Best Container Management Software for Linux of 2025 - Page 2

AWS App2Container (A2C) serves as a command line utility designed to facilitate the migration and modernization of Java and .NET web applications into containerized formats. This tool systematically evaluates and catalogs applications that are hosted on bare metal servers, virtual machines, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances, or within cloud environments. By streamlining the development and operational skill sets, organizations can significantly reduce both infrastructure and training expenses. The modernization process is accelerated through the tool's capability to automatically analyze applications and generate container images without requiring code modifications. It enables the containerization of applications that reside in on-premises data centers, thereby enhancing deployment consistency and operational standards for legacy systems. Additionally, users can leverage AWS CloudFormation templates to set up the necessary computing, networking, and security frameworks. Moreover, A2C supports the utilization of pre-established continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for AWS DevOps services, further simplifying the deployment process and ensuring a more efficient workflow. Ultimately, AWS A2C empowers businesses to transition smoothly into the cloud, fostering innovation and agility in their application management.

SC//Platform delivers faster time to value in the data centre, distributed enterprise, or at the edge. Scale Computing Platform combines simplicity, high availability, and scalability. It replaces the existing infrastructure and provides high availability for running VMs on a single, easy to manage platform. Fully integrated platform for running your applications. No matter what your hardware requirements are, the same innovative software and user interface gives you the ability to manage infrastructure efficiently at the edge. Reduce administrative tasks and save valuable time for IT administrators. SC//Platform's simplicity directly impacts IT productivity and costs. You can't predict the future, but you can plan for it. Mix and match old and newly developed hardware and applications to create a future-proof environment that can scale as needed.

The Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), which is fully managed, simplifies the process of deploying and overseeing containerized applications. It provides serverless Kubernetes capabilities, a seamless CI/CD experience, and robust security and governance features suited for enterprises. By bringing together your development and operations teams on one platform, you can swiftly build, deliver, and expand applications with greater assurance. Additionally, it allows for elastic provisioning of extra resources without the hassle of managing the underlying infrastructure. You can implement event-driven autoscaling and triggers using KEDA. The development process is expedited through Azure Dev Spaces, which integrates with tools like Visual Studio Code, Azure DevOps, and Azure Monitor. Furthermore, it offers sophisticated identity and access management via Azure Active Directory, along with the ability to enforce dynamic rules across various clusters using Azure Policy. Notably, it is accessible in more regions than any competing cloud service provider, enabling wider reach for your applications. This comprehensive platform ensures that businesses can operate efficiently in a highly scalable environment.

Alibaba Cloud's Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) is a comprehensive managed service designed to streamline the deployment and management of Kubernetes environments. It seamlessly integrates with various services including virtualization, storage, networking, and security, enabling users to enjoy high-performance and scalable solutions for their containerized applications. Acknowledged as a Kubernetes Certified Service Provider (KCSP), ACK also holds certification from the Certified Kubernetes Conformance Program, guaranteeing a reliable Kubernetes experience and the ability to easily migrate workloads. This certification reinforces the service’s commitment to ensuring consistency and portability across Kubernetes environments. Furthermore, ACK offers robust enterprise-level cloud-native features, providing thorough application security and precise access controls. Users can effortlessly establish Kubernetes clusters, while also benefiting from a container-focused approach to application management throughout their lifecycle. This holistic service empowers businesses to optimize their cloud-native strategies effectively.

Tanzu Observability by Broadcom is an advanced observability solution designed to provide businesses with deep visibility into their cloud-native applications and infrastructure. The platform aggregates metrics, traces, and logs to deliver real-time insights into application performance and operational health. By leveraging AI and machine learning, Tanzu Observability automatically detects anomalies, accelerates root cause analysis, and offers predictive analytics to optimize system performance. With its scalable architecture, the platform supports large deployments, enabling businesses to manage and improve the performance of their digital ecosystems efficiently.

Oracle Container Cloud Service, also referred to as Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Container Service Classic, delivers a streamlined and secure Docker containerization experience for Development and Operations teams engaged in application development and deployment. It features a user-friendly interface that facilitates the management of the Docker environment. Additionally, it offers ready-to-use examples of containerized services and application stacks that can be deployed with just a single click. This service allows developers to seamlessly connect to their private Docker registries, enabling them to utilize their own containers. Furthermore, it empowers developers to concentrate on the creation of containerized application images and the establishment of Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, freeing them from the complexities of mastering intricate orchestration technologies. Overall, the service enhances productivity by simplifying the container management process.

Photon OS™ is a minimal, open-source Linux container host designed specifically for cloud-native applications, cloud platforms, and VMware infrastructure. With the release of Photon OS 3.0, there are new features such as support for ARM64 architecture, enhancements to the installer, and refreshed package updates. We welcome collaboration from partners, customers, and community members in leveraging Photon OS for running efficient virtual machines and containerized applications. This OS includes everything necessary for installation, and users can select either a minimal or a comprehensive installation based on their deployment requirements. Photon OS can be installed directly from an ISO file or utilized in PXE/kickstart environments for automated setups. This makes it a portable and ready-to-use virtual environment. Additionally, the Photon OS Open Virtual Appliance packages come with a refined and optimized kernel, as well as packages designed to facilitate and standardize appliance deployments. By utilizing Photon OS, developers can create and build modern applications effectively in a streamlined development environment. In essence, Photon OS stands out as a versatile solution for various cloud-centric needs.

The latest iterations of Docker feature swarm mode, which allows for the native management of a cluster known as a swarm, composed of multiple Docker Engines. Using the Docker CLI, one can easily create a swarm, deploy various application services within it, and oversee the swarm's operational behaviors. The Docker Engine integrates cluster management seamlessly, enabling users to establish a swarm of Docker Engines for service deployment without needing any external orchestration tools. With a decentralized architecture, the Docker Engine efficiently manages node role differentiation at runtime rather than at deployment, allowing for the simultaneous deployment of both manager and worker nodes from a single disk image. Furthermore, the Docker Engine adopts a declarative service model, empowering users to specify the desired state of their application's service stack comprehensively. This streamlined approach not only simplifies the deployment process but also enhances the overall efficiency of managing complex applications.

MicroK8s offers a lightweight, low-ops Kubernetes solution tailored for developers working with cloud environments, clusters, workstations, Edge, and IoT devices. It intelligently selects the optimal nodes for the Kubernetes datastore and seamlessly promotes another node if a database node goes offline, ensuring no administrative intervention is required for robust edge deployments. With its compact design and user-friendly defaults, MicroK8s is designed to operate effectively right out of the box, making installation, upgrades, and security management straightforward and efficient. Ideal for micro clouds and edge computing, it provides full enterprise support without a subscription, with the option of 24/7 assistance and a decade of security maintenance. Whether deployed under cell towers, on race cars, in satellites, or within everyday appliances, MicroK8s guarantees the complete Kubernetes experience across IoT and micro clouds. Its fully containerized deployment ensures reliable operations, complemented by compressed over-the-air updates. MicroK8s automatically applies security updates by default, though users can choose to defer them if desired, and upgrading to the latest version of Kubernetes is just a single command away, making the process incredibly simple and hassle-free. This combination of ease of use and robust functionality positions MicroK8s as an invaluable tool for modern developers.

The advent of container-based infrastructure represented a significant transformation in technology. A Linux distribution specifically optimized for containers serves as the ideal groundwork for a cloud-native setup. This streamlined operating system image consists solely of the essential tools needed for container execution. By omitting a package manager, it prevents any potential for configuration drift. The use of an immutable filesystem for the OS effectively mitigates a range of security vulnerabilities. Additionally, automated atomic updates ensure that you consistently receive the most current security patches and open-source technology advancements. Flatcar Container Linux is purpose-built from the ground up to support container workloads effectively. It fully embraces the container philosophy by incorporating only the necessary components for running containers. In a world of immutable infrastructure, it is crucial to have an equally immutable Linux operating system. With Flatcar Container Linux, your focus shifts from configuration management to effectively overseeing your infrastructure, allowing for a more efficient and secure operational environment. Embracing this approach revolutionizes how organizations manage their cloud-native applications and services.

Podman is a container engine that operates without a daemon, designed for the development, management, and execution of OCI Containers on Linux systems. It enables users to run containers in both root and rootless modes, effectively allowing you to think of it as a direct replacement for Docker by using the command alias docker=podman. With Podman, users can manage pods, containers, and container images while offering support for Docker Swarm. We advocate for the use of Kubernetes as the primary standard for creating Pods and orchestrating containers, establishing Kubernetes YAML as the preferred format. Consequently, Podman facilitates the creation and execution of Pods directly from a Kubernetes YAML file through commands like podman-play-kube. Additionally, it can generate Kubernetes YAML configurations from existing containers or Pods using podman-generate-kube, streamlining the workflow from local development to deployment in a production Kubernetes environment. This versatility makes Podman a powerful tool for developers and system administrators alike.

balenaEngine is a specialized container engine designed specifically for embedded systems and IoT applications, utilizing technology from the Moby Project by Docker. It is significantly smaller than Docker CE, boasting a size reduction of 3.5 times and is distributed as a single binary. This engine is compatible with a diverse range of chipset architectures, catering to everything from small IoT devices to larger industrial gateways. It offers bandwidth-efficient updates using binary diffs that can be 10 to 70 times smaller compared to the traditional method of pulling layers in various scenarios. To mitigate excessive disk writing and safeguard against potential storage corruption, it extracts layers as they are received. Additionally, its atomic and durable image pulls ensure protection against incomplete container downloads in case of power interruptions. The design also minimizes page cache thrashing during image pulls, allowing applications to run smoothly even in low-memory environments. In summary, balenaEngine is an innovative solution that not only supports Docker containers but also enhances bandwidth efficiency for container updates. This makes it an ideal choice for developers seeking reliability and efficiency in IoT and embedded systems.

KPT is a toolchain focused on packages that offers a WYSIWYG configuration authoring, automation, and delivery experience, thereby streamlining the management of Kubernetes platforms and KRM-based infrastructure at scale by treating declarative configurations as independent data, distinct from the code that processes them. Many users of Kubernetes typically rely on traditional imperative graphical user interfaces, command-line utilities like kubectl, or automation methods such as operators that directly interact with Kubernetes APIs, while others opt for declarative configuration tools including Helm, Terraform, cdk8s, among numerous other options. At smaller scales, the choice of tools often comes down to personal preference and what users are accustomed to. However, as organizations grow the number of their Kubernetes development and production clusters, it becomes increasingly challenging to create and enforce uniform configurations and security policies across a wider environment, leading to potential inconsistencies. Consequently, KPT addresses these challenges by providing a more structured and efficient approach to managing configurations within Kubernetes ecosystems.

Kata Containers is software licensed under Apache 2 that features two primary components: the Kata agent and the Kata Containerd shim v2 runtime. Additionally, it includes a Linux kernel along with versions of QEMU, Cloud Hypervisor, and Firecracker hypervisors. Combining the speed and efficiency of containers with the enhanced security benefits of virtual machines, Kata Containers seamlessly integrates with container management systems, including widely used orchestration platforms like Docker and Kubernetes (k8s). Currently, it is designed to support Linux for both host and guest environments. For hosts, detailed installation guides are available for various popular distributions. Furthermore, the OSBuilder tool offers ready-to-use support for Clear Linux, Fedora, and CentOS 7 rootfs images, while also allowing users to create custom guest images tailored to their needs. This flexibility makes Kata Containers an appealing choice for developers seeking the best of both worlds in container and virtualization technology.

LXD represents a cutting-edge system container manager that provides an experience akin to virtual machines but operates using Linux containers. It features an image-based architecture with a variety of pre-configured images for numerous Linux distributions and is centered around a robust yet straightforward REST API. To better understand LXD and its functionalities, you can explore it online, and if you're interested in deploying it locally, be sure to check out the getting started guide. Established and currently directed by Canonical Ltd, the LXD project benefits from contributions by various organizations and individual developers alike. At its core, LXD consists of a privileged daemon that delivers a REST API via a local UNIX socket and can also be accessed over the network if this option is enabled. Clients, including the command line tool that comes with LXD, interact exclusively through this REST API, ensuring a consistent experience whether you are accessing your local host or a remote server. This design allows for streamlined management and deployment of containers, making LXD a powerful tool in modern software development and deployment.

LXC serves as a user-space interface that harnesses the Linux kernel's containment capabilities. It provides a robust API along with straightforward tools, enabling Linux users to effortlessly create and oversee both system and application containers. Often viewed as a hybrid between a chroot environment and a complete virtual machine, LXC aims to deliver an experience closely resembling a typical Linux installation without necessitating an independent kernel. This makes it an appealing option for developers needing lightweight isolation. As a free software project, the majority of LXC's code is distributed under the GNU LGPLv2.1+ license, while certain components for Android compatibility are available under a standard 2-clause BSD license, and some binaries and templates fall under the GNU GPLv2 license. The stability of LXC's releases is dependent on the various Linux distributions and their dedication to implementing timely fixes and security patches. Consequently, users can rely on the continuous improvement and security of their container environments through active community support.