In the early days of containerization, Docker was a revolutionary force, offering a simple yet powerful way to package, distribute, and run applications. Docker-CE (Community Edition) was the go-to choice, providing a free, open-source version of the Docker container engine. However, as time has passed and Docker Inc. has shifted its focus, Docker-CE has been left in a state that many would now describe as “unfinished”—especially in the context of enterprise production environments.
The Impact of Docker Inc.’s Strategic Shifts
Docker Inc. made headlines when it decided to divest its enterprise business, Docker Enterprise, to Mirantis. This decision marked a significant turning point in the trajectory of Docker-CE. Previously, the enterprise and community editions of Docker shared a close relationship, with innovations often trickling down to the community edition. Now with Docker Enterprise under the control of Mirantis, a significant gap has emerged between the capabilities of Docker-CE and its enterprise counterpart.
One of the most critical areas affected by this strategic shift is security. Docker Enterprise was known for its robust security features, including user authentication, role-based access control (RBAC), advanced policy management, and content-trust. These capabilities are crucial for any organization running containers in production, as they provide the necessary tools to enforce security policies, control access, and prevent unauthorized actions.
With Mirantis now bundling these security features within its much more substantial product offerings, Docker-CE users are left without native access to these critical capabilities. As a result, Docker-CE in its current state is arguably not fit for use in production environments—especially when security is a priority.
Whilst many organizations have already begun the migration from Docker to Kubernetes, there remains a strong demand for Docker-CE due to its simplicity of use and low resource footprint. For those organizations, they need ways to “fill the gaps” that exist with Docker-CE.
The Security Shortcomings of Docker-CE
Without the security features provided in Docker Enterprise, Docker-CE lacks several essential capabilities:
- Lack of User Authentication: Docker-CE has no notion of “users”, and so therefore has no built-in user authentication. Anyone with root-level access to the Docker host has full control over all containers, leading to potential security risks.
- Absence of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): With Docker-CE having no notion of users, there is also no notion of access control, let alone role-based access control. Access Control and RBAC is critical for maintaining security in any production environment.
- Inability to Enforce Security Policies: Docker-CE does not natively support the creation or enforcement of security policies that can restrict what types of containers can run or more importantly which images can be used. This is particularly concerning given the sheer number of “hostile” images that exist on Docker Hub, with frequently used public images (eg nginx, mysql) being repurposed by hackers using common misspellings. Without controls a developer could accidentally run a compromised container in production.
How Portainer Fills the Gap
Given these limitations, organizations using Docker-CE in production are often left searching for a solution to enhance security and manageability. This is where Portainer comes into play.
Portainer is a management platform that provides a simplified and secure way to centrally manage Docker environments. By integrating with Docker-CE, Portainer brings much-needed security features to the table:
- User Authentication and RBAC: Portainer adds the missing capability of user authentication and role-based access control, allowing administrators to create and manage users, assign roles, and define what actions each role can perform. This enables organizations to implement access controls that align with their security policies.
- Policy Enforcement: Portainer allows administrators to enforce security policies across their Docker environment. This includes restricting the types of containers that can be deployed, setting resource limits, and monitoring container activity. These capabilities are essential for maintaining a secure and compliant production environment.
- Ease of Use and Accessibility: One of Portainer’s key strengths is its user-friendly interface, which makes it accessible to teams of all sizes and skill levels. By providing a centralized management console, Portainer simplifies the complexities of managing Docker-CE environments, reducing the potential for misconfigurations that could lead to security vulnerabilities.
Docker + Portainer is a Production-Ready solution.
In the ever-evolving landscape of container technology, one thing is clear: the days of relying solely on Docker-CE for production are behind us. Organizations must look to supplementary solutions like Portainer to ensure their containerized applications are secure, compliant, and well-managed. It’s only with add-on tools like Portainer that Docker-CE can realistically be considered to run any production application services.