Swarm mode key concepts (2024)

This topic introduces some of the concepts unique to the cluster management andorchestration features of Docker Engine 1.12.

What is a swarm?

The cluster management and orchestration features embedded in the Docker Engineare built using swarmkit. Swarmkit is aseparate project which implements Docker’s orchestration layer and is useddirectly within Docker.

A swarm consists of multiple Docker hosts which run in swarm mode and act asmanagers (to manage membership and delegation) and workers (which runswarm services). A given Docker host canbe a manager, a worker, or perform both roles. When you create a service, youdefine its optimal state (number of replicas, network and storage resourcesavailable to it, ports the service exposes to the outside world, and more).Docker works to maintain that desired state. For instance, if a worker nodebecomes unavailable, Docker schedules that node’s tasks on other nodes. A taskis a running container which is part of a swarm service and is managed by aswarm manager, as opposed to a standalone container.

One of the key advantages of swarm services over standalone containers is thatyou can modify a service’s configuration, including the networks and volumes itis connected to, without the need to manually restart the service. Docker willupdate the configuration, stop the service tasks with out of dateconfiguration, and create new ones matching the desired configuration.

When Docker is running in swarm mode, you can still run standalone containerson any of the Docker hosts participating in the swarm, as well as swarmservices. A key difference between standalone containers and swarm services isthat only swarm managers can manage a swarm, while standalone containers can bestarted on any daemon. Docker daemons can participate in a swarm as managers,workers, or both.

In the same way that you can use Docker Compose to define and runcontainers, you can define and run Swarm service stacks.

Keep reading for details about concepts related to Docker swarm services,including nodes, services, tasks, and load balancing.

Nodes

A node is an instance of the Docker engine participating in the swarm. You can also think of this as a Docker node. You can run one or more nodes on a single physical computer or cloud server, but production swarm deployments typically include Docker nodes distributed across multiple physical and cloud machines.

To deploy your application to a swarm, you submit a service definition to amanager node. The manager node dispatches units of work calledtasks to worker nodes.

Manager nodes also perform the orchestration and cluster management functionsrequired to maintain the desired state of the swarm. Manager nodes elect asingle leader to conduct orchestration tasks.

Worker nodes receive and execute tasks dispatched from manager nodes.By default manager nodes also run services as worker nodes, but you canconfigure them to run manager tasks exclusively and be manager-onlynodes. An agent runs on each worker node and reports on the tasks assigned toit. The worker node notifies the manager node of the current state of itsassigned tasks so that the manager can maintain the desired state of eachworker.

Services and tasks

A service is the definition of the tasks to execute on the manager or worker nodes. Itis the central structure of the swarm system and the primary root of userinteraction with the swarm.

When you create a service, you specify which container image to use and whichcommands to execute inside running containers.

In the replicated services model, the swarm manager distributes a specificnumber of replica tasks among the nodes based upon the scale you set in thedesired state.

For global services, the swarm runs one task for the service on everyavailable node in the cluster.

A task carries a Docker container and the commands to run inside thecontainer. It is the atomic scheduling unit of swarm. Manager nodes assign tasksto worker nodes according to the number of replicas set in the service scale.Once a task is assigned to a node, it cannot move to another node. It can onlyrun on the assigned node or fail.

Load balancing

The swarm manager uses ingress load balancing to expose the services youwant to make available externally to the swarm. The swarm manager canautomatically assign the service a PublishedPort or you can configure aPublishedPort for the service. You can specify any unused port. If you do notspecify a port, the swarm manager assigns the service a port in the 30000-32767range.

External components, such as cloud load balancers, can access the service on thePublishedPort of any node in the cluster whether or not the node is currentlyrunning the task for the service. All nodes in the swarm route ingressconnections to a running task instance.

Swarm mode has an internal DNS component that automatically assigns each servicein the swarm a DNS entry. The swarm manager uses internal load balancing todistribute requests among services within the cluster based upon the DNS name ofthe service.

What’s next?

Swarm mode key concepts (2024)

FAQs

Swarm mode key concepts? ›

Docker Swarm is a clustering and scheduling tool for Docker containers. With Swarm, IT administrators and developers can establish and manage a cluster of Docker nodes as a single virtual system. Swarm mode also exists natively for Docker Engine, the layer between the OS and container images.

What is the concept of Docker Swarm? ›

Docker Swarm is a clustering and scheduling tool for Docker containers. With Swarm, IT administrators and developers can establish and manage a cluster of Docker nodes as a single virtual system. Swarm mode also exists natively for Docker Engine, the layer between the OS and container images.

What is swarm mode? ›

Swarm mode is a Docker feature that provides built in container orchestration capabilities, including native clustering of Docker hosts and scheduling of container workloads.

What are the main components used in Docker Swarm? ›

The key components of a Docker Swarm are Docker Nodes, Docker Services, and Docker Tasks. There are two kinds of Docker Nodes, the Manager Node, and the Worker Node. And a Swarm consists of at least one node, be it physical or virtual machines running Docker version 1.12 or later.

What is a swarm key? ›

Swarm key allows us to create a private network and tell network peers to communicate only with those peers who share this secret key. This command should be run only on your Node0. We generate swarm. key on the bootstrap node and then just copy it to the rest of the nodes.

What are the characteristics of Docker Swarm? ›

Features of Docker Swarm

High security: Any communication between the manager and client nodes within the Swarm is highly secure. Autoload balancing: There is autoload balancing within your environment, and you can script that into how you write out and structure the Swarm environment.

What is benefit of Docker Swarm? ›

Advantages of Docker Swarm

It is lightweight and easy to use. Also, Docker Swarm takes less time to understand than more complex orchestration tools. It provides automated load balancing within the Docker containers, whereas other container orchestration tools require manual efforts.

What are the three rules of swarm? ›

From this the three rules of Swarm emerge:
  • the abbreviations are ideally acronyms i.e., they also read as an existing word.
  • this existing word is semantically linked to the acronym's technical use.
  • the resolutions (the more the better) are descriptions of the functionality or explain the features.
Apr 21, 2020

What is the difference between docker and swarm? ›

Not to be confused with Docker (a tool for containerization), Swarm is the platform for managing "Dockerized" containers and is a native mode of Docker. A Swarm cluster (set of computers that operate as a single system) consists of: Docker Engine-deployed Swarm manager nodes that manage the cluster.

What is swarm used for? ›

to congregate, hover, or occur in groups or multitudes; be exceedingly numerous, as in a place or area. (of a place) to be thronged or overrun; abound or teem: The beach swarms with children on summer weekends. Biology. to move or swim about in a swarm. to swarm about, over, or in; throng; overrun.

What is swarm architecture? ›

The Swarm project aims to scale hard-to-parallelize applications through research in programming models and multicore architectures. Our goal is to enable programmers to write efficient and scalable parallel programs as easily as they write sequential programs today.

What are the two types of nodes in Docker Swarm? ›

A swarm consists of one or more nodes: physical or virtual machines running Docker Engine 1.12 or later in swarm mode. There are two types of nodes: managers and workers. If you haven't already, read through the swarm mode overview and key concepts.

What are the two types of Docker Swarm services? ›

Swarm mode has two types of services: replicated and global. For replicated services, you specify the number of replica tasks for the swarm manager to schedule onto available nodes.

What is the difference between standalone and swarm docker? ›

Docker runs containers on a single machine, while docker swarm orchestrates a collection of containers (and the communication between them) across a network, allowing you to join multiple 'host' machines together to create a resilient, redundant cluster.

What is the difference between Kubernetes and swarm? ›

The main difference is that Kubernetes is a container orchestration system that manages multiple containers. Docker Swarm does not manage any containers but instead is a cluster manager for Docker containers. Kubernetes also has built-in support for stateful applications, whereas Docker Swarm does not.

What is the difference between docker swarm and Kubernetes? ›

Docker Swarm offers automatic load balancing, while Kubernetes does not. However, it is easy to integrate load balancing through third-party tools in Kubernetes. Kubernetes: Services are made discoverable through a single DNS name. Kubernetes accesses container applications through an IP address or HTTP route.

Is Docker Swarm a load balancer? ›

The Docker Swarm mode allows an easy and fast load-balancing setup with minimal configuration. Even though the swarm itself already performs a level of load balancing with the ingress mesh, having an external load balancer makes the setup simple to expand upon.

What is the requirement for Docker Swarm? ›

A minimum of three nodes must be available to build the Swarm. A minimum of 16 GB of memory and 4 CPUs is recommended for each node. Place these nodes in different availability zones according to your requirements. A three node Swarm can tolerate failure of a single node.

What is the purpose of a stack in Docker Swarm? ›

Docker Stack is run across a Docker Swarm, which is essentially a group of machines running the Docker daemon, which are grouped together, essentially pooling resources. Stacks allow for multiple services, which are containers distributed across a swarm, to be deployed and grouped logically.

What is the structure of Docker swarm? ›

A swarm consists of multiple Docker hosts which run in swarm mode and act as managers (to manage membership and delegation) and workers (which run swarm services). A given Docker host can be a manager, a worker, or perform both roles.

Is Docker Swarm obsolete? ›

Is Docker Swarm becoming deprecated? — It is not being deprecated and is still a viable option for orchestrating multiple workloads.

Is Docker Swarm still viable? ›

Docker Swarm is not being deprecated, and is still a viable method for Docker multi-host orchestration, but Docker Swarm Mode (which uses the Swarmkit libraries under the hood) is the recommended way to begin a new Docker project where orchestration over multiple hosts is required.

What are the two types of swarms? ›

This is the reproductive swarm and is the model that those keeping European bees know all too well. But there is another kind of “swarm.” This is the absconding or migrating swarm, where honey bees simply abandon (abscond from) their nest and go in search of another site.

When should you swarm? ›

When multiple team members are involved in completing the same task, it reduces the potential for reworks and edits down the line. Encourages collaboration: If your teams have been struggling to work cross-functionally, swarming may be a great exercise in encouraging them to collaborate effectively.

What triggers a swarm? ›

Bees swarm for a couple of reasons, but the number one reason is that their living space is too crowded. Things are rocking along in the hive, and the queen is laying eggs, the workers are caring for the brood, honey is being made, and the honeycomb is being drawn out and filled.

What is the difference between Docker Nomad and Swarm mode? ›

Nomad supports all major operating systems and virtualized, containerized, or standalone applications. Docker Swarm can be classified as a tool in the "Container Tools" category, while Nomad is grouped under "Cluster Management". Docker Swarm and Nomad are both open source tools.

What is the difference between swarm and swarm mode? ›

Docker swarm is a service which allows users to create and manage a cluster of docker nodes and schedule container. Each node in docker swarm is a docker daemon and docker daemon interact using docker API. Swarm Mode: When we create a cluster of one or more Docker Engines its called a swarm mode.

Is Docker Swarm good for production? ›

Docker Swarm Mode is great to deploy your application stacks to production, in a distributed cluster, using the same files used by Docker Compose locally.

What are the advantages of swarm method? ›

They traditionally cooperate without any central control, and act according to simple and local behavior. Only through their interactions a collective behavior emerges that is able to solve complex tasks. These characteristics lead to the main advantages of swarms: adaptability, robustness, and scalability.

What is the best swarm control method? ›

Separation of Queen from the Brood - Separation of queen from brood, or Demareeing, is probably the most widely used swarm control practice and is the easiest and most successful method in use today to control swarming.

What is stack vs swarm? ›

Stack: Docker Stacks occur when a Swarm Manager is managing multiple Swarms for multiple Services, on a given Cluster, for a given application; hence the difference between a Swarm and a Stack is that a Swarm simply applies to a single Service, whereas a Stack manages multiple Swarms and hence multiple Services that ...

What is swarm in Devops? ›

Docker Swarm is a clustering tool for Docker containers. It allows you to establish and manage a cluster of Docker nodes as a single virtual system. This means we get to run Docker on multiple hosts on our computers. We control the swarm cluster through a manager which primarily handles and controls containers.

Is swarm decentralized? ›

Swarm is a decentralised data storage and distribution technology. Ready to power the next generation of censorship-resistant, unstoppable, serverless dapps.

What is a swarm task? ›

In the swarm mode model, each task invokes exactly one container. A task is analogous to a “slot” where the scheduler places a container. Once the container is live, the scheduler recognizes that the task is in a running state. If the container fails health checks or terminates, the task terminates.

Which network type is used in Docker Swarm? ›

The ingress network is created automatically when you initialize or join a swarm. Most users do not need to customize its configuration, but Docker allows you to do so.

Is it possible to have multiple manager nodes on Swarm? ›

Operate manager nodes in a swarm

There is no limit on the number of manager nodes.

What is Docker Swarm vs Zookeeper? ›

All of these kinds of services are used in some form or another by distributed applications. Docker Swarm belongs to "Container Tools" category of the tech stack, while Zookeeper can be primarily classified under "Open Source Service Discovery".

Is Swarm an orchestration software? ›

Swarm is Docker's native container orchestration tool. It can package and run your applications as containers. Swarm can find the relevant container images and deploy containers on laptops, servers, public clouds, and private clouds.

Is Docker Swarm an orchestration tool? ›

Two of the most popular orchestration tools are Kubernetes and Docker Swarm. Docker Desktop provides development environments for both of these orchestrators.

Is Docker Swarm self healing? ›

Docker Swarm already provides almost everything we need from a system that self-heals services.

What is diff between Docker Swarm and Kubernetes? ›

The main difference is that Kubernetes is a container orchestration system that manages multiple containers. Docker Swarm does not manage any containers but instead is a cluster manager for Docker containers. Kubernetes also has built-in support for stateful applications, whereas Docker Swarm does not.

What is the difference between Docker stack and Docker swarm? ›

Docker Stack consists of multiple Docker Services. Docker Machine is a tool used to install and manage virtual hosts or Docker Nodes. Docker Swarm contains manager nodes who manage the membership and delegation and worker nodes who run swarm services.

Is Docker and Docker Swarm same? ›

Docker is a common container platform used for building and deploying containerized applications. Swarm is built for use with the Docker Engine and is already part of a platform that's familiar to most teams. It's easy to install and set up for a Docker environment.

How does Docker swarm networking work? ›

A Docker swarm generates two different kinds of traffic: Control and management plane traffic: This includes swarm management messages, such as requests to join or leave the swarm. This traffic is always encrypted. Application data plane traffic: This includes container traffic and traffic to and from external clients.

What are the two types of nodes in a Docker swarm? ›

A swarm consists of one or more nodes: physical or virtual machines running Docker Engine 1.12 or later in swarm mode. There are two types of nodes: managers and workers. If you haven't already, read through the swarm mode overview and key concepts.

What is the IP range of Docker Swarm? ›

By default Docker Swarm uses a default address pool 10.0. 0.0/8 for global scope (overlay) networks. Every network that does not have a subnet specified will have a subnet sequentially allocated from this pool. In some circ*mstances it may be desirable to use a different default IP address pool for networks.

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