Difference Between Docker Swarm VS Amazon ECS

In today’s world, application deployment can be tough work as there are several methods to do it but to make it robust, secure, and reliable we use containers. To manage this container we have two giants Docker and AWS which provide their orchestration tools/services Docker Swarm and Amazon ECS. In this article, we will compare both of them and choose what’s best for us.

Docker Swarm Vs Amazon ECS

The following are the difference between Docker swarm and Amazon ECS:

Feature	Docker Swarm	Amazon ECS
Deployment Model	Open Source by Docker	Proprietary by Amazon
Infrastructure	Any docker environment	Can be only integrated using AWS
Cost	Free	Pay-as-you-go model
Security	User configuration	Need to IAM and add Policies to work on them
Load Balancing	Requires third-party apps	Requires other services from AWS like ELB (Elastic Load Balancing)
Monitoring	Requires third-party apps	Requires other services from AWS like Cloudwatch
Logging	Requires third-party apps	Requires other services from AWS like CloudWatch which also provides logs
Scalability	Manual or third-party apps	Automatic scaling with built-in features with alarms for any anomalies.
Learning Curve	Easy for beginners	Time-consuming as it is dependent upon Multiple services provided by AWS
Multi-region Support	Manual configuration	Built-in support to access other regions.

What Is Docker Swarm?

Docker Swarm is a group of either physical or virtual machines that are running on Docker and that have been configured to work together in a cluster. The activities of the cluster are controlled by a swarm manager, and machines that have joined the cluster are referred to as nodes.

Advantages Of Docker Swarm

The following are the advantages of Docker Swarm:

• Fast Deployment: You can easily deploy containers, making it ideal for rapid application deployments.
• Lightweight: Needs a very limited amount of resources.
• Built-in with Docker Engine: No separate installation or management of a dedicated orchestration tool is needed.
• Rolling Updates: Swarm provides the deployment of application updates in a controlled manner leads to minimizing downtime and risk.

Disadvantages Of Docker Swarm

The following are the disadvantages of Docker Swarm:

• Scalability: Lacks in horizontal scalability.
• Community: Small community compares to Amazon.
• Limited Feature Set: Compared to more advanced orchestration platforms like Kubernetes, Swarm might lack some features.
• Complexity For Large-Scale Deployments: Managing large or complex deployments may require more robust orchestration solution.

Applications Of Docker Swarm

The following are theapplications of Docker Swarm:

• Smaller deployments: Swarm is well-suited for organizations starting with container orchestration which has small applications.
• High Availability: It ensures that the application is available even during node failures.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) Workflows: Swarm integrates well with CI/CD pipelines, enabling automated deployments.
• Microservices Architectures: Docker Swarm excels at managing microservices-based applications.

What Is Amazon ECS?

Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) is a container orchestration service that helps you to easily deploy, manage, and scale containerized applications on AWS.

Advantages Of Amazon ECS

The following are the advantages of Amazon ECS:

• Scalability: It can elastically scale your containerized applications based on demand.
• Cost-Effectiveness: With Fargate, you only pay for the resources your containers use.
• High Availability: Application remains available even during node failures.
• Managed Service: AWS takes care of the infrastructure at one place.

Disadvantages Of Amazon ECS

The following are the disadvantages of Amazon ECS:

• Vendor Lock-in: You become dependent on AWS for your container orchestration needs as you can’t use other services provided by different providers.
• Complexity: Configuring and maintaining tasks, services, and clusters is complex.
• Learning Curve: Understanding ECS concepts and configuration requires some learning effort.
• Potential Cost: Sonetimes cost can be higher according to infra you are using.

Applications Of Amazon ECS

The following are the application of Amazon ECS:

• Microservices Architecture: It is ideal for deploying and managing microservices-based applications, which are broken down into small, independent services.
• Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD): It can be integrated with CI/CD pipelines to automate the deployment.
• Batch Jobs: ECS can efficiently manage and scale containerized batch jobs.
• Modernizing Legacy Applications: Containerizing and deploying existing monolithic applications is easier.

Conclusion

Choosing the right container orchestration tool comes down to what are your requirements. From the above-detailed comparison, we can conclude if your containers/software are already on AWS and you are already familiar with AWS, go with AWS ECS. If you want a fast and less hectic tool you can go for Docker Swarm.

Docker Swarm And Amazon ECS – FAQ’s

Which Platform Is Easier To Use In Between Dockerswarm And Amazon ECS?

Docker Swarm is generally considered easier to set up if you’re already familiar with Docker.

How Do Docker Swarm Or Amazon ECS Handle Scaling?

Docker Swarm manually scale services by adjusting the number of replicas where Amazon ECS offers auto-scaling based on predefined metrics, allowing for more dynamic scaling.

What About Cost In Docker Swarm And Amazon ECS?

In Docker Swarm you pay for the infrastructure you use to run the swarm where in Amazon ECS you pay for the resources your containers consumes.

Which One Has A Larger Community And More Resources?

ECS offers vast AWS community and extensive documentation, available resources and support.

Which Has A Larger Ecosystem Docker Swarm Or Amazon ECS?

Amazon ECS offers vast ecosystem in AWS.