Podman is a daemon-less container runtime for managing containers, pods, and container images. It is intended as a counterpart to CRI-O, to provide low-level debugging not available through the CRI interface used by Kubernetes.
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The Best Free Docker AlternativesTop Virtualization Tools and other similar apps like Docker
The best free alternative to Docker is Podman, which is also Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Docker and many of them is free so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting free alternatives to Docker are Linux Containers (LXC), Distrobox, OrbStack and rkt.
filter to find the best alternatives
Docker alternatives are mainly Virtualization Tools, but if you're looking for Web Servers or Cloud Computing Services you can filter on that. Other popular filters include FreeBSD, Windows + Open Source, Free, Windows, Open Source and Mac. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Docker.
Alternatives list
14 Podman alternatives
11 Linux Containers (LXC) alternativesContainers which offer an environment as close as possible as the one you'd get from a VM but without the overhead that comes with running a separate kernel and simulating all the hardware.
11 Distrobox alternativesUse any Linux distribution inside your terminal. Enable both backward and forward compatibility with software and freedom to use whatever distribution you’re more comfortable with. Distrobox uses podman or docker to create containers using the Linux distribution of your choice.
12 OrbStack alternativesOrbStack is an alternative to Docker Desktop for macOS, designed to offer improved performance for Docker and virtual machines on Linux running on Mac computers. It addresses performance issues that have been experienced in the past, particularly on models with Apple Silicon.
rkt is the next-generation container manager for Linux clusters. Designed for security, simplicity, and composability within modern cluster architectures, rkt discovers, verifies, fetches, and executes application containers with pluggable isolation.
46 BitNami Application Stacks alternativesBitNami Stacks make it incredibly easy to deploy your favorite open source software. BitNami Stacks include an open source application and all of the other software necessary to run it, such as Apache, MySQL, PHP or Ruby.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Application types
Platforms
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
- Online
An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability
37 ServBay alternativesServBay is a specially crafted local dev env platform made for web developers. It integrates all the essential components for daily development, including programming languages, SQL/NoSQL databases, web servers, DNS services, email services, SSL certificate, and AI/LLM features.
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CRI-O is an implementation of the Kubernetes CRI (Container Runtime Interface) to enable using OCI (Open Container Initiative) compatible runtimes. It is a lightweight alternative to using Docker as the runtime for kubernetes.
Cost / License
- Free
- Open Source
Platforms
- Linux
Native macOS GUI for ArcBox — containers, VMs, and sandboxes at your fingertips. Open Source alternative to OrbStack and Docker Desktop.
OpenVZ is container-based virtualization for Linux.
OpenVZ creates multiple secure, isolated Linux containers (otherwise known as VEs or VPSs) on a single physical server enabling better server utilization and ensuring that applications do not conflict.
Each container performs.
Italy
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Same syntax, runs without socket, more secure