Rancher Desktop vs Knative

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

Rancher Desktop is a Development solution with tags like kubernetes, container-orchestration, local-development.

It boasts features such as 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 pros including 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.

On the other hand, Knative is a Development product tagged with kubernetes, serverless, containers, open-source.

Its standout features include Serverless containers, Event-driven scale to zero, Autoscaling, Revision tracking, Traffic splitting, Service discovery, and it shines with pros like Simplifies deploying and running serverless workloads on Kubernetes, Built-in autoscaling, Open source and cloud agnostic, Integrates with Istio for traffic management, Active community and contributor support.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Rancher Desktop

Rancher Desktop

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.

Categories:
kubernetes container-orchestration local-development

Rancher Desktop Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Free

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


Knative

Knative

Knative is an open source Kubernetes-based platform for deploying and running serverless workloads. It simplifies event-driven or scale-to-zero architectures on Kubernetes clusters.

Categories:
kubernetes serverless containers open-source

Knative Features

  1. Serverless containers
  2. Event-driven scale to zero
  3. Autoscaling
  4. Revision tracking
  5. Traffic splitting
  6. Service discovery

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Simplifies deploying and running serverless workloads on Kubernetes

Built-in autoscaling

Open source and cloud agnostic

Integrates with Istio for traffic management

Active community and contributor support

Cons

Steep learning curve

Less flexibility than managing Kubernetes directly

Still maturing technology

Limited monitoring and debugging capabilities