Container orchestration is essential for running production workloads at scale. Kubernetes and Docker Swarm are the two main contenders, each with distinct strengths.
Architecture Overview
Kubernetes uses a master-worker architecture with an API server, etcd for state storage, a scheduler, and controller managers.
Docker Swarm is built directly into the Docker Engine. Any Docker host can become a Swarm manager or worker with a single command.
Setup Complexity
docker swarm init
docker swarm join --token SWMTKN-xxx worker-ip:2377Scaling
docker service scale web=10
kubectl autoscale deployment web --min=3 --max=20 --cpu-percent=70When to Choose Each
| Criteria | Docker Swarm | Kubernetes |
|---|---|---|
| Team size | 1-5 | 5+ |
| Containers | <100 | 100-10,000+ |
| Learning curve | Hours | Weeks |
| Auto-scaling | Manual | Automated |
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