restarting automatically."
"They should provide proper documentation to understand the solution's cgroup process."
"I think Docker can improve as it relates to overall stability."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since AWS CDK is an open-source solution, it's free to use."
"Its convenience edition is free of cost."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
"There is a license needed to use Docker."
"I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten"
"Pricing is based on the number of users."
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"Docker is a free open-source solution. However, there is the Docker Enterprise which is a paid solution."
"Docker has made some changes and there is an enterprise version that is affordable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
19%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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?
Our customers buy the software and the prices are available on Docker Hub. The subscription is typically yearly, and customers will need to buy the subscription directly. They can purchase it thems...
What needs improvement with Docker?
Docker is a time-tested, proven solution with industry-wide applications. There can be challenges with port mapping, however, that's not related to Docker itself.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

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: January 2025.
832,237 professionals have used our research since 2012.