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Codespaces 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

Codespaces
Ranking in Development Platforms
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
IDE (1st)
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 January 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Codespaces is 19.9%, up from 5.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 38.4%, up from 20.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Yshay Yaacobi - PeerSpot reviewer
Enabling a consistent remote environment with seamless integration and a consistent developer experience
We use Codespaces as a remote working environment as it provides a consistent working environment and compatibility across devices. Initially, I started using it because I was working on an Apple Silicon device, and my tools weren't compatible with that architecture. The remote environment offered…
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

"The developer experience is consistent, and its pricing makes sense since it optimizes the resources."
"The product allows us to implement feature-related changes or improvements on time. Whenever I write a section of the code or create a new code, it automatically integrates with the former code."
"The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security."
"The integration with Visual Studio Code offers a good and fast user experience that feels like a local experience."
"Codespaces' most valuable feature is the repository, which helps the developers to work together. Its data commands are also useful."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is that it revolutionized virtualization by providing a new approach with containers that completely nullified the time it used to take to deploy applications on virtual servers, resulting in deployment times that can be as quick as milliseconds, unless it is a heavy application, such as Java. Additionally, resource utilization has greatly improved with Docker, allowing for more resources to be allocated to other tasks. These are a few key features that make Docker a preferred choice."
"It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The ability to use an image with the software built into it, rather than just the software, is beneficial."
"We are able to stop our containers or stop the service with a single command."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is its integration with other solutions, such as KVM and AlmaLinux."
"When used in conjunction with Kubernetes, it is seamless because it integrates very well."
"The current version is quite good with our application."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is the dedicated QA environment for connecting the team members. Additionally, there are many core features available and it is highly secure when we are imaging a client's server."
 

Cons

"We get merge conflict errors and need to resolve them."
"The main issue is related to state preservation on a disconnection. When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands."
"The product indicates incorrect statistics."
"When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands. This context switch affects productivity."
"The technical support could respond faster."
"The solution needs to be more scalable for local machines."
"Owing to a few shortcomings in its stability, I would say that its stability can be improved."
"The volumes for persistent storage could be more user friendly right out of the box."
"We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability."
"We have found that it is not easy to install it into a Windows system."
"The documentation could be improved."
"Marketing of Docker is one area that needs to improve."
"If you install Docker on a host, it creates its own firewalls. It can become an issue. Usually, when you want to install Docker, you need to restart the firewall or restart the active tables on the machine, but this is not the case with Kubernetes. It uses the default set up by the next administrator, but with Docker, you have to restart the firewall and restart Docker before the firewall on the system will be okay. If you do not the rules will not be created."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I am using the product’s free version."
"From what I've seen, the solution doesn't seem like it's overly expensive for what you get."
"The current cost for us is nothing as an open source."
"For commercial use, it's about $30 per month. The license itself isn't expensive, but if there are many users, the price becomes high."
"Pricing is based on the number of users."
"The product is a free open-source tool."
"I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten"
"The product is not expensive."
"We use the open-source version."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Educational Organization
9%
Computer Software Company
18%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
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 Codespaces?
The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Codespaces?
Using Codespaces for a single station is cost-effective. However, I am not well-versed in the broader licensing considerations.
What needs improvement with Codespaces?
The main issue is related to state preservation on a disconnection. When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several co...
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

 

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Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Codespaces vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
831,158 professionals have used our research since 2012.