Top 8 Docker Alternatives to Consider in 2025

This page summarizes the projects mentioned and recommended in the original post on dev.to

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  1. podman

    Podman: A tool for managing OCI containers and pods.

    Podman implements a daemonless container architecture that eliminates the need for a central runtime service. This approach fundamentally differs from Docker's client-server model.

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  3. distrobuilder

    System container image builder for LXC and Incus

    LXC provides system-level containerization, offering a different approach focused on creating environments that more closely resemble traditional virtual machines.

  4. lima

    Linux virtual machines, with a focus on running containers

    Lima provides a lightweight alternative to Docker Desktop for macOS users, offering better resource efficiency and native Apple Silicon support.

  5. cri-o

    Open Container Initiative-based implementation of Kubernetes Container Runtime Interface

    CRI-O provides a lightweight container runtime specifically designed for Kubernetes, implementing the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) with optimized performance.

  6. containerd

    An open and reliable container runtime

    Containerd operates as a fundamental container runtime that manages the complete container lifecycle, functioning at a lower level than Docker while providing core container operations.

  7. deploy-cloudrun

    A GitHub Action for deploying services to Google Cloud Run.

    Google Cloud Run offers a serverless platform for running containers, providing automatic scaling and management of containerized applications.

NOTE: The number of mentions on this list indicates mentions on common posts plus user suggested alternatives. Hence, a higher number means a more popular project.

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the 4th most popular programming language
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