Rancher vs Dokku

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

Rancher is a Network & Admin solution with tags like kubernetes, docker, containers, orchestration, cloud-native.

It boasts features such as Multi-cluster management, Simplified Kubernetes deployment, Centralized access control, Load balancing and service discovery, Storage orchestration, Monitoring and alerting and pros including 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.

On the other hand, Dokku is a Development product tagged with docker, git, heroku, paas.

Its standout features include 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 it shines with pros like Free and open source, Lightweight and easy to install, Leverages Docker for fast deployment, Similar workflow to Heroku, Active community 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

Rancher

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.

Categories:
kubernetes docker containers orchestration cloud-native

Rancher Features

  1. Multi-cluster management
  2. Simplified Kubernetes deployment
  3. Centralized access control
  4. Load balancing and service discovery
  5. Storage orchestration
  6. Monitoring and alerting

Pricing

  • Open Source
  • Subscription-Based

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


Dokku

Dokku

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.

Categories:
docker git heroku paas

Dokku Features

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

Pricing

  • Open Source

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