docker-vs-vmware-esxi

Docker and VMware Exsi are both virtualization tools that take different approaches to virtualization.  Docker is a container management software that helps businesses isolate processes at the operating system level.  In contrast, VMware Exsi is a virtualization software creates virtualized systems using a hypervisor.  Notably, many businesses use both containerization and virtual machinetools, as they specialize in different areas. 

Features

Docker and VMware Exsi can both be used for virtualization, but they have slightly different ideal use cases as well as some standout features that set them apart from each other.

Docker is a containerization tool, meaning it emulates operating systems, all of which run from a single kernel.  One of the biggest advantages of Docker is that containers are lightweight, with minimal hardware demands.  Docker is designed to make software development as easy as possible, so it makes it easy for developers to create containers with all the necessary dependencies for both development and application use.  These features make Docker an ideal tool for devops.

VMware Exsi provides a hypervisor that can be used to virtualize multiple operating systems on a single host. Virtual machines created with VMware Exsi can account for all system requirements, and hardware resources can be allocated to them as needed.  Since VMware Exsi allows businesses to create multiple guest operating systems on a single machine, it is possible to virtualize an entire infrastructure using virtual machines.

Limitations

Docker and VMware Exsi allow for containerization and virtual machine creation respectively, but they also have a few limitations that are important to consider.

Docker provides lightweight containers that can provide many dependencies, but since they are all based on one kernel, they can’t create an infrastructure consisting of multiple guest operating systems.  Additionally, it is more difficult to allocate system resources by container compared to VMware Exsi’s virtual machines.  These limitations make Docker a poor choice for businesses looking to create a virtual infrastructure, except as a complementary technology.

VMware Exsi allows for the creation of virtual machines with multiple guest operating systems on a single piece of hardware, but each machine is more demanding than a Docker container.  Businesses looking to create self sufficient packages that contain an application and all of its dependencies may prefer a containerization tool like Docker.  Additionally, VMware Exsi has limited features to support devops compared to Docker.  For businesses looking to support application development, a containerization solution may be needed.

Pricing

Docker provides a free price point for individual developers, and starts at $7.00 per user per month for businesses.

VMware Exsi offers a free version and is also included in vSphere packages.  These packages start at $273.00 per year with support.  Businesses can also purchase a perpetual license, starting at $995.00, though these licenses do not include support.