Container Platform Comparison

Docker vs Podman vs containerd - Choose the right container solution

Docker

4.7

Industry standard containerization platform

Free + Docker Desktop licensing

Pros

  • Largest ecosystem
  • Excellent documentation
  • Docker Hub registry
  • Easy to learn

Cons

  • Daemon dependency
  • Security concerns
  • Resource usage

Best for: Most containerization needs

Podman

4.3

Daemonless container engine

Completely free

Pros

  • No daemon required
  • Rootless containers
  • Docker-compatible
  • Better security

Cons

  • Smaller ecosystem
  • Less tooling
  • Learning curve from Docker

Best for: Security-focused environments

containerd

4.4

Industry-standard container runtime

Free and open source

Pros

  • Kubernetes native
  • Lightweight
  • High performance
  • CNCF graduated

Cons

  • Lower-level tool
  • Less user-friendly
  • Requires additional tooling

Best for: Kubernetes and production environments

Architecture Comparison

Docker Architecture

  • • Client-server architecture
  • • Docker daemon (dockerd)
  • • REST API interface
  • • Docker CLI client

Podman Architecture

  • • Daemonless architecture
  • • Fork-exec model
  • • Direct container execution
  • • Systemd integration

containerd Architecture

  • • Container runtime interface
  • • Plugin-based architecture
  • • gRPC API
  • • OCI compliant