The Top 7 Container Management Software

4. Google Kubernetes Engine

Not to be outdone by AWS, Google Cloud Platform also offers its own container management software: Google Kubernetes Engine. GKE works with Docker containers and uses the Kubernetes open-source container management system.

The benefits of Google Kubernetes Engine include:

• Automatic container and environment management, including scaling, repairing nodes, and upgrading Kubernetes.
• Simple identity and access management.
• Compliance with data privacy regulations such as HIPAA and PCI DSS.
• Integration with Google Cloud Platform tools for logging and monitoring.

Google Kubernetes Engine has an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars on G2. One reviewer writes that GKE “has a great UI and intuitive integration with the Kubernetes dashboard. Furthermore, adding users to clusters is definitely a lot easier than the AWS solution.” However, the reviewer also mentions that Google’s support is lacking when compared with AWS. Other complaints include a higher learning curve, challenges setting up persistent storage, and even potential security issues.

5. Apache Mesos

Apache Mesos is an open-source cluster management tool that can be used to deploy, manage, and scale Docker images. Initially developed as a research project at UC Berkeley, Apache Mesos is now used by major tech companies from Airbnb and Netflix to Cisco and PayPal.

Mesos ensures that different applications and containers have access to the resources they need to run within a cluster, including CPU, memory, and storage. Frameworks and projects such as Hadoop, Ruby on Rails, Node.js, and Memcached are all compatible with Apache Mesos. Because Mesos is part of the Apache open-source software ecosystem, it integrates well with other Apache tools such as Spark, a large-scale data processing engine.

The Apache Mesos software currently has 4.2 out of 5 stars on G2. Users generally praise Mesos’ efficiency and effectiveness, in particular the ease of use it offers by abstracting away the complicated IT details. However, some users mention that Mesos suffers from strange design choices and configuration options, insufficient documentation, and bugs such as memory leaks.

6. Portainer

Like Apache Mesos, Portainer is an open-source container management software tool. Portainer bills itself as “a lightweight management UI that allows you to easily manage your different Docker environments,” and is compatible with both Docker Swarm clusters and Kubernetes.

The top features of Portainer include:

• Authentication: Portainer has three different ways to perform user authentication: internal methods, LDAP, or OAuth.
• Templates: Users can deploy Docker Swarm services and Docker containers using predefined templates, dramatically simplifying the process.
• Web interface: Portainer has a simple web interface that allows developers to directly inspect containers and check their logs, rather than going through a complex multi-step connection process.

Portainer currently has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on G2. A software engineer explains that, “I always forget the syntax in my docker-compose or docker run commands. Portainer allows me to edit a container and simply switch to 'restart always'. I also love the fact that we can edit our containers and re-deploy, in a matter of seconds. Useful for those quick environment variable changes.”However, multiple reviewers complain that the tool is challenging to use in clustered mode for new users. Other issues include bugs while using the software, as well as a subscription-based pricing model for software plugins rather than a lifetime purchase.

7. Rancher

Last but not least, Rancher is an open-source container management tool that serves as “a complete software stack for teams managing containers.” Using Rancher, you can deploy, manage, and scale containers and Kubernetes clusters on bare-metal servers, as well as public and private clouds.

The features of Rancher include:

• A simple UI that centralizes and simplifies the process of deploying, securing, maintaining, and upgrading Kubernetes clusters.
• Best practices for security and compliance, including encryption, audit logging, and rate limiting.
• Support for hybrid and multi-cloud environments.
• Support for DevOps tools such as Jenkins, Gitlab, and Travis.

Rancher has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars on G2, where users give it above-average marks for ease of use but below-average marks for ease of setup. One reviewer writes that "Rancher greatly simplifies management of Kubernetes for our multi-tenant cluster. It comes with a built-in user management system and can isolate teams by using Projects. All of this is very difficult to do with Kubernetes by itself." Still, the tool isn't without its flaws: Some users say that they had problems with bugs and performance issues, while others complain about missing features that the software could benefit from.

Conclusion

In this article, we’ve gone over 7 of the top container management software. So which of these container management tools is best for your situation? Here are our thoughts:

• IronWorker: Best if you need a flexible, user-friendly tool that can run in multiple environments: public cloud, hybrid, dedicated, and on-premises.
• Amazon ECS: Best if you want to leverage the rest of the Amazon Web Services ecosystem.
• AWS Fargate: Best if you’re specifically looking for a serverless container management solution within AWS.
• Google Kubernetes Engine: Best if you want to work with Google Cloud Platform.
• Apache Mesos: Best if you want a robust open-source container management tool, or one that integrates well with the Apache ecosystem.
• Portainer: Best if you need an open-source tool that’s compatible with both Docker Swarm and Kubernetes.
• Rancher: Best if you want an end-to-end container management solution for Kubernetes clusters.

Want to enjoy container management software that’s cloud-native, easy to use, and built to scale for your high-performance needs? Give IronWorker a try. Schedule a demo so you can see how it makes container management much easier.