<p>The main difference is that docker images are immutable and using is CMS is mutable. Once a docker image has been created it will work on all servers, while running a CMS could fail due to different environments, e.g. internet down, firewall, package repository unavailable.</p>

<p>Could a CMS be combined with docker? Yes, to configure docker images using packer for example. Packer is able to run existing CMS code inside docker. Another use case is deploying and configuring docker environment variables using a CMS.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-29T22:02:10.063Z
2017-11-29T22:02:10.063Z
030
<p>Something like puppet would help automate and configure the Docker Container.  CMS is configuration/provisioning and Docker is like you said a virtualization platform.  You're trying to compare two completely different things.  Here is an article on how to configure puppet with docker, sometimes an example helps.  <a href="https://puppet.com/blog/building-docker-images-puppet" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://puppet.com/blog/building-docker-images-puppet</a></p>

<p>For another way to classify, Docker is the VM you host your software.  CMS is automation on how to provision it. </p>

<p>As a side note, most people are moving to Kubernetes to orchestrate and provision containers on the cloud.  </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-30T17:33:45.873Z
2017-11-30T17:33:45.873Z
Jeff Garrett
<p>I am new to DevOps and I am trying to catch the techniques and their names and meanings.</p>

<p>I looked wikipedia explanations on <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_(software)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Puppet</a> (a Configuration Management System example) and that of <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Docker</a>.</p>

<p>Docker page says it is categorized as a virtualization platform. Docker manages many virtual containers on same Linux machine.</p>

<p>Is there some similar way as with Puppet and other CMS to tell what configuration is set up on container ad-hoc creation as there is in a CMS or is there anything similar on these two (a CMS and Docker and like)? Could they be used only separately or also together? </p>

<p>At least there exists a dockerfile to do some kind of similar sounding thing than system description language makes in CMS. That makes me think they perform similar tasks. </p>

<p>So in short I would like to how to categorize CMS vs Docker. </p>

<docker><terminology><configuration-management><dockerfile>
Docker vs CMS - related or a different thing?
mico
# Docker vs CMS - related or a different thing?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-29)

I am new to DevOps and I am trying to catch the techniques and their names and meanings.

I looked wikipedia explanations on [Puppet](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_(software)) (a Configuration Management System example) and that of [Docker](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docker_(software)).

Docker page says it is categorized as a virtualization platform. Docker manages many virtual containers on same Linux machine.

Is there some similar way as with Puppet and other CMS to tell what configuration is set up on container ad-hoc creation as there is in a CMS or is there anything similar on these two (a CMS and Docker and like)? Could they be used only separately or also together?

At least there exists a dockerfile to do some kind of similar sounding thing than system description language makes in CMS. That makes me think they perform similar tasks.

So in short I would like to how to categorize CMS vs Docker.

**Tags:** docker, terminology, configuration-management, dockerfile


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2017-11-30. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Something like puppet would help automate and configure the Docker Container. CMS is configuration/provisioning and Docker is like you said a virtualization platform. You're trying to compare two completely different things. Here is an article on how to configure puppet with docker, sometimes an example helps. <https://puppet.com/blog/building-docker-images-puppet>

For another way to classify, Docker is the VM you host your software. CMS is automation on how to provision it.

As a side note, most people are moving to Kubernetes to orchestrate and provision containers on the cloud.


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### Answer by username_1 on 2017-11-29. Score: 2

The main difference is that docker images are immutable and using is CMS is mutable. Once a docker image has been created it will work on all servers, while running a CMS could fail due to different environments, e.g. internet down, firewall, package repository unavailable.

Could a CMS be combined with docker? Yes, to configure docker images using packer for example. Packer is able to run existing CMS code inside docker. Another use case is deploying and configuring docker environment variables using a CMS.


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