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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
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Codespaces is 10.4%, up from 5.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 44.2%, up from 37.6% 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…
Rikin Parekh - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful to create sandbox environments to run applications and makes it easy to test them
Overall, setting up the Docker environment is quite easy. Many methods exist, such as using Docker Compose and Docker networks to communicate between containers. The main challenge lies in designing the architecture and integrating different frameworks and microservices. I would rate the ease of setting up the tool at around nine out of ten. The time it takes to deploy depends on the scale of the system. For the early-stage startup I'm currently working with, it doesn't take much time. It's just me handling the deployment. In our early-stage startup, we have a couple of teams with around four to five backend APIs and two front-end services. Deploying these doesn't take much time. My focus is more on minimizing costs due to our lean startup structure.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The integration with Visual Studio Code offers a good and fast user experience that feels like a local experience."
"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 developer experience is consistent, and its pricing makes sense since it optimizes the resources."
"Codespaces' most valuable feature is the repository, which helps the developers to work together. Its data commands are also useful."
"The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security."
"It is a quite mature technology."
"Docker is highly scalable."
"Docker offers a resilient system with minimal failure chances and optimized performance"
"The most valuable feature is that it is cost-saving."
"Docker allows you to run multiple virtual machines independently."
"We are able to stop our containers or stop the service with a single command."
"Docker's containerization property is its main selling point."
"Docker is convenient and easy to use."
 

Cons

"The product indicates incorrect statistics."
"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 technical support could respond faster."
"We get merge conflict errors and need to resolve them."
"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 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."
"Owing to a few shortcomings in its stability, I would say that its stability can be improved."
"The solution’s documentation could improve a bit."
"The command line interface could be more intuitive. I constantly struggle with it."
"We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability."
"I would like to see a more UI-based tool so that students can easily understand it rather than memorizing all of the Docker commands."
"I have encountered network issues while connecting with microservices. I want to optimize the application layers over the bucket. It should also have better documentation."
"We would like to see improvement in adding the node into the Docker Swarm cluster, as at present it is a little tricky and requires a lot of manual steps."
 

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 product is a free open-source tool."
"This is an open-source solution, so there are no licensing costs."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
"I use the solution's open-source version."
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"The solution is an open-source technology and not a commercial product. However, you will have to pay sometimes. The tool's pricing depends on the vendor."
"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
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
16%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
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 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 needs improvement with Docker?
In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Codespaces vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.