Kubernetes vs Swarm vs Nomad: A comparison of container orchestrators
When it comes to container orchestration, Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, and HashiCorp Nomad are among the top choices. However, which one to choose? Depending on your needs, any of the three can work well for you. To help you make an informed decision, we will compare the three in various aspects such as community support, feature-set, ease of use, and performance.
Community Support
Kubernetes has established itself as the leader of container orchestration and has a vast user base and community support. Docker Swarm has its user base, but the community is not as active as that of Kubernetes. On the other hand, Nomad has been growing slowly, but its community has been expanding. As of 2021, Kubernetes had over 68,000 contributors, while Docker Swarm and Nomad had about 300 and 600 contributors, respectively.
Feature-Set
Kubernetes provides a broad range of features for container orchestration, including automatic scaling, load balancing, network management, and storage management. However, it also has a steep learning curve to manage all these features. Docker Swarm provides a smaller feature-set but has a more straightforward and understandable learning curve. HashiCorp Nomad provides the least features but is lightning-fast and lightweight.
Ease of Use
Docker Swarm has a more straightforward learning curve and uses the same syntax as Docker Compose, making it easy for Docker users to switch from Docker Compose to Swarm. Kubernetes has a steeper learning curve and requires intermediate DevOps knowledge. Nomad, on the other hand, is easiest to use because of its simple configuration files.
Performance
All three container orchestrators perform well, but the actual performance depends on the deployed workload. Kubernetes is an established industry standard and is known for providing high-performance orchestration. Docker Swarm is also incredibly performant, with the added bonus of being developed and supported by Docker, which ensures compatibility. Nomad has the performance edge over Kubernetes, especially when it comes to job scheduling and deployment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, choosing an orchestrator depends on several factors, including community support, feature set, ease of use, and performance. Kubernetes is the most popular container orchestrator and has excellent community support and feature set but has a steep learning curve. Docker Swarm is the most straightforward to learn and provides adequate features and performance but falls short in community support. Nomad is lightweight and has unmatched scheduling and deployment performance, which compensates for its smaller set of features.
References
- Kubernetes, kubernetes.io
- Docker Swarm, docs.docker.com
- HashiCorp Nomad, nomadproject.io