Best Container Engines with a Free Trial of 2025

Google Cloud Run offers compatibility with container orchestration platforms such as Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE), facilitating efficient deployment and oversight of container-based applications on a large scale. By leveraging GKE, users can oversee their Kubernetes clusters and connect them with Cloud Run, which allows for improved deployment options for containerized services. While Cloud Run simplifies the complexities of Kubernetes management, it serves as a robust engine that empowers developers to incorporate containers into their application deployment workflows. New customers can take advantage of $300 in free credits to investigate how Cloud Run works alongside container orchestration tools, making application management more effective and streamlined. This integration is especially advantageous for teams looking to harness Kubernetes features without the burden of direct cluster management. Cloud Run simplifies the deployment, management, and scaling of containerized workloads, requiring minimal manual setup.

Ambassador Edge Stack, a Kubernetes-native API Gateway, provides simplicity, security, and scalability for some of the largest Kubernetes infrastructures in the world. Ambassador Edge Stack makes it easy to secure microservices with a complete set of security functionality including automatic TLS, authentication and rate limiting. WAF integration is also available. Fine-grained access control is also possible. The API Gateway is a Kubernetes-based ingress controller that supports a wide range of protocols, including gRPC, gRPC Web, TLS termination, and traffic management controls to ensure resource availability.

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) offers a range of compute options that are not only speedy and flexible but also cost-effective, catering to various workload requirements, including robust bare metal servers, virtual machines, and efficient containers. OCI Compute stands out by providing exceptionally adaptable VM and bare metal instances that ensure optimal price-performance ratios. Users can tailor the exact number of cores and memory to align with their applications' specific demands, which translates into high performance for enterprise-level tasks. Additionally, the platform simplifies the application development process through serverless computing, allowing users to leverage technologies such as Kubernetes and containerization. For those engaged in machine learning, scientific visualization, or other graphic-intensive tasks, OCI offers NVIDIA GPUs designed for performance. It also includes advanced capabilities like RDMA, high-performance storage options, and network traffic isolation to enhance overall efficiency. With a consistent track record of delivering superior price-performance compared to other cloud services, OCI's virtual machine shapes provide customizable combinations of cores and memory. This flexibility allows customers to further optimize their costs by selecting the precise number of cores needed for their workloads, ensuring they only pay for what they use. Ultimately, OCI empowers organizations to scale and innovate without compromising on performance or budget.

Mirantis Kubernetes Engine (formerly Docker Enterprise) gives you the power to build, run, and scale cloud native applications—the way that works for you. Increase developer efficiency and release frequency while reducing cost. Deploy Kubernetes and Swarm clusters out of the box and manage them via API, CLI, or web interface. Kubernetes, Swarm, or both Different apps—and different teams—have different container orchestration needs. Use Kubernetes, Swarm, or both depending on your specific requirements. Simplified cluster management Get up and running right out of the box—then manage clusters easily and apply updates with zero downtime using a simple web UI, CLI, or API. Integrated role-based access control (RBAC) Fine-grained security access control across your platform ensures effective separation of duties, and helps drive a security strategy built on the principle of least privilege. Identity management Easily integrate with your existing identity management solution and enable two-factor authentication to provide peace of mind that only authorized users are accessing your platform. Mirantis Kubernetes Engine works with Mirantis Container Runtime and Mirantis Secure Registry to provide security compliance.

Rkt is an advanced application container engine crafted specifically for contemporary cloud-native environments in production. Its design incorporates a pod-native methodology, a versatile execution environment, and a clearly defined interface, making it exceptionally compatible with other systems. The fundamental execution unit in rkt is the pod, which consists of one or more applications running in a shared context, paralleling the pod concept used in Kubernetes orchestration. Users can customize various configurations, including isolation parameters, at both the pod level and the more detailed per-application level. In rkt, each pod operates directly within the traditional Unix process model, meaning there is no central daemon, allowing for a self-sufficient and isolated environment. Rkt also adopts a contemporary, open standard container format known as the App Container (appc) specification, while retaining the ability to run other container images, such as those generated by Docker. This flexibility and adherence to standards contribute to rkt's growing popularity among developers seeking robust container solutions.

Cloudfleet provides a Kubernetes experience that spans from datacenters to the cloud and edge, ensuring it meets its intended purpose. With just-in-time infrastructure, automated updates, and sophisticated permissions management, users can effortlessly oversee their clusters through a unified interface. As a comprehensive multi-cloud and hybrid Kubernetes solution, Cloudfleet streamlines the setup of your infrastructure by enabling automatic server provisioning across both on-premises settings and a dozen different cloud service providers, enhancing efficiency and flexibility for your operations. This approach not only minimizes the complexity of managing diverse environments but also empowers users to focus more on their core objectives.