In our company, I mostly design 5G networks and my work revolves around virtualization of the 5G core, which is known as backhaul. In our organization, we use many containerization technologies to obtain a proper ROI.
No-code servers and other servers are used in a combination predominantly as part of our company operations, which is the most relevant approach in the service provider or enterprise end. For small-scale customers of our organization, we use a combination of Kubernetes and Docker to drive adoption.
One of the main use cases of Docker is resource utilization. Like traditional VMs, there is no need to depend upon reserving resources and it's much easier to spin up required instances for consumption using Docker.
Solution Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Offers application conversion to Docker image and a mature environment
Pros and Cons
- "The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality"
- "The learning curve with Docker is huge and extensive"
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality.
What needs improvement?
The learning curve with Docker is huge and extensive. Adopting Docker is a bit difficult because it requires a lot of expertise and background, including an understanding of networking and security concepts. Many professionals are facing issues with the different architectures that interact with each other in Docker.
Whenever in our company, we are working with the production environment, professionals are hesitant to adopt Docker due to the extensive learning curve, and most of the team members in our company are more accustomed to an environment like VMware instead of Docker.
Docker runs on scripts, so if AI can automate most of the scripting process in Docker, it would be a great advantage in the future version of Docker. As of now, we can create scripts utilizing most of the functions within Docker, but that initial planning phase wherein to understand exactly how you will plan for the resources, how you will convert applications into a Docker-based image, and similar tasks needs to be simplified so that more professionals can adopt Docker.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with Docker for almost four years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. Docker provides a highly stable environment to work with.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate scalability a five out of ten. In Docker, it's very difficult to predict how scaling works and this is where automation should be implemented. I would recommend Docker for small and medium-sized businesses as it provides a practical environment that can facilitate cost-savings. Docker also doesn't have critical workloads.
The applications used in critical workloads consume a high proportion of traditional server and physical infrastructure; by using Docker, the efficiency can be enhanced ten times. Docker is definitely a great option for small businesses that are trying to deploy applications on the cloud. Whether primarily deployed on-prem or cloud, with Docker the application can be moved in between them.
How are customer service and support?
I personally depend on the Docker community to resolve my issues with the product and avail support.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process of Docker is extremely simple. Docker is compatible with multiple operating systems, including macOS, Windows, and Ubuntu.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
OpenShift is gaining more popularity than Docker because it is used in enterprises that follow the traditional model. OpenShift is from Red Hat, and many enterprises are already running Red Hat-based systems at the back end, so it becomes much easier for them to move to OpenShift than to migrate to Docker.
For Docker based adoption, the entire existing infrastructure needs to be changed to migrate into the Docker environment but for OpenShift the older architecture just needs to be brought into the latest architecture.
What other advice do I have?
For container management, Kubernetes is our primary tool of choice in our organization, and we recommend the same for most of our customer's enterprise environments, but now we are witnessing a high adoption rate for OpenShift which has all the features of Kubernetes.
At our company, we are also noticing the rise of another competitor tool for Docker, which is called Amazon EKS, which runs on the cloud with a Kubernetes background. I can easily manage my public and private cloud using the same containerized environment and one single orchestrator.
There are complexities in integrating Docker with other CI/CD tools because the available documentation is not straightforward. An expert is required with hands-on project experience to integrate Docker with other solutions.
The solution should provide better deployment documentation with added project examples that can be used like a workbook by professionals. The vendor should develop and provide some explainer videos around Docker with a major focus on how AI has came to the picture and how Docker will provide integrations with automation and a Generative AI context. I have had two or three instances where I had used ChatGPT to deploy a code on behalf of me, but it took three of my colleagues to understand the AI-generated code.
In recent days, I have noticed that enterprises are not adopting Docker, and they are choosing a solution like Proxmox. Other competitor solutions to Docker are easier to use, so the usability factor is causing the adoption of products other than Docker. But I would say Docker has a more mature environment than the competitors.
The product is still at an early stage in terms of security. The basic aspects of security are covered, but there is a lot of room for improving the solution's security. Our organization works on container security and Docker should improve on container security.
If you are working on Docker, you need to have expertise in the product, it's security, architecture and resource planning. I would choose OpenShift over Docker. I would overall rate Docker an eight out of ten.
I'll definitely recommend Docker to users, especially to professionals who are working with a cloud-based environment, server-less architecture, or developers who are trying to build efficient applications. Docker is an excellent learning platform to initially get accustomed to basic architectures before shifting to more complex architectures like OpenShift.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 3, 2024
Flag as inappropriateLead Machine Learning Engineer at Schlumberger
Simple implementation, easy to use, and large user base
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Docker is that it provides a containerized environment. The isolation between the environments is beneficial. Additionally, the solution is easy to use."
- "Docker can improve the integration with Microsoft Windows. It does not support native installations."
What is our primary use case?
Docker can be deployed on-premise or on the cloud.
We are using Docker for containerizing our applications.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Docker is that it provides a containerized environment. The isolation between the environments is beneficial. Additionally, the solution is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
Docker can improve the integration with Microsoft Windows. It does not support native installations.
There can be a lot of issues with Microsoft Windows and Docker and those issues should be resolved in a future release. For example, if you are running Docker and you are running a lot of things in Microsoft Windows, these issues should be resolved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Docker for approximately
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Docker is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Docker is very good.
Every machine learning group in my company uses Docker. We have approximately 2000 to 3000 people using it.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to use the support from Docker because I have not had any issues.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Docker was extremely easy. The only part that takes some time is the containerization, the rest of the process is quick.
I rate the initial setup of Docker a ten out of ten.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Docker is a free-to-use solution. However, Docker Enterprise is not free.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We chose Docker over other solutions because it has a relatively large use user base. It is a popular solution.
What other advice do I have?
If you are trying to use Docker for the first time, make sure that the Docker file you have or the containerization which is done, is done properly. If the containerization is not done properly there can be some folders that are not mounted correctly and it causes several issues.
Docker Enterprise takes less time to set up if I was to compare it to this Docker free open-sourced version.
I rate Docker a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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DevOps Lead at Adidas
Integrates with other solutions so that we can deploy on Kubernetes
Pros and Cons
- "I have seen end-to-end performance with Docker. It's a great tool, and it's the most popular container service in the market."
- "The security layer is very vulnerable, although they are working to improve the system hardening and email hardening."
What is our primary use case?
In our case, Docker is a prerequisite to deploy on Kubernetes. We utilize and integrate Docker along with Jenkins. When we trigger the pipeline, it triggers and runs the Docker build to create the image. It's a JAAS service. Before deployment, everything is on a non-AWS platform. Once the image is created and deployed on Kubernetes, it will be hosted on AWS.
We started creating images on Jenkins as a service, which is on a different cloud. Once it's deployed on Kubernetes, it's placed on AWS. We have also deployed the Artifactory server using ECS.
It's deployed on the cloud. The cloud provider is AWS.
What needs improvement?
The security layer is very vulnerable, although they are working to improve the system hardening and image hardening. They need to provide a simple solution for a user to implement these two security features while creating the Docker image. It's not easy for simple users.
I'm part of the operations team, so I understand how Docker images are created using Unix features. Docker itself creates a snapshot of the existing infrastructure. Docker's features should be simplified enough so that developers can understand and implement them.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with Docker for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the stability as five out of five. I have seen end-to-end performance with Docker. It's a great tool, and it's the most popular container service in the market.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's not very scalable. In order to handle scalability, Docker Swarm is the available solution with Docker. Docker Swarm is another service, but it isn't stable. For multi-containers, they have introduced Docker Compose. One deployment set will trigger multiple containers. There isn't a scaling feature, but a single host can run multiple containers.
I would rate the scalability as two out of five.
How was the initial setup?
Installing Docker on individual systems is pretty simple. Docker needs to be installed for each user so they can access Docker testing, MS testing, and deployment testing.
I would rate setup as five out of five.
What about the implementation team?
Deployment was done in-house. Three people were needed for deployment. We have two people for maintenance.
Deployment was basically done by the IT team. We just needed to create a ticket to trigger the deployment from the IT team. It's pretty simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for a license. To make it more scalable, you need to pay for Docker Swarm, which is an additional cost.
If an organization utilizes a service free of cost, then the cost of Docker is like overhead for an organization. Docker was freeware, and they started asking for licensing costs about seven months ago. As soon as that news was published, many organizations started thinking about other free container services.
My company started uninstalling Docker from everybody's system to minimize the cost, and the proof of concept for other container services is still in progress. 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.
My company is thinking about different open source solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution as eight out of ten.
Docker is a prerequisite for utilizing Kubernetes. If somebody doesn't have experience with Docker, then they can't create the Docker image. Having the application image is a prerequisite for deploying on Kubernetes.
Once we started utilizing Kubernetes, the official website recommended using Docker as a container service, but now they've removed that recommendation. You can utilize any of the available container services in the market.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Simplifies software dependencies, enhances productivity, and enables easy sharing and collaboration across different ALM models
Pros and Cons
- "The tool helps us in code versioning. I think it's pretty much easy to use and very straightforward. Even if someone is new to the tool, they can easily start using it with a little guidance or theoretical knowledge. Go through the tool and start using it without much struggle."
- "Sometimes, we have sync-up issues where the build doesn't get processed due to these sync issues, causing the build to fail. That's one of the drawbacks I see. When we did a huge sync-up, we faced a couple of issues. It takes some time for us to complete the sync-up. For frequent, smaller updates, we haven't had any issues. However, challenges can arise for those who prefer doing everything in one go. This might not necessarily be due to the tool itself but because of the approach of doing everything in a single batch."
What is our primary use case?
We normally use Docker for building and testing all of our applications in a much faster way. We create the software as packages and then use Docker to create containers to build these packages. This process allows us to run and manage our applications.
What is most valuable?
The tool helps us in code versioning. I think it's pretty much easy to use and very straightforward. Even if someone is new to the tool, they can easily start using it with a little guidance or theoretical knowledge. Go through the tool and start using it without much struggle.
Docker reduces our efforts. However, from an AI perspective, we haven't explored it extensively yet. We need to start incorporating it more. Currently, our version doesn't utilize Docker heavily for AI tasks, but we plan to revise and implement our model in the future.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes, we have sync-up issues where the build doesn't get processed due to these sync issues, causing the build to fail. That's one of the drawbacks I see. When we did a huge sync-up, we faced a couple of issues. It takes some time for us to complete the sync-up. For frequent, smaller updates, we haven't had any issues. However, challenges can arise for those who prefer doing everything in one go. This might not necessarily be due to the tool itself but because of the approach of doing everything in a single batch.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product for eight to nine months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate Docker's stability a nine out of ten. It's a good product because it simplifies everyone's work, whether related to coding, testing, or integrating with multiple parts and management.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten. My company has eight to nine users.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment can be a challenge. It can be a bit challenging if someone is completely new and has never worked on it before. It has too many steps. Ideally, it can be finished quickly in about three or four steps.
What about the implementation team?
An integrator helped us with the deployment.
What was our ROI?
Docker streamlines our workflows and provides faster results. It simplifies our software dependencies, enhances productivity, and enables easy sharing and collaboration across different ALM models.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall product a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 3, 2024
Flag as inappropriateProject Engineer at CDAC
An open-source solution that can be used to monitor and manage multiple microservices
Pros and Cons
- "We are using Docker to host applications."
- "We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability."
What is our primary use case?
Currently, we are creating a JAR file and using microservices. There are around 178 services in a single project. We use Docker to manage and do load balancing for all the services together.
What is most valuable?
We are using Docker to host applications. We are using Docker Compose and sometimes Docker Screen.
What needs improvement?
We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using Docker in the same project for five years, and we have recently deployed Docker into Kubernetes for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability. It is very difficult to analyze how much load a tool takes. Sometimes, our Docker images get crashed due to the unavailability of space.
I rate the solution a six or seven out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Approximately, 400 users are using the solution in our organization.
I rate the solution a nine out of ten for scalability.
How was the initial setup?
The solution’s initial setup is simple.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented the solution through an in-house team. It took me around three to five hours to deploy the solution. Docker is easy to use and implement. For the deployment process, we used Docker in the CI/CD pipeline. Then, we pushed the Docker images to the Kubernetes as per the environment. We used Kubernetes to host and balance the load.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost.
What other advice do I have?
Docker made it easy for us to monitor the microservices. Secondly, we were able to manage the key load balancer. Thirdly, we wanted to create a secure layer of protection for our organization. So, we started using the containers above the hypervisor.
It was like using a new operating system. We created our own network adapters. We created another isolated network inside the Docker containers to keep our organization and project safe and secure. We consider this very helpful in the secure software development life cycle.
We're implementing multiple stages in security. We are signing Docker images, Docker containers, Kubernetes containers, Kubernetes nodes, and clusters in cryptography. We are signing these so that no one tampers with the code or the docker images. We are doing this from a security point of view.
The solution's containerization helps us in providing integrity and availability. If you use a microservices architecture, I recommend implementing Docker and Kubernetes. I would recommend Docker and Kubernetes to manage multiple microservices running simultaneously.
We had to configure multiple services, like the utilization of the CPU and the utilization of the RAM for the service that we were building. Additionally, we had to mention the network adapters we will be using. We followed multiple benchmarks, like NIST Benchmarks and CIS benchmarks.
There were multiple advantages to using Docker. The most important advantage was scalability and availability. As I am working in the security team, I'm looking after the integrity of the Docker images.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Project Lead Performance Engineer & Automation at Allstate
Has good speed and flexibility
Pros and Cons
- "The solution offers speed and flexibility."
- "The solution could offer better documentation."
What is our primary use case?
Docker is a development platform for containerization.
What is most valuable?
The solution offers speed and flexibility.
What needs improvement?
The solution could offer better documentation.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Docker for more than a year. We are using the latest version of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution's stability an eight or nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend the solution and tell them to explore it the first time and then make a decision. It's reliable, quite mature and reliable.
Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 5, 2024
Flag as inappropriateCTO at Huber
Docker is transforming the way we approach deployments, flexible and easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "Traditional deployments take more time and builds can be inconsistent across different environments. Docker solves these issues."
- "Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues."
What is our primary use case?
We use Docker for validation mechanisms and have built Docker images for our applications.
For container orchestration, we haven't used Kubernetes instances extensively. Docker works well for us.
What is most valuable?
It's flexible and easy to use. My team also finds it comfortable to work with.
What needs improvement?
Sometimes, it can become heavy and cause performance issues.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is pretty good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We use horizontal scaling, and it works well. Considering its container architecture, I'd rate the scalability a nine out of ten.
There are probably around 2,000 to 3,000 end users. It is extensively used.
How are customer service and support?
We have used Docker's technical support. I didn't have bad experience with the customer support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Kubernetes and other packaging techniques.
Portability and accessibility were the main reasons we chose Docker.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is mostly straightforward. We used Ansible for deployment.
What was our ROI?
The ROI is high. Traditional deployments take more time and builds can be inconsistent across different environments. Docker solves these issues.
The value is there. Docker delivers high performance, leading to increased productivity. You can achieve more in less time, and your deployment cycle time is reduced.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the solution an eight out of ten.
AI with Docker is relatively new for us. But for traditional deployments like microservices and Spring Boot applications, Docker works very well.
I definitely recommend it. The landscape is changing, and Docker is transforming the way we approach deployments.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 4, 2024
Flag as inappropriateIT Executive at eInfochips (An Arrow Company)
Provides good load-balancing features and helps save costs
Pros and Cons
- "The solution helps save costs."
- "Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."
What is our primary use case?
We use the tool for some of our services. We use it for containerization.
What is most valuable?
Load balancing features are valuable. We are leveraging this software for containerized services. We are using EKS for orchestration. We are leveraging almost all features. The solution helps save costs. We can know how much CPU memory is required so we can manage it accordingly.
What needs improvement?
Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for the last two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s stability a six or seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s scalability a six out of ten. We have more than 500 users. The tool is used extensively. We have plans to increase usage in the future.
How are customer service and support?
We get good support from AWS.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is straightforward. We need ten people for deployment, including managers, developers, and the IT team.
What about the implementation team?
We can deploy the product ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We use the open-source version.
What other advice do I have?
We use EKS for large applications. I will recommend the solution to others. If people want to leverage load balancing and containerized services with less CPU and load management, they can use Docker. We must pay for EKS based on the clusters and nodes we use. The price depends on the use case. Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 3, 2024
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