Podman vs Docker – Most Popular Containerization Tools in Comparison

Podman and Docker are both popular and powerful containerization tools. Each of these tools has different key features and advantages it depends on specific use cases, security requirements, and user preferences for their project or business use case needs. However both these tools allow developers to package software into lightweight, independent units called containers. So, in this article, we will explain the concepts of Podman and Docker, highlighting some key features, benefits, and scenarios where and why we can use these container management tools. Let’s dive into the theoretical part.

What is Podman?

Podman is a container management tool used by IT Business organizations to create, manage, and run containers on Linux-based systems. It is a kind of alternative to other container orchestration tools, such as Docker, Docker Swarm, Kubernetes, and Nomad. Podman is mainly a part of the container ecosystem and is designed for developers(users) who prefer a daemon-less and rootless container engine.

Who uses Podman and Docker?

Podman and Docker are often used by developers, system administrators, and organizations looking for container management solutions that do not rely on a central daemon and provide a higher level of security through rootless operations.

Key Features of Podman

The following are the key features of Podman:

• Container Image Management: Podman can provide the ability to build container images from Dockerfiles or Containerfiles and Developers can manage them effectively.
• Higher Level of Security: Podman is integrated with high-level security features that help to protect containers and the host system.
• Daemon-less Architecture & Operation: Podman runs directly as a user-space process without running a daemon.
• Rootless Containers: Podman supports rootless containers, which can be run by non-privileged users without elevating privileges to root. This feature improves security by limiting attacks and preventing containers from the host system.
• Pod Support: Pods are lightweight groups where one or more containers can share resources and can be managed as a single unit.
• Compatibility with Docker: Podman is compatible with Docker. You can use similar Docker and Docker Compose commands to manage Podman containers.

What is Docker?

Docker is a popular container management tool similar to Podman which is used for developing, testing, and deploying web applications. Docker is a platform as a service (PaaS). It is used for running microservices, which are small, independent applications that can be combined to create a larger application. Docker containers are lightweight and portable so you can run on any operating system platform such as Linux, Windows, and macOS.

Docker use operating-system-level virtualization to deliver software in packages called containers. Containers are isolated from each other and from the host machine. This makes docker a secure and efficient way to run applications.

Key Features of Docker

• Improved Productivity: consistent building and testing applications.
• Faster Deployment: Docker containers can quickly and easily be deployed on any OS platform.
• Efficient Resource Utilization: Docker containers are lightweight and isolate resources. which can help to improve the utilization of hardware resources.
• Scalability: With Docker containers developers can be easily scale up or down the resources to meet on-demand project needs.
• Improves Security: Docker containers are isolated from each other and from the host machine. This makes applications more secure by limiting access needs.

Podman vs Docker: A Detailed Comparison

In the above topics, we have seen about What is Podman and Docker? Let’s understand more in detail with Comparison.

Podman and Docker are standalone software packages with their code and dependencies. These two services are widely used in IT technology because they are lightweight, portable, and provide faster deployment and scalability in any environment. They also allows developers to package software quickly and efficiently at scale.

• If you are working with Podman or Docker, you must understand the main difference, which is their model architecture. Generally, Docker uses a daemon-based architecture, whereas Podman doesn’t have a daemon-based architecture as it works with a daemon-less architecture.

Podman and Docker are compatible with any environment, as they support features to separate the software from the operating system. This kind of separation helps business organizations to control bugs, errors, and various challenges that arise during development or in different phases of the environment.

Here in the table, you can find the detailed comparison between Podman and Docker:

Feature Comparison	Podman	Docker
Architecture	Podman uses a Daemon-less Architecture.	Docker uses a Daemon-based Architecture.
Portability	Podman is can work with any OS such as Linux, Windows and MacOS.	Docker will also with any OS such as Linux, Windows and MacOS.
Compatibility	If you have existing Docker and planning to Switch to Podman. Use can easily switch to Podman as it is compatible with Docker commands and Docker Compose.	Docker or Docker Compose are not compatible with Podman commands or Podman Compose. But’s it’s not a issue at all as Podman works with docker commands.
Security	Podman is more secure when compared with Docker as it uses daemon-less architecture.	Docker is less secure when compared with Podman as it uses daemon-based architecture. Here the resources utilization would be high and less secure.
Lightweight/Less Resource Usage	Podman is very lightweight than docker due it’s daemon-less architecture model. It use very less resources at host machine which make deployment faster and easier for developers.	Docker is also lightweight, portable, and provide faster deployment and scalability but Podman takes the lead as it is more lightweight and porable on any operating-system.
Use Cases	Embedded devices cloud-based workloads security-sensitive environments	Dockerfile Docker Compose files Docker Image

Podman vs Docker vs Docker Reddit vs Kubernetes

The following is the comparison of podman, docker, docker reddit, kubernetes:

Features	Podman	Docker	Docker Reddit	Kubernetes
Container Engine	Podman uses daemonless as a container Engine	Docker is a containerization platform	Docker Reddit is a not a container engine but it is a web-based platform for hosting and sharing the docker images.	Kubernetes is a container orchestration platform
Runtime	It uses containerd and runc as Runtimes	It uses runc as its runtime	N/A	It uses containerd as its runtime
Daemon	It doesn’t have central daemon process	It has a centralized daemon process (dockerd)	N/A	No Central Daemon process are available in Kubernetes
Security	It focuses on rootless security	It provides the security features	N/A	It provides the security Features
Networking	It uses CNI plugins for networking	It uses Docker Networking Plugins	N/A	It uses native networking and service discovery
Use Cases	It is suitable for development and testing	IT widely used for production deployments	It used for hosting and sharing docker images on the reddit platform	It helps in orchestration and management of production workloads

Where is Podman and Docker Used?

Both tools are used at the infrastructure level of Web Development to package software into lightweight and independent units. The following are the some of the cases where podman and Docker can be used:

• Development Environments: Both the podman and docker can be extensively used in the development environments for building, testing and deploying the applications. Developers utilizes the containerization to create isolated environments for the applications.
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment(CI/CD): Podman and Docker plays a crucial role in the continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment processes, leading to the faster delivery of software updates and improvements.
• Microservices Architecture: Podman and Docker facilitates in deployment and scaling of individual services as containers in microservices architecture. It helps developers to break down the complex applications into smaller, manageable components for improving flexibility, scalability and resilience.

How to Install Podman? A Step-By-Step Guide

The following are the steps for installing Podman on Linux Distribution, Here we are providing steps on RedHat and CentOs Distributions:

Step 1: Update Package Manager

• Firstly ensure to make your package manager upto date. Run the following command to make packages update.

sudo yum update -y

Step 2: Install Podman

• Firstly install the epel release software with the following command:

sudo yum install epel-release -y

• Try on installing the podman with the package manager with the following command:

sudo yum install podman -y

Step 3: Verify Podman Installation

Verify whether the podman is successfully installed or not with the following command:

podman --version

Step 4: Start Using Podman

• Now, your podman is ready to use for creating and manging the containerss.

Running A Container in Podman

Running the commands for a creating or managing the containers in the podman is a simple and a direct one. On using the following command podman run by following with image ID, or name you can launch the container effortlessly.

podman run -d <container_registry>/<image_name or ID>:<version_tag>

Using Short Image Name to Podman Container

Using the name of the container image in short way, such that the name only contains the repository but not the docker registry in the image. It looks as <repository_name>:<version_tag> .The following podman run with that short image name we can run the podman container:

podman run -d <image_name or ID>

Conclusion

Podman or Docker? Which one to choose or which is better? As we have mentioned in the introduction, it totally depends on business-specific needs and requirements. To make it easier for you, we suggest remembering these two points and refer the above topics to get clear overview on Podman and Docker.

1. If you are looking for a lightweight, secure containerization solution, then Podman is a good option.
2. If you are already familiar or working with Docker and have an existing Dockerfile or Docker Compose file, then Docker is a better choice for you, as switching to another technology takes time to get familiar with.

Podman vs Docker – FAQs

What is the main difference between Podman and Docker?

Podman and Docker are containerization tools but the main difference is their architecture. Docker uses a daemon-based architecture where as Podman has a daemon-less architecture.

Which is more secure tool among Podman and Docker?

Podman is more secure than Docker due to its daemon-less architecture.

Which is more lightweight Podman or Docker?

Podman is more lightweight than Docker. Podman does not require a daemon to run. Due to this, Podman consumes fewer system resources, making the process lightweight when compared to Docker.

Will Docker commands work with Podman?

Yes, Podman is compatible with Docker commands. Using your existing Docker knowledge, you can easily use the same commands to start, stop, and manage containers with Podman.

Will Podman command work with Docker?

Podman is not compatible with Docker. So you can’t use the Podman and Podman Compose commands with Docker.