Once created solely by Google, Kubernetes is now a collaborative effort between the company and its Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), with contributions from Red Hat and others. There are some fundamental differences between Kubernetes and Nomad, despite the fact that they both provide comparable basic use scenarios for app deployment as well as administration. Kubernetes’s intended functionality includes cluster administration, scheduling, discovery of services, monitoring, secrets management, and much more for container-based apps built on Linux. The Unix principle of minimalism informs Nomad’s architecture, limiting its scope to cluster storage as well as scheduling while allowing it to compose with other tools such as Consul for service discovery/service meshes and Vaults for secret management.
Table of Contents
- What is Kubernetes?
- What is Nomad?
- How Kubernetes and Nomad Works?
- Kubernetes vs Nomad: Similarities
- Nomad vs. Kubernetes: Features
- What Are the Differences Between Kubernetes and Nomad?
- Kubernetes: Pros and Cons
- Nomad vs. Kubernetes: How to Choose?
- Conclusion
What is Kubernetes?
Kubernetes, or k8s or “kube,” is a free to use container orchestration technology that streamlines the deployment, management, and scaling of containers for applications.
In 2015, Google engineers handed Kubernetes, which they had created and named the Borg project, to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF). Prior to Kubernetes’ official release, Red Hat® was one of the initial organizations to collaborate with Google on the endeavor. Today, Red Hat® is the second-most prominent developer of the Kubernetes upstream program.
Interested in a Kubernetes Certification course? Register now for Kubernetes Training offered by ‘Mindmajix – A Global training platform’.
What is Nomad?
By providing a uniform workflow for the deployment and management of both containerized and classic applications, Nomad is a highly adaptable workload orchestrator. Nomad supports a wide variety of application types, including Docker, non-containerized, microservice, as well as batch.
With Nomad, programmers can automate application deployment with declarative infrastructure-as-code. Nomad optimizes job scheduling and resource use using bin packing. OS X, Windows, as well as Linux users can all run Nomad without issue.
Companies like Target, PagerDuty, Citadel, Trivago, Pandora, SAP, Roblox, Deluxe Entertainment, eBay as well as many more have all committed to and begun using Nomad in production.
How Kubernetes and Nomad Works?
Kubernetes:
- The work of a master builder.
- Performs container orchestration on a cluster.
- Finds services as well as distributes traffic amongst them.
- Specifies target conditions during deployment.
Nomad:
- Allows for dynamic scaling in response to workload changes.
- Minimalist, sole binary package.
- Constrained task allocation.
- Coordinates tasks for a group of computers.
Kubernetes vs Nomad: Similarities
- Automated scheduling
Kubernetes along with Nomad both do these tasks automatically, balancing and managing workloads throughout a cluster’s capacities. They make the best use of available resources and strategically deploy them.
- Rolling Updates
As both systems permit rolling upgrades, you can upgrade or repair container or tasks in stages with minimal impact on users.
- Auto-Recovery and Self-Healing Deployments
Kubernetes as well as Nomad check in on any containers or jobs that are currently active. They can recognize when a container or operation has failed and start the recovery procedure immediately, guaranteeing uptime.
- External Services
Both systems offer with tools for identifying and connecting to external services and assets, letting you easily include them into your existing setup.
- Storage Orchestration
By managing storage assets, Kubernetes and Nomad provide persistent access to data by providing and connecting volumes of storage to containers as well as activities.
- Self-Healing and Auto-Recovery
Both Kubernetes as well as Nomad have the capacity to take corrective measures when container or activities experience problems or failures, making the apps that are installed more reliable as a whole.
Nomad vs. Kubernetes: Features
Here are key features for both Kubernetes and Nomad:
Kubernetes:
- Controls how well containerized programs function in a distributed environment.
- uses configuration files to define as well as preserve the intended operation of software.
- Reconfigures the amount of running applications mechanically to meet fluctuating demand.
- Allows for simple discovering services and load balancing using in-built DNS as well as service configurations.
- Provides for updates with no interruptions by using a phased replacement of older container with newer ones.
- Provides access to a wide variety of add-ons and utilities for tracking, logging, along with additional tasks.
Nomad:
- Assigns accessible nodes in a cluster to jobs, which are collections of related work.
- Being a single binary setup, it is portable and easy to administer.
- Constraint- and resource-aware task allocation on individual node.
- suitable for service registration with tools like Consul, which facilitates service discovery as well as load distribution.
- Tasks can be auto-scaled in response to changes in available resources or other indicators.
- Controls operations in several locations, making it ideal for large-scale, distributed geographically installations.
What Are the Differences Between Kubernetes and Nomad?
Here are the key differences between Kubernetes and Nomad in brief:
- Complexity:
Kubernetes gets a reputation for being difficult to learn. It is a powerful yet complicated platform because of its intended use for handling both small-scale microservices as well as large-scale applications.
Nomad’s instruction curve is lower and its complexity is lower. It works effectively for less demanding tasks and people who choose a simpler, lighter alternative.
- Abstractions:
To allow for granular management of containers as well as micro services, Kubernetes includes numerous abstractions such as the pods, services, including controllers.
– Nomad makes life easier for people who prefer a less generalized approach by simplifying conceptions with a major focus on duties and obligations.
- Configuration Language:
While the complicated YAML configurations required to define resources may be intimidating to newcomers, the level of control they provide is unparalleled.
– Usually written in the more user-friendly and succinct HCL (HashiCorp Configuration Language).
- Ecosystem:
– Has a robust ecosystem containing a wide variety of useful plugins and add-ons. It has robust peer support and works effectively with a wide variety of cloud services.
– Its ecosystem is small than Kubernetes’, but it’s expanding. Users that value simplicity as well as adaptability over a robust ecosystem might discover their needs better met by this platform-agnostic solution.
Kubernetes: Pros and Cons
Briefly, the benefits and drawbacks of Kubernetes versus Nomad are as follows:
- Kubernetes:
Pros:
- Well-established, vast, and widespread ecology.
- Great for large-scale uses and complicated microservices.
- Extensive sources and content from the community.
- Widespread support from cloud service providers.
- Scalability, discovery of services, and parallel processing are just some of the many features already included.
Cons:
- A complicated and challenging learning curve.
- Heavy on the server’s capabilities; uses a lot of them.
- Overhead costs are very high.
- It could be excessive for less demanding tasks.
- More work in setting up and maintaining.
- Nomad:
Pros:
- Extremely user-friendly and straightforward; best suited to light to moderate tasks.
- Reduced energy use and lessened environmental impact.
- Cost savings throughout the company.
- Not tied to any specific cloud service or on-premises infrastructure; platform-agnostic.
- Created by the well-known DevOps toolmaker, HashiCorp.
Cons:
- Reduced ecosystem size and fewer add-ons.
- Not as well suited for large-scale or complicated applications or clusters.
- Less of a user base than Kubernetes.
- Reduced support for cloud-provider-specific integrations.
- The level of mechanization and pre-installed functionalities may be inferior to Kubernetes.
Nomad vs Kubernetes: How to choose?
While Kubernetes can function in an extremely available setup, it can be difficult to set up from an operational standpoint. Nomad has a considerably more straightforward structure. To coordinate and store data, Nomad uses no third-party services and only a single code on both the client and server sides.
Nomad could be a better option for you if you prioritize ease and simplicity of access for lighter workloads. Kubernetes is a viable option if you possess a large, complicated environment and want advanced capabilities and a well-established community. In the end, you ought to establish your decision on the needs of your organization and the manpower you have available to manage the container orchestration system.
Conclusion
Kubernetes is a complete orchestration platform that includes everything necessary to deploy and manage a containerized application. It boasts a superior contributor community as well as cloud infrastructure, making it possible to access a wide variety of pre-built solutions as well as a comprehensive set of tools. On the downside, it’s not user-friendly to set up on your own and works best with containerized programs.
In contrast, Nomad’s singular focus on cluster management makes it incredibly simple for setting up and manage. However, its restricted functionality means that you’ll need to install additional resources in order to accomplish many of the same things that Kubernetes does out of the box.
Kubernetes is a superior option if your apps need advanced functionality and you’re prepared to invest the effort necessary to master the tool. If you’d rather have a simpler workflow sans extra features, though, Nomad could be a good fit for you. Your use case as well as your capacity to incorporate the tool into the manufacturing process cycle will determine the tool you select. Consider all of the following when choosing your choice for 2023.
Author Bio
Suneel, a Technology Architect with a decade of experience in various tech verticals like BPM, BAM, RPA, cybersecurity, cloud computing, cloud integration, software development, MERN Stack, and containerization (Kubernetes) apps, is dedicated to simplifying complex IT concepts in his articles with examples. Suneel’s writing offers clear and engaging insights, making IT accessible to every tech enthusiast and career aspirant. His passion for technology and writing guides you with the latest innovations and technologies in his expertise. You can reach Suneel on LinkedIn