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Docker vs NGINX Ingress Controller comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 11, 2025

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

Docker
Ranking in Container Management
4th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
57
Ranking in other categories
Development Platforms (1st), Software Supply Chain Security (3rd), AI Software Development (7th)
NGINX Ingress Controller
Ranking in Container Management
18th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.3
Number of Reviews
1
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Container Management category, the mindshare of Docker is 4.6%, up from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NGINX Ingress Controller is 1.5%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Container Management Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Docker4.6%
NGINX Ingress Controller1.5%
Other93.9%
Container Management
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2787357 - PeerSpot reviewer
Site Reliability Engineer at Granicus Inc.
Containerization has standardized deployments and drives faster, more reliable delivery
As Docker is already a very mature tool, there are areas where it can be improved based on real-world usage. One area I consider is the Windows container experience. The pain point here is that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers because I have worked in both environments and felt that Windows containers are heavier and slower than Linux containers. This also limits the ecosystem and tooling maturity compared to Linux containers. Improvements could include performance optimization and better parity with Linux container features. Apart from that, observability and debugging is another area. The pain point is the limited native metrics available and limited logging and tracing features. Improvements could include adding a good amount of metrics, logging, and tracing, as well as better built-in observability features and easier container introspection. Network complexity is also present. I face issues with Docker networking that can become confusing in complex setups, and debugging container-to-container issues is not always intuitive. Improvements can be made with simpler networking abstractions and better built-in troubleshooting tools. Docker is excellent for containerization and CI/CD, but it can be improved in areas of built-in security, network simplicity, and observability. These points should be kept in mind and worked on.
Ishu Patil - PeerSpot reviewer
Python Developer and Application Analysts at All Solutions
Smart traffic control has improved reliability and has protected critical APIs under heavy load
In my experience, the best features NGINX Ingress Controller offers are its integration systems, which easily connect with other NGINX API gateways, risk limiting, JWT validations, and other NGINX products. The integration with other analytics products enhances our team's capabilities as we use NGINX App Protect with NGINX Ingress Controller to protect the whole site using firewalls from denial of service, while the JWT validation helps protect our site from unauthorized access. NGINX Ingress Controller has positively impacted our organization by saving us a lot of time. Previously, we used the NGINX open source ingress that lacked support and reliability, so when we switched to the official controller, it saved us time, reduced our downtime, and allowed for safe releases.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The initial setup was easy, and you are only required to run commands."
"Feature-wise, Docker is very user-friendly...The solution's initial setup process was straightforward."
"We find the auto scaling and auto healing functionality of this solution very good."
"Docker packages up an application as a single item that you can then run without the need to install or configure it to work on any specific machine."
"Docker's containerization property is its main selling point."
"The stability is excellent."
"The solution's most valuable feature is the Dockerfile, which makes the life of developers easy. Developers get a real understanding of container creation."
"The solution's most valuable feature is having containers independent of the operating system or environment."
"NGINX Ingress Controller has positively impacted our organization by saving us a lot of time, reducing our downtime, and allowing for safe releases."
 

Cons

"The command line interface could be more intuitive. I constantly struggle with it."
"I would like to see a single package image orchestration bundled together."
"The solution needs to be more scalable for local machines."
"The solution could improve with a GUI instead of only a command line interface. Having to use the command line interface can be a hassle."
"Unfortunately, base images are not currently available."
"We are facing multiple issues with the solution's stability."
"The security layer is very vulnerable, although they are working to improve the system hardening and email hardening."
"Owing to a few shortcomings in its stability, I would say that its stability can be improved."
"One improvement I see for NGINX Ingress Controller is that the obvious downside is the cost, as you pay for the license on top of AWS infrastructure and the pricing is not cheap."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Docker is a free open-source solution. However, there is the Docker Enterprise which is a paid solution."
"Customers pay for the license through a yearly subscription model, where they pay per license. This means that the license is based on a subscription, and the customer pays annually for each license they use."
"We use the open-source version."
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"Since Docker is an open-source solution, it is free of cost."
"Docker is a free-to-use solution. However, Docker Enterprise is not free."
"Docker is open source. To use a Docker enterprise model, we would need to pay for it."
"The product is a free open-source tool."
Information not available
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
15%
Computer Software Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise35
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NGINX Ingress Controller?
My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing was good. The pricing was expensive at first, but throughout the journey, it became feasible.
What needs improvement with NGINX Ingress Controller?
One improvement I see for NGINX Ingress Controller is that the obvious downside is the cost, as you pay for the license on top of AWS infrastructure and the pricing is not cheap. However, compared ...
What is your primary use case for NGINX Ingress Controller?
My main use case for NGINX Ingress Controller is as a smart traffic controller, with the built-in firewalls, DoS protections for our APIs, and better reliability under load. Whenever we need to man...
 

Overview

Find out what your peers are saying about Red Hat, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes and others in Container Management. Updated: December 2025.
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