Docker Desktop vs Kubernetes

Docker Desktop brings container development and deployment tools together for developers and teams. It includes Docker Engine, Docker CLI, Docker Compose, Docker Build, and Docker Kubernetes, with support for building images and Compose workflows. Its built-in Kubernetes environment lets users deploy, scale, test, and manage containerized applications locally without an external cluster. Docker Debug offers command-line diagnostics for containers and images, including slim containers, while Extensions allow third-party tools for debugging, testing, security, and networking. Downloads cover macOS with Apple Silicon or Intel, Windows with AMD64 or ARM64, and Linux; web is also listed as a platform. Docker Personal is free. Pro is $9 a month, Team is $15 a month, and Business is $24 a month. Paid-plan allowances and user limits differ. Business lists VDI support and additional security controls. Commercial use at companies with more than 250 employees or more than $10 million in annual revenue requires a paid subscription.

Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. It supports stateless, stateful, and data-processing workloads, and can run locally, in a cloud, or in a datacenter; users can also choose a managed service rather than operate a cluster themselves. It coordinates gradual updates while monitoring application health and can roll back a change if something goes wrong. Pods receive IP addresses and groups of Pods can share a DNS name, with load balancing across them. Kubernetes can mount storage from local, public-cloud, or network systems such as iSCSI or NFS. Secrets and configuration can be updated without rebuilding images. Scaling can be manual or automatic based on CPU use. Security mechanisms include Secrets, Pod security standards, RuntimeClasses, network policies, admission controllers, and audit logging. Kubernetes is free, with a listed plan price of free. It does not include application-level services such as databases, message buses, caches, or cluster storage systems.