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AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs Docker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 14, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Cloud Development Kit (...
Ranking in Development Platforms
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is 6.4%, down from 9.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 42.2%, up from 42.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Docker42.2%
AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK)6.4%
Other51.4%
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Asif  Meem - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-deploy solution that can be used to write code to provision infrastructure
We use AWS CDK for defining infrastructure as code You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure. The solution has a significant quality of life improvement for software developers who can code to spin up infrastructure on AWS. Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular…
Sunny Nair - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers application conversion to Docker image and a mature environment
The learning curve with Docker is huge and extensive. Adopting Docker is a bit difficult because it requires a lot of expertise and background, including an understanding of networking and security concepts. Many professionals are facing issues with the different architectures that interact with each other in Docker. Whenever in our company, we are working with the production environment, professionals are hesitant to adopt Docker due to the extensive learning curve, and most of the team members in our company are more accustomed to an environment like VMware instead of Docker. Docker runs on scripts, so if AI can automate most of the scripting process in Docker, it would be a great advantage in the future version of Docker. As of now, we can create scripts utilizing most of the functions within Docker, but that initial planning phase wherein to understand exactly how you will plan for the resources, how you will convert applications into a Docker-based image, and similar tasks needs to be simplified so that more professionals can adopt Docker.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure."
"AWS CDK has notably streamlined the deployment process compared to other methods, primarily by defining cloud infrastructure as code."
"The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment."
"One of the most valuable aspects of CDK is its ability to integrate various components seamlessly, such as Lambda functions, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and EventBridge."
"The setup process is very straightforward."
"AWS CDK offers seamless integration, which was a significant factor in choosing it for cloud computing."
"Docker is perfect for what I do...The solution is scalable."
"The scalability of Docker is good."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
"The tool's most valuable feature is its sandbox environment. It makes it very easy to run and test applications without needing configurations, which is the core advantage of containerization. Kubernetes and Helm are helpful as they provide high-level metrics, making tracking the status of all the containers and applications running easier."
"The solution is stable."
"Kubernetes is the primary container orchestration tool I use with this solution. Docker provides a complete solution for deploying and managing workloads across multiple nodes. Container orchestration has significantly impacted my workload by automating tasks and streamlining operations. The availability of systems like Kubernetes is crucial for planning and managing complete clusters and computing environments. Every client's needs are different, and not one solution fits all."
"The most valuable feature is that it is cost-saving."
"The lift and shift creates a lightweight image."
 

Cons

"There are some issues with different plugins."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"The primary issue we've encountered is pricing. Some customers find the pricing to be somewhat high. Additionally, there's a discrepancy between the promised resource utilization and the actual utilization. The resource utilization calculations don't align with the provided guidelines. So, the pricing and resource utilization calculations could be refined."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular programming languages."
"They could allow combining multiple languages, such as JavaScript and Python for the platform. At present, we can use only one language."
"Docker management is very difficult when we have a large number of nodes."
"One item that could be improved is the overall stability of Docker."
"Docker can improve the integration with Microsoft Windows. It does not support native installations."
"I would like to see better management layers."
"Marketing of Docker is one area that needs to improve."
"It could be easier to create images and save them on reports. Just improved development workflow, just quicker, like some better user experience creating the images for the Docker containers."
"In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved."
"In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since AWS CDK is an open-source solution, it's free to use."
"The product is not expensive."
"We use the open-source version."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
"We are using the open-source version of the solution."
"Docker has made some changes and there is an enterprise version that is affordable."
"Docker is a free-to-use solution. However, Docker Enterprise is not free."
"It's free."
"There is a license needed to use Docker."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise34
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS CDK?
The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CDK?
Over time, I expect AWS to become more cost-efficient and resilient. Although the pricing is currently high, I hope they continue to improve their system, which will lead to cost reductions.
What needs improvement with AWS CDK?
There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging. The IAM policies could be simplified to make the setup process more straightfor...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Docker?
Regarding the cost, Mirantis Container Cloud is cheaper than other solutions like Red Hat. The license costs around 10,000 Indian rupees per year.
What needs improvement with Docker?
Mirantis Container Cloud should have AI integration tools, which are not available right now. These tools should assist in app scalability and deployment error handling.
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
868,759 professionals have used our research since 2012.