@DavidChad
Thanks! Super helpful content!
@mrb180
they're not mutually exclusive, I think they both have their place, Docker for running containers and Kubernetes for orchestrating them. But AFAIK Docker Swarm can take the place of Kubernetes in a small environment, like a homelab, providing similar functions.
@cantthinkofabettername7016
Docker is the way way way easier, manageable and overall better solution for a homelab. This is why i run kubernetes in mine.
@blackpaw29
I spent days trying to get a k8s cluster running, got there eventually, but never did manage to get it to recognise my ceph cluster for storage. Eventually got up and running with Nomad, wouldn't say it was simple, but it made a lot more sense than Kubernetes, a lot less fragile moving parts and well documented. Has been running my DB's and web apps for weeks now, without a hiccup. Using Fabio for load balancing.
@hansaya
I bang my head against a wall for months over k3s but after I figure out the basics it was the most rewarding platform I ever used. I got everything automated to point I can start up my home services in minutes even if the house burns down. K3S makes managing my home services lot easier and makes it super easy to play with new projects
@B20C0
Another pro for k8s in a Homelab: You learn it. It's great that Christian made this point: If k8s is something you may come into contact with in your professional career, use it in your homelab.
@EllisWhitehead
I kind of despise kubernetes because its too complex and unintuitive to manage on the side. I used it for two years for both home and work clusters, but after my initial enthusiasm, I concluded that the struggle wasn't worth it. I decided to switch to Docker Swarm (with glusterfs shared drives) two years ago, and I've been much happier with the simplicity of it all.
@kingcobraDE
Team K8S - not because I need it, but wanted to learn it. Now it became my first choice when deploying containers.
@andrebalsa203
In one word: both ! Very good question and nice discussion, thank you.
@itssoaztek4592
Great summary, very useful for people like me who have not yet worked with docker or kubernetes. Much appreciated!
@lewismalcolm3536
Wonderfully done video Christian. I've been reading up on Kubernetes in the last month or so and had thought that I'd port all of my applications to a kubernetes cluster some time this year, but after doing more research I started to realize just how deep the Kubernetes rabbit hole goes and started setting up things on Portainer instead about a week ago. I remember seeing a video from another creator targeted at new home-labers that said "If you think you need Kubernetes you don't" that felt very condescending since it didn't explain why that was the case, thus I ended up researching it more. If I had seen your video back then instead, I'm sure I would have picked up Portainer instead and it would have saved me a lot of trouble - I'll be sure to mention your video if these conversations come up. Thanks!
@Trains-With-Shane
For me Docker, even without Swarm, is more than sufficient for my home lab services. I may eventually work up a Swarm or switch to K3s but for me the juice isn't worth the squeeze other than for learning experience which I have spun up K3s deployments for in the past on my home lab. But again those were just for labs and not "production" workloads.
@weirlive
Docker is easy.. K8s is amazing. Like I CAN do it in docker.. but if I spend the time in K8s it can be much easier. You also bring up a good point around 8:00 when something breaks it can be almost impossible to correct it and the whole cluster is dorked.
@arimil.
I've ran into this after migrating my old server to TrueNAS which pushes you towards Kubernetes, many things that I felt were easy to setup with Docker became much more complicated. TrueCharts has been really helpful with this though. I do believe that Kubernetes is overkill for my use case, since I don't see me ever needing more than 1 replica for anything.
@AD-qs9sb
Ive been using docker swarm and it works well. It allows replicas and some HA features and can also be managed with portainer. I tried k3s a couple of years ago and after fighting with it for a couple weeks finally realized its never going to work well in a home lab. Its designed for cloud providers that handle all the external stuff (networking, storage, LB) for you in their own proprietary way. There are solutions that kind of make it qork in a home lab but it's a constant struggle.
@kektozaur
I tried k8s a couple of years ago, but there weren't many charts available for the stuff I was running and having to make them from scratch is tedious. Docker compose saved me from alot of headaches.
@Ecker00
Went with Docker Swarm for latest setup, get most the benefits without too much complexity. 👍
@dandogamer
Nomad might be a reasonable alternative to k8s, its architecture is a lot simpler and it works great with the consul service mesh
@TantissTheEmperor
I use OKD, which is also pain in the ass to install, config and work with, but it's more for learning and mastering purposes than real needs. It allowed me to apply to new jobs and make this my everyday work so even if it's not something 'wise' to use in a little homelab, it could be interesting for professional skills to learn and master it at home. Now if you don't plan to work professionally with it, don't waste your time and hairs, docker swarm or docker is enough.
@sergeygr