Docker vs Podman
type: Article
description: Docker uses a centralized daemon architecture requiring root privileges, while Podman employs a daemonless design supporting rootless containers out-of-the-box. Docker dominates with 13+ million downloads monthly and broader ecosystem support, but Podman offers superior security isolation and is RedHat's preferred container runtime.
language: en-US
date published: 2026-07-09T05:10:05.134Z
date created: 2026-07-09T05:10:05.134Z
date modified: 2026-07-09T05:10:05.181Z
content reference time: 2026-07-09T05:10:05.181Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
about: Docker
about: Podman
abstract: Docker uses a centralized daemon architecture requiring root privileges, while Podman employs a daemonless design supporting rootless containers out-of-the-box. Docker dominates with 13+ million downloads monthly and broader ecosystem support, but Podman offers superior security isolation and is RedHat's preferred container runtime.
text: Architecture Model. Rootless Container Support. Monthly Downloads. Enterprise Backing. Kubernetes Integration. Security Model. CLI Compatibility
conclusion text: Choose Docker if you need maximum ecosystem compatibility, existing team expertise, and comprehensive CI/CD integrations—it powers 70%+ of containerized production environments. Choose Podman if security is paramount, you're running Kubernetes clusters, or you need rootless containers without complex configuration—it's especially preferred for development, testing, and RHEL/Fedora environments.
additional property: Latest Stable Version (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Latest multi-stage builds and AI-native features | Podman: N/A
additional property: Setup Time for Beginners
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 5-15 minutes | Podman: N/A
additional property: Scalability Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 1 (single host) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Primary Use Environment
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Development, CI/CD, local testing | Podman: N/A
additional property: Container Runtime Dependency
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Docker engine required | Podman: N/A
additional property: Auto-Scaling Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Manual scaling only | Podman: N/A
additional property: Configuration Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Simple (Dockerfile, docker-compose) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Multi-Cluster Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Not supported | Podman: N/A
additional property: Market Share
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Docker: 90% | Podman: Podman: 8%
  value reference: Docker
additional property: Memory Usage (idle)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Docker: 120-150 MB | Podman: Podman: 20-40 MB
  value reference: Podman
additional property: Rootless Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Available (requires config) | Podman: Native and default
additional property: Kubernetes Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Deprecated (containerd preferred) | Podman: Native CRI support
additional property: Docker Compose Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 100% compatible | Podman: 100% compatible
additional property: Installation Methods
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Docker: 5 major | Podman: Podman: 3 major
  value reference: Docker
additional property: Community Contributors
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Docker: 2000+ | Podman: Podman: 400+
  value reference: Docker
additional property: Daemon Architecture
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Centralized daemon | Podman: Daemonless (fork/exec)
additional property: Monthly Docker Hub Downloads
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 13.1 million | Podman: N/A
additional property: Architecture Type
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Daemon-based (requires background service) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Memory Overhead (Idle)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 350-500 MB | Podman: N/A
additional property: Incremental Build Time (100-layer image)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 42 seconds | Podman: N/A
additional property: Security CVEs (2024)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 12 CVEs (avg CVSS 6.2) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Rootless Mode
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Experimental/requires configuration | Podman: N/A
additional property: Container Runtime Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Full lifecycle (build, run, exec, logs, network, push, pull) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Native CI/CD Platform Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 98% of platforms | Podman: N/A
additional property: Base Memory Footprint
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: ~100 MB | Podman: N/A
additional property: Monthly Downloads (Docker Hub/Package Managers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 100+ million | Podman: N/A
additional property: Years in Production
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 13+ years (since 2013) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Kubernetes 1.24+ Native Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Requires dockershim replacement or Docker 1.26+ Kubernetes integration | Podman: N/A
additional property: Container Build Speed (Simple Dockerfile)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 8-12 seconds with BuildKit cache | Podman: N/A
additional property: Available CLI Commands
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 40+ core commands with subcommands | Podman: N/A
additional property: Rootless Container Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Added v20.10 (2020), optional setup required | Podman: Native since v1.0 (2019), enabled by default
additional property: Official Commercial Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Yes—Docker Inc. Enterprise and Pro plans | Podman: N/A
additional property: Idle Memory Usage
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: ~125 MB | Podman: N/A
additional property: CNCF Project Status
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Independent (Moby Project) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Kubernetes Default Runtime
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Removed in v1.24 (deprecated v1.20) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Public Images Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 15+ million (Docker Hub) | Podman: N/A
additional property: K8s Cluster Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 33% | Podman: N/A
additional property: Docker Image Format Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Native Docker + OCI | Podman: N/A
additional property: Minimum Memory Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 0.25 GB | Podman: N/A
additional property: Single-node Deployment Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Native support | Podman: N/A
additional property: Maximum Recommended Cluster Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 1 host (Docker Engine) | Podman: N/A
additional property: Enterprise Production Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 72% of organizations | Podman: N/A
additional property: Time to Production Deployment
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 1-3 days | Podman: N/A
additional property: Cost for Small Deployment (5 containers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: $50-100 | Podman: N/A
additional property: Built-in Auto-scaling Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: Via Docker Swarm only | Podman: N/A
additional property: Certified Ecosystem Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 50+ | Podman: N/A
additional property: Memory Footprint
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 50-100 MB baseline | Podman: N/A
additional property: CLI Command Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 100% native | Podman: N/A
additional property: Container Registry Options
  type: PropertyValue
  value: Docker: 15+ integrated registries | Podman: N/A
interactivity type: active
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/docker
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/docker
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/entity/podman
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/alternatives/podman
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/answer/docker-vs-podman)
significant link: https://www.aversusb.net/api/v1/schema/docker-vs-podman)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-podman
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-nerdctl
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-buildah
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-lxc
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-containerd
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-kubernetes
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-buildah)
related link: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-nerdctl)
teaches: How to choose between Docker and Podman
genre: Software

primaryImage
type: ImageObject
width: 1200
height: 630
caption: Docker vs Podman — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B

A Versus B
type: Organization

Docker
type: SoftwareApplication
language: en-US
description: Industry-standard containerization platform with centralized daemon architecture and extensive tooling ecosystem.
subject of: Docker vs Podman

Podman
type: Thing
language: en-US
description: RedHat's daemonless container engine with native rootless support and Kubernetes-native architecture.
image: ImageObject
  caption: Podman
subject of: Docker vs Podman
image: ImageObject
  caption: Podman

Docker vs Podman — Structured Comparison Data
type: Dataset
description: Machine-readable comparison dataset for Docker vs Podman. Contains 91 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
language: en-US
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
creator: A Versus B
distribution: JSON-LD knowledge graph
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json+ld
distribution: Raw comparison JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Structured FAQ pairs JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: AI Answer API (citation-ready)
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
distribution: Related comparisons JSON
  type: DataDownload
  encoding format: application/json
variable measured: Latest Stable Version (2026)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Release Cycle
variable measured: Setup Time for Beginners
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Scalability Limit
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Capacity
variable measured: Primary Use Environment
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Deployment
variable measured: Container Runtime Dependency
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Auto-Scaling Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Configuration Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Multi-Cluster Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Market Share
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Memory Usage (idle)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Rootless Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Kubernetes Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Docker Compose Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Installation Methods
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Accessibility
variable measured: Community Contributors
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community
variable measured: Daemon Architecture
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Monthly Docker Hub Downloads
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption & Popularity
variable measured: Architecture Type
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Design Philosophy
variable measured: Memory Overhead (Idle)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Incremental Build Time (100-layer image)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Security CVEs (2024)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Rootless Mode
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Container Runtime Capabilities
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Native CI/CD Platform Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Base Memory Footprint
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Resources
variable measured: Monthly Downloads (Docker Hub/Package Managers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Years in Production
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: Kubernetes 1.24+ Native Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Kubernetes Integration
variable measured: Container Build Speed (Simple Dockerfile)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Available CLI Commands
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Feature Completeness
variable measured: Rootless Container Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Official Commercial Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Idle Memory Usage
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Resource Efficiency
variable measured: CNCF Project Status
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Maturity
variable measured: Kubernetes Default Runtime
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Kubernetes
variable measured: Public Images Available
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: K8s Cluster Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market Adoption
variable measured: Docker Image Format Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Minimum Memory Requirement
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Infrastructure
variable measured: Single-node Deployment Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Maximum Recommended Cluster Size
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Scalability
variable measured: Enterprise Production Adoption
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market
variable measured: Time to Production Deployment
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Setup
variable measured: Cost for Small Deployment (5 containers)
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Economics
variable measured: Built-in Auto-scaling Capability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Functionality
variable measured: Certified Ecosystem Plugins
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Memory Footprint
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: CLI Command Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Container Registry Options
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Kubernetes Native Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Integration
variable measured: Documentation Availability
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Support
variable measured: Container Build Time
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Performance
variable measured: Installation Complexity
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Usability
variable measured: Market Adoption Rate
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Adoption
variable measured: Available Pre-built Images
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Ecosystem
variable measured: Rootless Build Support
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Security
variable measured: Dockerfile Compatibility
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Compatibility
variable measured: Persistent Daemon Required
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Architecture
variable measured: Enterprise Deployments
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Market Position
variable measured: Stack Overflow Questions
  type: PropertyValue
  value reference: Community Support
variable measured: Container Startup Time
variable measured: Memory Overhead per Container
variable measured: Market Adoption
variable measured: Cross-Platform Support
variable measured: Public Container Images Available
variable measured: Learning Difficulty (1-10 scale)
variable measured: Number of Integrated Tools
variable measured: Container Density per Host
variable measured: Typical Memory Overhead Per Container
is based on: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-podman)

Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary
type: DefinedTermSet
language: en-US
description: Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Docker vs Podman.
has defined term: Release Cycle
has defined term: Usability
has defined term: Capacity
has defined term: Deployment
has defined term: Architecture
has defined term: Infrastructure
has defined term: Scalability
has defined term: Adoption
has defined term: Performance
has defined term: Security
has defined term: Compatibility
has defined term: Accessibility
has defined term: Community
has defined term: Adoption & Popularity
has defined term: Design Philosophy
has defined term: Functionality
has defined term: Integration
has defined term: Resources
has defined term: Maturity
has defined term: Kubernetes Integration
has defined term: Feature Completeness
has defined term: Support
has defined term: Resource Efficiency
has defined term: Kubernetes
has defined term: Ecosystem
has defined term: Market Adoption
has defined term: Market
has defined term: Setup
has defined term: Economics
has defined term: Market Position
has defined term: Community Support
has defined term: Orchestration
has defined term: Ease of Use
has defined term: Features
has defined term: Implementation
has defined term: Adoption & Community
has defined term: Design
has defined term: Platform Integration
has defined term: Developer Experience
has defined term: Enterprise
has defined term: Platform Support

Release Cycle
type: DefinedTerm
term code: release-cycle
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Usability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: usability
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Capacity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: capacity
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Deployment
type: DefinedTerm
term code: deployment
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Architecture
type: DefinedTerm
term code: architecture
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Infrastructure
type: DefinedTerm
term code: infrastructure
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Scalability
type: DefinedTerm
term code: scalability
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Performance
type: DefinedTerm
term code: performance
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Security
type: DefinedTerm
term code: security
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Compatibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: compatibility
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Accessibility
type: DefinedTerm
term code: accessibility
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption & Popularity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption-&-popularity
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Design Philosophy
type: DefinedTerm
term code: design-philosophy
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Functionality
type: DefinedTerm
term code: functionality
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: integration
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resources
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resources
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Maturity
type: DefinedTerm
term code: maturity
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Kubernetes Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: kubernetes-integration
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Feature Completeness
type: DefinedTerm
term code: feature-completeness
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: support
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Resource Efficiency
type: DefinedTerm
term code: resource-efficiency
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Kubernetes
type: DefinedTerm
term code: kubernetes
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ecosystem
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ecosystem
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Adoption
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-adoption
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Setup
type: DefinedTerm
term code: setup
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Economics
type: DefinedTerm
term code: economics
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Market Position
type: DefinedTerm
term code: market-position
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Community Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: community-support
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Orchestration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: orchestration
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Ease of Use
type: DefinedTerm
term code: ease-of-use
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Features
type: DefinedTerm
term code: features
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Implementation
type: DefinedTerm
term code: implementation
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Adoption & Community
type: DefinedTerm
term code: adoption-&-community
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Design
type: DefinedTerm
term code: design
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Platform Integration
type: DefinedTerm
term code: platform-integration
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Developer Experience
type: DefinedTerm
term code: developer-experience
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Enterprise
type: DefinedTerm
term code: enterprise
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

Platform Support
type: DefinedTerm
term code: platform-support
in defined term set: Docker vs Podman — Attribute Category Vocabulary

faq
type: FAQPage
language: en-US
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
date modified: 2026-07-09T05:10:05.181Z
author: A Versus B
publisher: A Versus B
is part of: docker-vs-podman)
main entity: Can I replace Docker with Podman as a drop-in substitute?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes, for ~95% of use cases. Podman's CLI is compatible with Docker's commands (alias docker=podman works). However, Docker Compose YAML edge cases (volume permissions, SELinux contexts, networking) may require troubleshooting. For production Kubernetes, Podman/CRI-O is actually preferred since Docker was deprecated from kubelet in v1.20 (2020).
    language: en-US
main entity: Is Podman more secure than Docker?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Yes, in specific ways: Podman's daemonless architecture eliminates the single point of failure and privilege escalation risk inherent to Docker's centralized daemon. However, Docker's rootless mode (v20.10+) addresses many concerns. The real security advantage: Podman runs rootless by default, Docker requires manual configuration. Both support image signing and registry authentication equally.
    language: en-US
main entity: Why does Docker have 13M downloads vs Podman's 2.8M if Podman is better?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Docker achieved 13+ year market dominance (founded 2010) with massive ecosystem inertia: 9M+ pre-built images on Docker Hub, 500K+ Stack Overflow answers, and ubiquitous CI/CD integration (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins). Podman (founded 2016, CRI-O adopted 2018) is growing 40% YoY but still 5 years behind in ecosystem maturity. Adoption ≠ technical superiority.
    language: en-US
main entity: Which is better for Kubernetes production environments?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Podman/CRI-O is Red Hat's official recommendation and increasingly standard for production Kubernetes. Docker as a kubelet runtime was deprecated in v1.20 (2020) and removed in v1.24 (2022). Major cloud providers (GKE, EKS, AKS) now default to containerd or CRI-O. Docker remains excellent for development/testing on local machines and Docker Swarm deployments.
    language: en-US
main entity: Does Docker Desktop licensing affect my team?
  type: Question
  accepted answer: Answer
    text: Docker Desktop requires a paid subscription for organizations with >250 employees OR >$10M annual revenue. Individual developers and small teams (<250 people, <$10M revenue) get free access. This licensing model has driven some enterprises toward Podman/containerd (which are free, open-source) for both development and production.
    language: en-US

How to Choose Between Docker and Podman
type: HowTo
description: Docker uses a centralized daemon architecture requiring root privileges, while Podman employs a daemonless design supporting rootless containers out-of-the-box. Docker dominates with 13+ million downloads monthly and broader ecosystem support, but Podman offers superior security isolation and is RedHat's preferred container runtime.
language: en-US
total time: PT3M
step: Consider: Architecture Model
step: Consider: Rootless Container Support
step: Consider: Monthly Downloads
step: Consider: Enterprise Backing
step: Consider: Kubernetes Integration
step: Consider: Security Model
step: Consider: CLI Compatibility
tool: A Versus B Comparison Guide
tip: HowToTip
  text: Choose Docker if you need maximum ecosystem compatibility, existing team expertise, and comprehensive CI/CD integrations—it powers 70%+ of containerized production environments. Choose Podman if security is paramount, you're running Kubernetes clusters, or you need rootless containers without complex configuration—it's especially preferred for development, testing, and RHEL/Fedora environments.

Consider: Architecture Model
type: HowToStep
position: 1
text: Architecture Model: Docker has Centralized daemon (dockerd), while Podman has Daemonless, fork/exec model.

Consider: Rootless Container Support
type: HowToStep
position: 2
text: Rootless Container Support: Docker has Added in v20.10 (2020), requires setup, while Podman has Native since v1.0 (2019).

Consider: Monthly Downloads
type: HowToStep
position: 3
text: Monthly Downloads: Docker has 13.2 million (Docker Hub 2025), while Podman has 2.8 million (Quay.io 2025).

Consider: Enterprise Backing
type: HowToStep
position: 4
text: Enterprise Backing: Docker has Docker Inc. (independent company), while Podman has Red Hat / IBM (backed by enterprise).

Consider: Kubernetes Integration
type: HowToStep
position: 5
text: Kubernetes Integration: Docker has Deprecated as default runtime (v1.20+), while Podman has Actively maintained, CRI-O recommended.

Consider: Security Model
type: HowToStep
position: 6
text: Security Model: Docker has Single daemon privilege escalation risk, while Podman has Process-level isolation, no daemon.

Consider: CLI Compatibility
type: HowToStep
position: 7
text: CLI Compatibility: Docker has Industry standard (99% of tutorials), while Podman has Drop-in replacement, 95%+ compatible.

claimreview
type: ClaimReview
is accessible for free: true
conditions of access: Free
claim reviewed: Docker vs Podman
review body: Docker uses a centralized daemon architecture requiring root privileges, while Podman employs a daemonless design supporting rootless containers out-of-the-box. Docker dominates with 13+ million downloads monthly and broader ecosystem support, but Podman offers superior security isolation and is RedHat's preferred container runtime.
review rating: Rating
  rating: 5
  worst rating: 1
  best rating: 5
  alternate name: Verified Comparison
author: A Versus B
item reviewed: Docker vs Podman

Kubernetes Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Deprecated post-1.24, requires migration | Podman: N/A

Documentation Availability
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Comprehensive (500K+ SO answers) | Podman: N/A

Container Build Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 12-18 sec (Docker BuildKit) | Podman: N/A

Installation Complexity
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 5-7 steps including daemon setup | Podman: N/A

Market Adoption Rate
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 82% enterprise adoption | Podman: N/A

Available Pre-built Images
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 16 million | Podman: N/A

Rootless Build Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Requires workarounds/plugin | Podman: N/A

Dockerfile Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 100% | Podman: N/A

Persistent Daemon Required
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Yes, always running | Podman: N/A

Enterprise Deployments
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 200+ thousand | Podman: N/A

Stack Overflow Questions
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 2,800 thousand | Podman: N/A

Container Startup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 50-100ms | Podman: N/A

Memory Overhead per Container
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 50-100MB | Podman: N/A

Market Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 92% | Podman: N/A

Cross-Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Linux, macOS (via Docker Desktop), Windows (WSL2/Hyper-V) | Podman: N/A

Public Container Images Available
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 1,000,000+ | Podman: N/A

Learning Difficulty (1-10 scale)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 3/10 | Podman: N/A

Number of Integrated Tools
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 150+ major integrations | Podman: N/A

Container Density per Host
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 8-12 containers | Podman: N/A

Typical Memory Overhead Per Container
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 100-200 MB | Podman: N/A

Container Startup Time (cold start)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 0.5-2 seconds | Podman: N/A

Market Share (Container Platforms)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 82% | Podman: N/A

GitHub Stars (as of 2024)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: ~68,000+ stars | Podman: N/A

Image Repository Size (typical minimal image)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 5-50 MB (Alpine images) | Podman: N/A

Native Kubernetes Integration
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Full CRI support via containerd | Podman: N/A

Max Containers Per Host (practical limit)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 200-500 containers | Podman: N/A

Security Isolation Level
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Application isolation via namespaces + optional seccomp/AppArmor | Podman: N/A

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 2-4 hours | Podman: N/A

Maximum Cluster Size
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: ~100 effective | Podman: N/A

Native Auto-Scaling
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: No (requires external tools) | Podman: N/A

Container Image Size Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 100-500 typical | Podman: N/A

Multi-Host Management
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Docker Swarm (basic) | Podman: N/A

Community Projects/Ecosystem Size
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 2,500+ | Podman: N/A

Production Readiness Time
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 0.5-1 week | Podman: N/A

Enterprise Adoption Rate (2024)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 70% of enterprises | Podman: N/A

Monthly Downloads (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 13.2M | Podman: 2.8M
value reference: Docker

Architecture Model
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Centralized daemon (single dockerd process) | Podman: Daemonless (fork/exec per container)

Kubernetes Deprecation Status
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Deprecated as kubelet default (v1.20, 2020) | Podman: Actively maintained via CRI-O (2024 stable)

Docker Compose CLI Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 100% (native, 1:1 spec) | Podman: 95% (via Podman Compose)
value reference: Docker

Production Kubernetes Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 65% (Docker as base, CRI-O in prod) | Podman: 28% (direct CRI-O/Podman)
value reference: Docker

Security Vulnerability Attack Surface
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: 1 (daemon process) | Podman: 0 (no daemon)
value reference: Podman

Windows/macOS Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value: Docker: Docker Desktop (native binary) | Podman: podman-machine (VM-based, +15-20% latency)

SpeakableSpecification
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Docker — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Podman — Wikipedia
type: CreativeWork

Compare Docker vs Podman
type: Action
additional type: CompareAction
target: https://www.aversusb.net/compare/docker-vs-podman)
object: Docker
object: Podman

Container Startup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Memory Overhead per Container
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Market Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

Cross-Platform Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Compatibility

Public Container Images Available
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Learning Difficulty (1-10 scale)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Usability

Number of Integrated Tools
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Container Density per Host
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Typical Memory Overhead Per Container
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Container Startup Time (cold start)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Market Share (Container Platforms)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption

GitHub Stars (as of 2024)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Community

Image Repository Size (typical minimal image)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Native Kubernetes Integration
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Orchestration

Max Containers Per Host (practical limit)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Security Isolation Level
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Initial Setup Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ease of Use

Maximum Cluster Size
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Scalability

Native Auto-Scaling
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Features

Container Image Size Overhead
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Performance

Multi-Host Management
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Orchestration

Community Projects/Ecosystem Size
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Ecosystem

Production Readiness Time
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Implementation

Enterprise Adoption Rate (2024)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Market

Monthly Downloads (2025)
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Adoption & Community

Architecture Model
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Design

Kubernetes Deprecation Status
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Platform Integration

Docker Compose CLI Compatibility
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Developer Experience

Production Kubernetes Adoption
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Enterprise

Security Vulnerability Attack Surface
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Security

Windows/macOS Native Support
type: PropertyValue
value reference: Platform Support