Dokku vs Rancher

Struggling to choose between Dokku and Rancher? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Dokku is a Development solution with tags like docker, git, heroku, paas.

It boasts features such as One-click deployments using Git, Simple horizontal scaling, Zero downtime deploys, Built-in support for common add-ons like databases, caching, etc, Heroku buildpacks support for easy language runtime configuration, SSH access for debugging and configuration and pros including Free and open source, Lightweight and easy to install, Leverages Docker for fast deployment, Similar workflow to Heroku, Active community support.

On the other hand, Rancher is a Network & Admin product tagged with kubernetes, docker, containers, orchestration, cloud-native.

Its standout features include Multi-cluster management, Simplified Kubernetes deployment, Centralized access control, Load balancing and service discovery, Storage orchestration, Monitoring and alerting, and it shines with pros like Intuitive UI for managing Kubernetes, Supports multiple cloud providers and on-prem, Automates complex tasks like upgrades, Built-in security policies and access control, Open source and free to use.

Feature	Dokku	Rancher
Overall Score	N/A	1
Primary Category	Development	Network & Admin

Product Overview

Dokku

Description: Dokku is an open source Platform-as-a-Service that runs on a single server, allowing developers to easily deploy and manage applications in a similar way to Heroku. It is lightweight, easy to install, and uses Docker and Git under the hood.

Rancher

Description: Rancher is an open-source container management platform that allows users to deploy and manage Kubernetes clusters across multiple cloud providers or on-premises infrastructure. It provides a graphical user interface and API for managing containers and services across multiple clusters.

Key Features Comparison

Dokku Features

• One-click deployments using Git
• Simple horizontal scaling
• Zero downtime deploys
• Built-in support for common add-ons like databases, caching, etc
• Heroku buildpacks support for easy language runtime configuration
• SSH access for debugging and configuration

Rancher Features

• Multi-cluster management
• Simplified Kubernetes deployment
• Centralized access control
• Load balancing and service discovery
• Storage orchestration
• Monitoring and alerting

Pros & Cons Analysis

Dokku

Pros

• Free and open source
• Lightweight and easy to install
• Leverages Docker for fast deployment
• Similar workflow to Heroku
• Active community support

Cons

• Limited to a single server
• Not as feature rich as Heroku
• Requires some command line usage
• Steeper learning curve than fully managed PaaS

Rancher

Pros

• Intuitive UI for managing Kubernetes
• Supports multiple cloud providers and on-prem
• Automates complex tasks like upgrades
• Built-in security policies and access control
• Open source and free to use

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Upgrades can be disruptive
• Limited native support for Windows
• Additional management layer on top of Kubernetes

Pricing Comparison

Dokku

• Open Source

Rancher

• Open Source
• Subscription-Based