Docker is a complete container platform with built-in orchestration and developer tools, while Containerd is a lightweight, industry-standard container runtime focused solely on container lifecycle management. Docker uses Containerd as its underlying runtime, making Containerd the more minimal alternative for production environments that don't need Docker's additional features.
Docker vs Containerd — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Complete container platform with runtime, CLI, orchestration, and development tools
Lightweight, industry-standard container runtime focused on container lifecycle management
Architecture Scope. Memory Footprint. Startup Time (cold start). Developer Experience. Industry Adoption (Kubernetes). Maintenance Burden. Desktop Development Experience
Choose Docker if you're a developer building and testing containers locally, using Docker Compose for multi-container applications, or running Docker Swarm — its integrated tooling and learning curve make it ideal for most development workflows. Choose Containerd if you're operating Kubernetes clusters, need minimal resource overhead in production, or building custom container solutions where you want strict separation of concerns and don't need Docker's orchestration features.
Docker: Latest multi-stage builds and AI-native features | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 1 (single host) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Development, CI/CD, local testing | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Docker engine required | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Manual scaling only | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Simple (Dockerfile, docker-compose) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Docker: 120-150 MB | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Available (requires config) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Deprecated (containerd preferred) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 100% compatible | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Docker: 5 major | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Centralized daemon | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Daemon-based (requires background service) | Containerd: N/A
Incremental Build Time (100-layer image)
Docker: 12 CVEs (avg CVSS 6.2) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Experimental/requires configuration | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Full lifecycle (build, run, exec, logs, network, push, pull) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 98% of platforms | Containerd: N/A
Monthly Downloads (Docker Hub/Package Managers)
Docker: 13+ years (since 2013) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Requires dockershim replacement or Docker 1.26+ Kubernetes integration | Containerd: N/A
Container Build Speed (Simple Dockerfile)
Docker: 8-12 seconds with BuildKit cache | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 40+ core commands with subcommands | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Added v20.10 (2020), optional setup required | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Yes—Docker Inc. Enterprise and Pro plans | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Independent (Moby Project) | Containerd: CNCF Graduated Project
Docker: Removed in v1.24 (deprecated v1.20) | Containerd: Default since v1.24
Docker: 15+ million (Docker Hub) | Containerd: 0 (no built-in registry)
Docker: Native Docker + OCI | Containerd: OCI standard only
Docker: Native support | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 1 host (Docker Engine) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 72% of organizations | Containerd: N/A
Cost for Small Deployment (5 containers)
Docker: Via Docker Swarm only | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 50-100 MB baseline | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 15+ integrated registries | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Deprecated post-1.24, requires migration | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Comprehensive (500K+ SO answers) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 12-18 sec (Docker BuildKit) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 5-7 steps including daemon setup | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 82% enterprise adoption | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Requires workarounds/plugin | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Yes, always running | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 2,800 thousand | Containerd: 45k
Docker: Linux, macOS (via Docker Desktop), Windows (WSL2/Hyper-V) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 150+ major integrations | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 8-12 containers | Containerd: N/A
Docker: ~68,000+ stars | Containerd: N/A
Image Repository Size (typical minimal image)
Docker: 5-50 MB (Alpine images) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Full CRI support via containerd | Containerd: N/A
Max Containers Per Host (practical limit)
Docker: 200-500 containers | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Application isolation via namespaces + optional seccomp/AppArmor | Containerd: N/A
Docker: ~100 effective | Containerd: N/A
Docker: No (requires external tools) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 100-500 typical | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Docker Swarm (basic) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 70% of enterprises | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Centralized daemon (single dockerd process) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Deprecated as kubelet default (v1.20, 2020) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 100% (native, 1:1 spec) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 65% (Docker as base, CRI-O in prod) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 1 (daemon process) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: Docker Desktop (native binary) | Containerd: N/A
Docker: 120-150 MB | Containerd: 50-70 MB
Docker: 2-3 seconds | Containerd: 1-1.5 seconds
How to choose between Docker and Containerd
Docker vs Containerd — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Docker vs Containerd. Contains 92 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Docker vs Containerd — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Docker vs Containerd.
Does Containerd replace Docker entirely?
No. Docker actually uses Containerd as its underlying runtime since Docker 1.11 (2016). Docker provides additional layers: the docker CLI, Docker Compose orchestration, Docker Desktop GUI, and Docker Swarm. Containerd is the minimal runtime component only. For Kubernetes production, Containerd replaces Docker as the container runtime, but Docker remains superior for local development.
Can I use Containerd with Docker Compose?
Not directly. Docker Compose is tightly integrated with Docker's CLI and daemon. With Containerd alone, you'd need alternative orchestration tools like Kubernetes, Docker Swarm (which requires Docker), or community tools like nerdctl (which mimics docker CLI but has limited Compose support). This is a significant limitation for development workflows.
Why did Kubernetes deprecate Docker as a runtime?
Kubernetes deprecated Docker (v1.24, 2022) because Docker is a full platform, not just a runtime. Kubernetes only needs the container runtime functionality, which Containerd provides more efficiently. Docker's additional features (daemon, CLI, Swarm) add unnecessary overhead and complexity in Kubernetes environments. The deprecation doesn't affect Docker for local development — only as a K8s runtime.
What's the cost difference in production?
Containerd's 50% lower memory footprint (60 MB vs 135 MB) translates to significant savings at scale. In a cluster of 1,000 nodes, that's roughly 75 GB less RAM needed. At $0.05/GB/month cloud pricing, that's $3,750/month savings. However, Docker is rarely used as the production runtime anymore post-K8s deprecation, so this comparison is mainly theoretical.
Should I switch from Docker to Containerd?
For local development: No — Docker's developer experience is superior. For Kubernetes production: Yes — Containerd is now the default runtime and more efficient. If you're running Docker Swarm: Stay with Docker. The decision depends on your use case: development (Docker), Kubernetes production (Containerd), or legacy Swarm (Docker).
How to Choose Between Docker and Containerd
Architecture Scope: Docker has Full platform (runtime, CLI, orchestration, compose), while Containerd has Lightweight runtime only.
Memory Footprint: Docker has ~120-150 MB idle, while Containerd has ~50-70 MB idle.
Startup Time (cold start): Docker has 2-3 seconds, while Containerd has 1-1.5 seconds.
Developer Experience: Docker has Integrated docker-compose, extensive CLI, learning curve minimal, while Containerd has Requires external tools (nerdctl, crictl), steeper setup.
Consider: Industry Adoption (Kubernetes)
Industry Adoption (Kubernetes): Docker has Deprecated as K8s runtime (as of v1.24, 2022), while Containerd has Default/recommended K8s runtime.
Maintenance Burden: Docker has Higher (more components to maintain), while Containerd has Lower (minimal surface area).
Consider: Desktop Development Experience
Desktop Development Experience: Docker has Docker Desktop with GUI, Docker Hub integration, while Containerd has No official GUI, requires command-line only.