comparison2 min read

Docker vs Kubernetes

Docker runs containers; Kubernetes orchestrates them at scale.

Docker: packages and runs individual containers. Use Docker alone for: development environments, single-server deployments, small applications. Kubernetes: orchestrates many containers across multiple servers. Use K8s for: multi-server deployments, auto-scaling, zero-downtime updates, microservices. The progression: start with Docker → add Docker Compose for multi-container → add Kubernetes when you need multi-server orchestration. Most applications never need Kubernetes.