Docker vs. Podman Summary

Feature Docker Podman
Architecture Uses a daemon that runs as root. This is a client-server model where the daemon manages containers. Daemonless. It runs containers directly as child processes of the user, eliminating the single point of failure.
Security The daemon running as root is a potential security vulnerability. Rootless mode is an option, but not the default. Rootless by default. This significantly reduces the attack surface as containers don’t have root privileges on the host.
User Experience Has a very mature ecosystem and a vast library of public images. The CLI is the industry standard. The CLI is intentionally very similar to Docker’s, making it an easy transition for existing users.
Kubernetes Integration Docker has its own orchestration tool (Docker Swarm), but it’s less compatible with the Kubernetes model. Designed to be Kubernetes-native. It can manage pods and containers using the same concepts, making it a good choice for K8s users.
Licensing Docker Desktop has a commercial license for large companies, leading many to seek open-source alternatives. Fully open-source and free for all use cases.