Docker / Kubernetes vs Unikernels

Some people think that Unikernels are just containers 2.0 but the reality is that they are incredibly different technologies

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DOCKER / KUBERNETES

runs linux
users
30M LOC

many processes
decreases performance
less safe than linux
higher complexity

UNIKERNELS

NO shell
NO linux
NO users

30k LOC

single process
increases performance
safer than linux
simplicity

Unikernels are Faster

  1. Kubernetes and Docker are way slower than Linux because they duplicate both the storage and networking layers.
  2. NanoVMs Nanos relies on the underlying infrastructure's existing network primitives so it isn't just faster than containers - it's faster than Linux itself.
  3. Unikernels can run 2X as fast as Linux on GCP and 3X as fast on AWS.

Unikernels are Safer

  1. Containers complicate the software supply chain.
  2. Containers break well-known Unix/VM security boundaries.
  3. Unikernels Reduce Attack Surface.
  4. Unikernels Make Compliance Much Easier.
LINUX NANOS REDUCTION
OPERATION SYSTEM SECURITY REQUIREMENT GUIDE 325 279 15%
GENERAL PURPOSE OPERATING SYSTEM SRG 243 132 46%
RED HAT ENTERPRISE LINUX 7 23 21 9%
NISTIR 800-53 123 88 14%
NIST SP 800-44 54 31 43%
NISTIR 8176 224 193 14%

Unikernels are Simple

  1. Unikernels remove layers of abstractions while containers add them.
  2. Unikernels use the cloud as the orchestration platform and don't require an external one like K8S.
  3. Unikernels are way easier to debug than containers.

Quick Start

It doesn't matter if you are using Mac, Linux, or WSL - you can boot your first unikernel right now in just a minute.

We've made it super easy for you to try it out and it's all free and open source.