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Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

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Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#13
Setting up a private repository is a PITA? It's one command:

  docker run -p 5000:5000 registry
Want to back it with S3 or another storage provider? It's still one command:

  docker run -e SETTINGS_FLAVOR=s3 -e AWS_BUCKET=acme-docker -e STORAGE_PATH=/registry -e AWS_KEY=AKIAHSHB43HS3J92MXZ -e AWS_SECRET=xdDowwlK7TJajV1Y7EoOZrmuPEJlHYcNP2k4j49T -e SEARCH_BACKEND=sqlalchemy -p 5000:5000 registry
What's so pain in the ass about this?

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#14
post #5
post #3

Q: Why do you want to change /etc/hosts and /etc/resolv.conf (besides hacking DNS for testing purposes)?

some of us use HOSTS to write config e.g. 10.0.12.34 mysql_host This allows some degree of flexbility 1. boot up new instances quickly as long as HOSTS is correct 2. Don't have to hard-code actual mysql server IPs. 3. Make mysql master/slave failover much easier.

Regarding number two, you'll just link your containers together with docker. See https://docs.docker.com/userguide/dockerlinks/

It seems that most issues OP have is mostly because misunderstanding or lack of knowledge.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#15
Maybe Docker helps the cloud provider be more efficient but as far as the actual Docker container v Debian VPS we deploy to, we haven't found any advantage. We ran into pain points like you describe and quickly dismissed Docker.

Unless you are building the next Heroku or infrastructure as a service I would be hesitant to recommend Docker.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#17
post #9
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

some of us use HOSTS to write config e.g. 10.0.12.34 mysql_host This allows some degree of flexbility 1. boot up new instances quickly as long as HOSTS is correct 2. Don't have to hard-code actual mysql server IPs. 3. Make mysql master/slave failover much easier.

I think most folks doing devops end up using things more like zookeeper, consul, etc. instead to perform the above as opposed to hosts.

tiny/small sites don't require heavy lifters like zookeeper, however they do require some degree of clustering and sometimes migrating.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#18
post #10

I've been waiting for the hype to die down a bit and for the project to stabilise before properly playing with it but, from the outside looking in, I must admit I struggle to see how it's gaining as much attention as it is. I can see the advantage for dev boxes where a developer might want to setup a load of containers on their machine to emulate a staging or production environment. But I don't really understand why…

That works if you have physical access to the machine/vm. What about EC2? Linode? Digital Ocean? etc.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#19
I've found docker to be a revolutionary abstraction. By itself, it's not a silver bullet. But combined with the right tools, it completely shifts how you think about devops.

I recommend looking into: Quay for private image hosting and building, CoreOS as an environment to run in production.

Re: Ask HN: Is it just me or why does Docker suck so much?

#20
Libvirt has support for lxc these days, if memory serves. I'd recommend it - docker just seems heavily marketed.

What you're mentioning with hosts/resolv etc is a problem that has been "solved" with tools like etcd and zookeeper as someone else mentioned.

I tried docker with a couple of things, and found that it is an environment that (at the time I experienced it, maybe six months ago) was so unhelpful as to appear completely broken. It isn't for systems administrators, or anyone who knows how to do things the unix way; it's for developers who can't be bothered to learn how to do things sensibly. Half the unix ecosystem has been reimplemented, probably not that well, by people who didn't know it existed in the first place. That's my conclusion so far.

prepares to be flamed

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