Dokku vs Rancher Desktop

Struggling to choose between Dokku and Rancher Desktop? 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 Desktop is a Development product tagged with kubernetes, container-orchestration, local-development.

Its standout features include Runs a single-node Kubernetes cluster locally, Supports Kubernetes versions 1.23 to 1.25, Includes Docker Desktop for managing containers, Integrates with VS Code for debugging, Supports deploying apps from source code, Includes Rancher tools like Rancher kubectl and RKE, Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and it shines with pros like Easy Kubernetes setup without needing a cloud provider, Fast testing and development of Kubernetes apps, Integrates Kubernetes with local development tools, Open source and free to use.

Feature	Dokku	Rancher Desktop
Overall Score	N/A	N/A
Primary Category	Development	Development

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 Desktop

Description: Rancher Desktop is an open source Kubernetes distribution that runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. It allows developers to quickly set up a local Kubernetes cluster on their desktop for testing and development purposes.

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 Desktop Features

• Runs a single-node Kubernetes cluster locally
• Supports Kubernetes versions 1.23 to 1.25
• Includes Docker Desktop for managing containers
• Integrates with VS Code for debugging
• Supports deploying apps from source code
• Includes Rancher tools like Rancher kubectl and RKE
• Runs on macOS, Windows and Linux

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 Desktop

Pros

• Easy Kubernetes setup without needing a cloud provider
• Fast testing and development of Kubernetes apps
• Integrates Kubernetes with local development tools
• Open source and free to use

Cons

• Limited to a single node, not a full Kubernetes cluster
• Less stable than a hosted Kubernetes provider
• Requires local resources unlike a cloud cluster
• Lacks advanced Kubernetes features like load balancing

Pricing Comparison

Dokku

• Open Source

Rancher Desktop

• Open Source
• Free