Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Podman VS Docker Desktop

Compare Podman VS Docker Desktop and see what are their differences

Podman logo Podman

Simple debugging tool for pods and images

Docker Desktop logo Docker Desktop

Docker Desktop is a one-click-install application that lets you to build, share, and run containerized applications and microservices.
  • Podman Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-30
Not present

Podman features and specs

  • Daemonless Architecture
    Podman does not require a daemon to run containers, which simplifies its architecture and minimizes the potential attack surface.
  • Rootless Containers
    Podman allows running containers as a non-root user, enhancing security by reducing the risk associated with running processes as the root user.
  • Kubernetes Support
    Podman has built-in support for Kubernetes, enabling easier transition and orchestration of containers at scale.
  • Compatibility with Docker CLI
    Podman provides a Docker-compatible command line interface, making it easy for users to migrate from Docker with minimal changes to their workflows.
  • Enhanced Security
    With features like user namespaces and no central daemon, Podman offers improved security compared to traditional container runtimes.
  • Open Source
    Podman is an open-source project, which provides transparency and community-driven development.

Possible disadvantages of Podman

  • Limited Ecosystem
    The ecosystem around Podman is not as extensive as that of Docker, potentially limiting the availability of third-party tools and integrations.
  • Learning Curve
    Users familiar with Docker may face a learning curve when adapting to some of Podman’s unique features and CLI differences.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running rootless containers can introduce some performance overhead due to the additional layers of user namespace translation.
  • Less Mature
    Podman is relatively newer compared to Docker, which means it might not be as battle-tested in enterprise environments.
  • Inconsistent Behavior
    Certain Podman features may behave differently than Docker, which might lead to unexpected issues during container management and automation.

Docker Desktop features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Docker Desktop is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to work in their preferred environment with a consistent toolset.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Docker Desktop provides a graphical user interface that simplifies the process of managing containers, making it accessible to both new and experienced developers.
  • Integrated Tools
    It includes Docker Compose, Docker CLI, Kubernetes, and other useful tools bundled in one package, streamlining the workflow for container management and orchestration.
  • Easy Installation
    Docker Desktop offers a straightforward installation process that abstracts away the complexity of setting up Docker and its components from scratch.
  • Consistent Development Environment
    It helps maintain consistency between development, testing, and production environments, reducing potential discrepancies and deployment issues.

Possible disadvantages of Docker Desktop

  • Performance Overhead
    Running Docker Desktop can introduce performance overhead, especially on Windows and macOS, due to the virtualization layer required by these operating systems.
  • Resource Usage
    Docker Desktop can be resource-intensive, consuming significant amounts of CPU and memory, which might impact the performance of other applications.
  • Licensing Costs
    For businesses, Docker Desktop may require a paid subscription depending on the company size, which can be a financial consideration.
  • Limited in Headless Environments
    Docker Desktop is primarily designed for development environments with a graphical interface and may not be suitable for headless server environments.
  • System Integration Issues
    Some users might face integration issues with specific system setups, especially on less common or older platforms.

Podman videos

PODMAN vs DOCKER - should you switch now?

More videos:

  • Review - Actually, podman Might Be Better Than docker
  • Review - Container (Podman) Review - Kominfo PROA Training Lab 2

Docker Desktop videos

Docker Desktop Overview

More videos:

  • Review - Docker Desktop for macOS Setup and Tips

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Podman and Docker Desktop)
Developer Tools
91 91%
9% 9
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
DevOps Tools
0 0%
100% 100
OS & Utilities
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Podman and Docker Desktop

Podman Reviews

Podman vs Docker: Comparing the Two Containerization Tools
Rootless processes. Because of its daemonless architecture, Podman can perform truly rootless operations. Users do not have to be granted root privileges to run Podman commands, and Podman does not have to rely on a root-privileged process.
Source: www.linode.com

Docker Desktop Reviews

We have no reviews of Docker Desktop yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Podman seems to be a lot more popular than Docker Desktop. While we know about 123 links to Podman, we've tracked only 1 mention of Docker Desktop. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Podman mentions (123)

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Docker Desktop mentions (1)

  • Getting Started with .NET and Docker Tutorial
    First, you need to download and install Docker Desktop from the Docker website. You can leave all of the default options checked during the installation process. Once it’s downloaded, sign in using your Docker Hub account. If you don’t have an account, you can sign up at hub.docker.com. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Podman and Docker Desktop, you can also consider the following products

containerd - An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability

Portainer - Simple management UI for Docker

Flox - Manage and share development environments with all the frameworks and libraries you need, then publish artifacts anywhere. Harness the power of Nix.

Rancher - Open Source Platform for Running a Private Container Service

Buildah - Buildah is a web-based OCI container tool that allows you to manage the wide range of images in your OCI container and helps you to build the image container from the scratch.

Kubernetes - Kubernetes is an open source orchestration system for Docker containers