Stack · €0 (self-hosted)
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Tool page
Docker
Run any service with one command, without installing anything on your machine.
- Category
- Stack
- Pricing
- €0 · Freemium
- How often
- Per project
- My rating
- 4.8 out of 5
In short
Docker has become the de facto standard. No more installing Postgres, Redis or any service locally: everything runs in containers, reproducible and isolated.
- Ideal for
- Any web, backend or DevOps developer who wants reproducible environments
- Use case
- Containerize apps, run local databases, deploy to production
What it costs
Entry price: €0. Prices taken from the official site, excluding tax.
| Plan | Per month | Per year | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal | €0 | – | Individual developers, students, open source |
| Pro | €5 | €4.17/month | Freelance or professional developers |
| Team | €15/user | €11.67/user/month | Development teams |
Alternatives I ruled out
| Alternative | Why I did not keep it |
|---|---|
| Podman | Podman for secure Linux environments. Docker for universal compatibility. Better at: Daemonless (no background process), rootless by default, Red Hat compliance Worse at: Smaller ecosystem, less mature Docker Compose (podman-compose) |
| OrbStack (macOS) | OrbStack if macOS performance is critical. Docker Desktop if you want the standard. Better at: Much lighter than Docker Desktop on macOS (2× less RAM), fast startup Worse at: Paid ($8/month), less well known, smaller ecosystem |
Strengths and limits
Pros
- 100% reproducible environment: `docker compose up` and the whole stack is ready in <30s
- Perfect isolation: each project has its own versions of Node, Python, databases
- Docker Hub: thousands of official images (postgres, redis, nginx, etc.) available immediately
- Docker Compose: orchestrate several services with a single YAML file
- The base of all modern deployments: Coolify, Kamal, Fly.io, Railway all use Docker
Cons
- Docker Desktop uses 2 to 4 GB of RAM on macOS (via an embedded Linux VM)
- Learning curve: volumes, networks, permissions take time
- Paid Desktop license for companies with >250 employees
- Builds sometimes slow without a properly configured cache
Main features
- Docker Compose
- Define and run several containers with a single YAML file Start a whole stack (app + database + cache + queue) with a single command
- Docker Hub
- Public image registry with thousands of maintained official images Instantly pull postgres:16, redis:7, node:20-alpine, nginx, etc.
- Volumes
- Data persistence across container restarts Keep database data even after `docker compose down`
- Multi-stage builds
- Build lightweight production images in several stages Final image without build dependencies: often 3 to 5× lighter
- Docker Scout
- Automatic vulnerability analysis of images Detect CVEs before pushing to production
Limit: Advanced features on the Pro plan
Compatibility
- macOS : compatible
- Windows : compatible
- Linux : compatible
- iOS : not compatible
- Android : not compatible
- Browser : not compatible
- API : compatible
- n8n : compatible
- Zapier : not compatible
- Make : not compatible
Frequently asked questions
Is Docker free?
Docker Engine (CLI) is open source and free. Docker Desktop is free for personal use. Paid for companies with >250 employees.
What is the difference between Docker and a virtual machine?
A VM emulates a full OS. Docker shares the host kernel: much lighter and faster to start (seconds vs minutes).
Does Docker work in production?
Yes. It is the base of Kubernetes, Coolify, Kamal, Fly.io and most modern deployment platforms.
Does Docker work offline?
Yes, once the images are downloaded. A connection is only needed to pull new images.
Final verdict
The de facto standard for development environments. Impossible to go without once you manage several projects.
- I recommend it to
- Any web, backend or DevOps developer. Essential as soon as you touch several services.
- Not suited for
- A simple script with no external dependencies: overkill in that case.
- Value for money
- Excellent · 4.8 out of 5