Cloud Foundry Vs Docker
There are different ways to package different applications to deploy and run them in the cloud. Developers can choose in-between Cloud Foundry and Docker. The two models have certain similarities but, there are also significant differences. In this article, we have explained you some of the differences as-well-as pros and cons from a consumer point of view.
Cloud Foundry – Open Source Platform as a service
Cloud Foundry is a platform as a service (PaaS) which makes it accessible for the developers to run their applications in the cloud without worrying about the infrastructure. Cloud Foundry vendors also provide services such as databases, caches, and messaging systems that developers can leverage without having to set-up an infrastructure. Cloud Foundry also provides scalability of applications and auto recovery, it also provides logging dashboards and administration functionalities.
These application management capabilities are the key concepts and of Cloud Foundry.
Docker – Container Standard
Docker is a container technology to package complete application stacks so that these containers can be easily run on different environments. This portability is achieved by packaging not only the core applications but also the complete underlying stack which the user needs to run the applications including application servers, Java runtimes, configuration, and other dependencies. Docker uses Linux as operating system and leverages concepts such as Linux namespaces to run different applications in sandboxes.
Key advantage of Cloud Foundry
The major advantage of Cloud Foundry when it comes to the packaging applications is that it is very easy to use for the developers. Developers can develop their applications in their local IDE’s of choice, run and test them on local application server and can simply push the applications to the cloud. Through Cloud Foundry build packs most of the configuration is done automatically. For instance, if a Java Liberty application uses a NoSQL service, the feature is enabled in the build pack and the appropriate jar files are downloaded. The ease of use of the Cloud Foundry model is very valuable for rapid prototyping and facile type of applications.
Key advantage of Docker
For more disillusioned applications, it’s often desirable to have more flexibility and configuration options. With Docker images, a user has the same benefits that virtual machine provides, but Docker images are much more lightweight and easier to handle since they don’t include their own operating system.
Other Differences Between Cloud Foundry and Docker
The other major differences between Cloud Foundry and Docker are, With Docker the user can additionally use perpetual storage volumes which might make deployments of existing applications to the cloud easier. Cloud Foundry supports a smaller number of opened ports whereas Docker, in general, has no limitations. Cloud Foundry vendors also provide services that can be used to build different types of applications. These services and user accounts are automatically provisioned when services are added to applications in order to make it as-easy-as-possible for developers.