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Codespaces 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

Codespaces
Ranking in Development Platforms
5th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.4
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
IDE (1st)
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of Codespaces is 10.5%, up from 4.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 43.9%, up from 37.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Yshay Yaacobi - PeerSpot reviewer
Enabling a consistent remote environment with seamless integration and a consistent developer experience
We use Codespaces as a remote working environment as it provides a consistent working environment and compatibility across devices. Initially, I started using it because I was working on an Apple Silicon device, and my tools weren't compatible with that architecture. The remote environment offered…
Rikin Parekh - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful to create sandbox environments to run applications and makes it easy to test them
Overall, setting up the Docker environment is quite easy. Many methods exist, such as using Docker Compose and Docker networks to communicate between containers. The main challenge lies in designing the architecture and integrating different frameworks and microservices. I would rate the ease of setting up the tool at around nine out of ten. The time it takes to deploy depends on the scale of the system. For the early-stage startup I'm currently working with, it doesn't take much time. It's just me handling the deployment. In our early-stage startup, we have a couple of teams with around four to five backend APIs and two front-end services. Deploying these doesn't take much time. My focus is more on minimizing costs due to our lean startup structure.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Codespaces' most valuable feature is the repository, which helps the developers to work together. Its data commands are also useful."
"The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security."
"The integration with Visual Studio Code offers a good and fast user experience that feels like a local experience."
"The developer experience is consistent, and its pricing makes sense since it optimizes the resources."
"The product allows us to implement feature-related changes or improvements on time. Whenever I write a section of the code or create a new code, it automatically integrates with the former code."
"The solution is stable."
"It is a quite mature technology."
"Docker is perfect for what I do...The solution is scalable."
"I am impressed with the product's independence. We can also deploy it anywhere."
"The deployment is quite fast, which is beneficial."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is its portability, ease of security management, and low resource usage."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
"The initial setup was easy, and you are only required to run commands."
 

Cons

"The product indicates incorrect statistics."
"When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands. This context switch affects productivity."
"The main issue is related to state preservation on a disconnection. When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several commands."
"The technical support could respond faster."
"We get merge conflict errors and need to resolve them."
"Enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities and cluster management should be a priority. It should facilitate some security management."
"The vendor should release a monitoring tool or include monitoring capabilities in Docker"
"Docker can improve the integration with Microsoft Windows. It does not support native installations."
"If you install Docker on a host, it creates its own firewalls. It can become an issue. Usually, when you want to install Docker, you need to restart the firewall or restart the active tables on the machine, but this is not the case with Kubernetes. It uses the default set up by the next administrator, but with Docker, you have to restart the firewall and restart Docker before the firewall on the system will be okay. If you do not the rules will not be created."
"The runtime and security could improve in Docker. Security is paramount in the cloud and important."
"Docker volumes. When I integrated volumes, I faced challenges. I have not essentially used add volumes to the existing instances."
"The learning curve with Docker is huge and extensive"
"Docker could improve by having more advanced features."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"From what I've seen, the solution doesn't seem like it's overly expensive for what you get."
"I am using the product’s free version."
"It's free."
"The pricing of the solution is fairly cheap."
"The product is not expensive."
"For commercial use, it's about $30 per month. The license itself isn't expensive, but if there are many users, the price becomes high."
"We are using the open-source version of the solution."
"Regarding pricing, we primarily use AWS for our deployments since we have funding for it. We don't spend much on Docker-specific services, just the containerization product. Docker Hub isn't particularly expensive either, so overall, the pricing is pretty reasonable."
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"There is a license needed to use Docker."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
13%
Educational Organization
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
17%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Codespaces?
The most valuable features of the solution are Copilot and Advanced Security.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Codespaces?
Using Codespaces for a single station is cost-effective. However, I am not well-versed in the broader licensing considerations.
What needs improvement with Codespaces?
The main issue is related to state preservation on a disconnection. When I close the laptop and open it in a different place, the state of the environment disappears, and I need to rerun several co...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What needs improvement with Docker?
In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.
 

Comparisons

 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Codespaces vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.