Difference between Docker and Kubernetes

PSPDFKit Server has been deprecated and replaced by PSPDFKit Document Engine. All PSPDFKit Server and PSPDFKit for Web Server-Backed licenses will work as before and be supported until 15 May 2024 (we will contact you about license migration). To start using Document Engine, refer to the migration guide. With Document Engine, you’ll have access to robust new capabilities (read the blog for more information).

Docker is a containerization platform, and Kubernetes is a container orchestrator for container platforms like Docker.

PSPDFKit Server uses the Docker container format. Docker is the most common way to run Docker containers, but there are other technologies to run Docker containers.

Kubernetes is a container orchestrator for container platforms like Docker. It can be used for systems with higher load, where one Docker container isn’t enough. PSPDFKit Server supports horizontal scaling with running multiple containers of itself. The number of nodes that you can run at the same time are defined in the license agreement. Kubernetes is the most popular orchestrator; however, there are alternatives, such as Docker Swarm.