Docker Swarm vs Octopus Deploy

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Docker Swarm

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Octopus Deploy

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Docker Swarm vs Octopus Deploy: What are the differences?

<Write Introduction here>
  1. Architecture: Docker Swarm is a container orchestration tool that comes built-in with the Docker Engine, allowing users to manage a cluster of Docker nodes. Octopus Deploy, on the other hand, is a release management and deployment automation tool that specializes in deploying applications and services across various environments.

  2. Scope of Functionality: Docker Swarm focuses on container orchestration, scaling, and load balancing, making it ideal for managing containerized applications on a cluster of nodes. Octopus Deploy, on the other hand, focuses on automating the deployment process, coordinating releases, and managing infrastructure configurations for various applications.

  3. Ease of Use: Docker Swarm is relatively easier to set up and use compared to Octopus Deploy, which requires more configuration and setup to automate deployment pipelines and manage releases effectively. Docker Swarm's simplicity makes it a popular choice for smaller teams or projects, while Octopus Deploy offers more advanced features for larger enterprise deployments.

  4. Scalability and Flexibility: Docker Swarm excels in scaling containerized applications across a cluster of nodes, providing a flexible and scalable solution for managing containers. On the other hand, Octopus Deploy offers more flexibility in managing complex deployment processes, integrating with various tools and systems to streamline the release management lifecycle.

  5. Community Support: Docker Swarm has strong community support due to its integration with the Docker ecosystem, allowing users to leverage a vast array of resources, plugins, and documentation. Octopus Deploy also has a supportive community but may have fewer resources compared to Docker Swarm, primarily focusing on deployment automation and release management.

  6. Cost: Docker Swarm is an open-source tool that comes included with the Docker Engine, providing a cost-effective solution for container orchestration. Octopus Deploy, however, is a commercial product with licensing fees based on the number of deployment targets, making it a more significant investment for organizations looking for advanced deployment automation capabilities.

In Summary, Docker Swarm and Octopus Deploy differ in their architecture, scope of functionality, ease of use, scalability, community support, and cost, catering to different needs in container orchestration and deployment automation.

Decisions about Docker Swarm and Octopus Deploy
Simon Reymann
Senior Fullstack Developer at QUANTUSflow Software GmbH · | 30 upvotes · 9.2M views

Our whole DevOps stack consists of the following tools:

  • GitHub (incl. GitHub Pages/Markdown for Documentation, GettingStarted and HowTo's) for collaborative review and code management tool
  • Respectively Git as revision control system
  • SourceTree as Git GUI
  • Visual Studio Code as IDE
  • CircleCI for continuous integration (automatize development process)
  • Prettier / TSLint / ESLint as code linter
  • SonarQube as quality gate
  • Docker as container management (incl. Docker Compose for multi-container application management)
  • VirtualBox for operating system simulation tests
  • Kubernetes as cluster management for docker containers
  • Heroku for deploying in test environments
  • nginx as web server (preferably used as facade server in production environment)
  • SSLMate (using OpenSSL) for certificate management
  • Amazon EC2 (incl. Amazon S3) for deploying in stage (production-like) and production environments
  • PostgreSQL as preferred database system
  • Redis as preferred in-memory database/store (great for caching)

The main reason we have chosen Kubernetes over Docker Swarm is related to the following artifacts:

  • Key features: Easy and flexible installation, Clear dashboard, Great scaling operations, Monitoring is an integral part, Great load balancing concepts, Monitors the condition and ensures compensation in the event of failure.
  • Applications: An application can be deployed using a combination of pods, deployments, and services (or micro-services).
  • Functionality: Kubernetes as a complex installation and setup process, but it not as limited as Docker Swarm.
  • Monitoring: It supports multiple versions of logging and monitoring when the services are deployed within the cluster (Elasticsearch/Kibana (ELK), Heapster/Grafana, Sysdig cloud integration).
  • Scalability: All-in-one framework for distributed systems.
  • Other Benefits: Kubernetes is backed by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), huge community among container orchestration tools, it is an open source and modular tool that works with any OS.
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Pros of Docker Swarm
Pros of Octopus Deploy
  • 55
    Docker friendly
  • 46
    Easy to setup
  • 40
    Standard Docker API
  • 38
    Easy to use
  • 23
    Native
  • 22
    Free
  • 13
    Clustering made easy
  • 12
    Simple usage
  • 11
    Integral part of docker
  • 6
    Cross Platform
  • 5
    Labels and annotations
  • 5
    Performance
  • 3
    Easy Networking
  • 3
    Shallow learning curve
  • 30
    Powerful
  • 25
    Simplicity
  • 20
    Easy to learn
  • 17
    .Net oriented
  • 14
    Easy to manage releases and rollback
  • 8
    Allows multitenancy
  • 4
    Nice interface

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Cons of Docker Swarm
Cons of Octopus Deploy
  • 9
    Low adoption
  • 4
    Poor UI
  • 2
    Config & variables not versioned (e.g. in git)
  • 2
    Management of Config

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What is Docker Swarm?

Swarm serves the standard Docker API, so any tool which already communicates with a Docker daemon can use Swarm to transparently scale to multiple hosts: Dokku, Compose, Krane, Deis, DockerUI, Shipyard, Drone, Jenkins... and, of course, the Docker client itself.

What is Octopus Deploy?

Octopus Deploy helps teams to manage releases, automate deployments, and operate applications with automated runbooks. It's free for small teams.

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What companies use Docker Swarm?
What companies use Octopus Deploy?
See which teams inside your own company are using Docker Swarm or Octopus Deploy.
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What tools integrate with Docker Swarm?
What tools integrate with Octopus Deploy?

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What are some alternatives to Docker Swarm and Octopus Deploy?
Docker Compose
With Compose, you define a multi-container application in a single file, then spin your application up in a single command which does everything that needs to be done to get it running.
Rancher
Rancher is an open source container management platform that includes full distributions of Kubernetes, Apache Mesos and Docker Swarm, and makes it simple to operate container clusters on any cloud or infrastructure platform.
Ansible
Ansible is an IT automation tool. It can configure systems, deploy software, and orchestrate more advanced IT tasks such as continuous deployments or zero downtime rolling updates. Ansible’s goals are foremost those of simplicity and maximum ease of use.
Apache Mesos
Apache Mesos is a cluster manager that simplifies the complexity of running applications on a shared pool of servers.
CoreOS
It is designed for security, consistency, and reliability. Instead of installing packages via yum or apt, it uses Linux containers to manage your services at a higher level of abstraction. A single service's code and all dependencies are packaged within a container that can be run on one or many machines.
See all alternatives