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Crane VS CRI-O

Compare Crane VS CRI-O and see what are their differences

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Crane logo Crane

Crane is a docker image builder to approach light-weight ML users who want to expand a container image with custom apt/conda/pip packages without writing any Dockerfile.

CRI-O logo CRI-O

Lightweight Container Runtime for Kubernetes
  • Crane Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-03
  • CRI-O Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-21

Crane features and specs

  • Open Source
    Crane is available on GitHub, making it open to community contributions, which can lead to rapid iterations and improvements.
  • Integration with Kubernetes
    Crane integrates smoothly with Kubernetes, providing orchestration and management features for various deployments.
  • Scalability
    Designed to support scaling applications, Crane takes advantage of Kubernetes' scalability features, making it suitable for growing workloads.
  • Flexibility
    Offers flexibility in deploying machine learning models and applications within a Kubernetes environment.
  • Community Support
    Being an open-source project, Crane has a developing community that can offer support and share use cases.

Possible disadvantages of Crane

  • Complexity
    Requires a good understanding of Kubernetes and containerization, which may be a barrier for new users.
  • Limited Documentation
    As with some open-source projects, documentation may not be as comprehensive, potentially posing challenges during setup and deployment.
  • Rapid Changes
    The continuous development and updates can introduce instability if updates are not managed carefully.
  • Learning Curve
    Users may need to undergo a learning period to fully understand and leverage Crane's capabilities within Kubernetes.
  • Potential Integration Issues
    There might be compatibility or integration challenges with certain existing systems or tools.

CRI-O features and specs

  • Lightweight
    CRI-O is designed to be a minimal container runtime, which means it has a smaller footprint compared to other runtimes like Docker. This can result in lower memory and CPU usage, contributing to better performance and efficiency.
  • Kubernetes Integration
    CRI-O is built specifically to integrate seamlessly with Kubernetes, implementing the Kubernetes Container Runtime Interface (CRI). This ensures better compatibility and more tailored features for Kubernetes environments.
  • Security
    CRI-O is designed with security in mind and minimizes the attack surface by strictly following the principle of least privilege. It also supports compatibility with various security frameworks, such as SELinux and AppArmor.
  • Vendor Neutral
    CRI-O is an open-source project under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), meaning it is vendor-neutral and has a diverse community contributing to its development. This decentralization helps in avoiding vendor lock-in.
  • Pluggable CNI
    CRI-O supports Container Network Interface (CNI) plugins out of the box, providing flexibility in choosing different network providers based on specific use-case requirements.

Possible disadvantages of CRI-O

  • Limited Features
    Because CRI-O is designed to be lightweight and minimalist, it lacks some of the extensive features offered by more comprehensive container solutions like Docker. Features like image building may require additional tools.
  • Community and Ecosystem
    While CRI-O is gaining popularity, it does not yet have as robust a community or ecosystem as Docker, potentially resulting in fewer available third-party tools and integrations.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    CRI-O may not be the most beginner-friendly environment due to its specific focus on Kubernetes integration and lack of standalone features like Docker Compose. Newcomers might find the learning curve steeper.
  • Debugging Tools
    The ecosystem around CRI-O is still maturing, and dedicated debugging tools are less comprehensive compared to other container runtimes like Docker, which could pose challenges in troubleshooting.
  • Release Cycle
    CRI-O's release cycle is tightly aligned with Kubernetes releases, which can be a double-edged sword. While it ensures compatibility, it also means that businesses must keep their CRI-O and Kubernetes versions in sync.

Analysis of CRI-O

Overall verdict

  • CRI-O is considered a good choice for users who are running Kubernetes and prefer a streamlined, Kubernetes-native container runtime. Its compatibility with Kubernetes standards and its focus on using lightweight components make it a reliable option for a Kubernetes environment.

Why this product is good

  • CRI-O is an open-source container runtime specifically focused on providing a lightweight, minimal and stable runtime environment for Kubernetes. It is designed to meet the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) which enables Kubernetes to use different container runtimes. CRI-O simplifies the stack by using existing Open Container Initiative (OCI) projects which reduces overhead and complexity. It benefits from Kubernetes integration, offering security and performance optimizations tailored for Kubernetes workloads.

Recommended for

  • Organizations using Kubernetes as their primary container orchestration system.
  • Teams looking for a minimal and stable runtime compatible with the Kubernetes CRI.
  • Developers who need a runtime that integrates seamlessly with Kubernetes tools and workflows.
  • Projects that prioritize security and compliance with OCI standards.

Crane videos

+ Add

Zhiyun Crane Gimbal Review + Unboxing!

More videos:

  • Review - Zhiyun Crane 4 Review - Back To Basics
  • Review - ZHIYUN CRANE 4 GIMBAL REVIEW / BMPCC 6K PRO

CRI-O videos

+ Add

Running Containers on Podman/CRI-o - Introduction working with Podman containers

More videos:

  • Tutorial - CRI-O: Development Process & How to Contribute - Urvashi Mohnani & Peter Hunt, Red Hat
  • Review - CRI-O: O Container Runtime feito para o Kubernetes

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Crane and CRI-O)

Crane

CRI-O

Cloud Computing
40 40%
Cloud Computing
60% 60
Developer Tools
46 46%
Developer Tools
54% 54
OS & Utilities
37 37%
OS & Utilities
63% 63
Cloud Hosting
100 100%
Cloud Hosting
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Crane and CRI-O. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, CRI-O seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 21 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Crane mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Crane yet. Tracking of Crane recommendations started around Dec 2021.

CRI-O mentions (21)

  • We clone a running VM in 2 seconds
    Yes - using Cri-o[0] or docker checkpoint/restore api (which uses cri-o) [0] - https://cri-o.io/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Top 8 Docker Alternatives to Consider in 2025
    CRI-O provides a lightweight container runtime specifically designed for Kubernetes, implementing the Container Runtime Interface (CRI) with optimized performance. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • 7 Best Practices for Container Security
    Container engine security focuses on the underlying runtime system that manages and executes containers, such as Docker, containerd, or CRI-O. These container engines are responsible for interfacing with the operating system kernel to provide the isolated environments that containers run within. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • 5 Alternatives to Docker Desktop
    Minikube supports various container runtimes, including Docker, containerd, and CRI-O, allowing flexibility in the development environment. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • The Road To Kubernetes: How Older Technologies Add Up
    Kubernetes on the backend used to utilize docker for much of its container runtime solutions. One of the modular features of Kubernetes is the ability to utilize a Container Runtime Interface or CRI. The problem was that Docker didn't really meet the spec properly and they had to maintain a shim to translate properly. Instead users could utilize the popular containerd or cri-o runtimes. These follow the Open... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Crane and CRI-O, you can also consider the following products

Podman - Simple debugging tool for pods and images

containerd - An industry-standard container runtime with an emphasis on simplicity, robustness and portability

Buildah - Buildah is a web-based OCI container tool that allows you to manage the wide range of images in your OCI container and helps you to build the image container from the scratch.

Apache Karaf - Apache Karaf is a lightweight, modern and polymorphic container powered by OSGi.

Artifactory Docker Registry - Artifactory Docker Registry is an advanced-level and cloud-based software solution that allows you to manage all your Docker images in the best possible manner and it permits you to execute an unlimited number of the Docker registries.

rkt - App Container runtime

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