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AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs Docker comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 14, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

AWS Cloud Development Kit (...
Ranking in Development Platforms
4th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
7.6
Number of Reviews
5
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Docker
Ranking in Development Platforms
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.4
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Container Management (5th), Software Supply Chain Security (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Development Platforms category, the mindshare of AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) is 9.2%, up from 8.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Docker is 44.2%, up from 37.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Development Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Asif  Meem - PeerSpot reviewer
An easy-to-deploy solution that can be used to write code to provision infrastructure
We use AWS CDK for defining infrastructure as code You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure. The solution has a significant quality of life improvement for software developers who can code to spin up infrastructure on AWS. Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular…
Rikin Parekh - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful to create sandbox environments to run applications and makes it easy to test them
Overall, setting up the Docker environment is quite easy. Many methods exist, such as using Docker Compose and Docker networks to communicate between containers. The main challenge lies in designing the architecture and integrating different frameworks and microservices. I would rate the ease of setting up the tool at around nine out of ten. The time it takes to deploy depends on the scale of the system. For the early-stage startup I'm currently working with, it doesn't take much time. It's just me handling the deployment. In our early-stage startup, we have a couple of teams with around four to five backend APIs and two front-end services. Deploying these doesn't take much time. My focus is more on minimizing costs due to our lean startup structure.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment."
"You can use AWS CDK to write code to provision infrastructure."
"AWS CDK has notably streamlined the deployment process compared to other methods, primarily by defining cloud infrastructure as code."
"AWS CDK offers seamless integration, which was a significant factor in choosing it for cloud computing."
"The setup process is very straightforward."
"One of the most valuable aspects of CDK is its ability to integrate various components seamlessly, such as Lambda functions, API Gateway, DynamoDB, and EventBridge."
"The capability of the solution to convert an application into a Docker image is a vital functionality"
"Docker is very reliable. It's easy to scale, and it's very stable."
"Docker is convenient and easy to use."
"I think the best feature is to replicate anything in our local machine using a simple command."
"Traditional deployments take more time and builds can be inconsistent across different environments. Docker solves these issues."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is automation. When I deploy the solution I am confident it will work anywhere. It is reliable and easy to use."
"The solution is stable."
"The most valuable feature of Docker is that it provides a containerized environment. The isolation between the environments is beneficial. Additionally, the solution is easy to use."
 

Cons

"There are some issues with different plugins."
"The primary issue we've encountered is pricing. Some customers find the pricing to be somewhat high. Additionally, there's a discrepancy between the promised resource utilization and the actual utilization. The resource utilization calculations don't align with the provided guidelines. So, the pricing and resource utilization calculations could be refined."
"They could allow combining multiple languages, such as JavaScript and Python for the platform. At present, we can use only one language."
"Using AWS CDK requires some knowledge of popular programming languages."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging."
"There may not be much room for improvement with Docker as it has greatly evolved. However, one area that could be improved upon is the documentation on their website which was once easy to follow but has become quite terrible with numerous versions being released. As an example, the installation process for Docker now requires more than just a one-line command, causing inconvenience. Additionally, based on my experience as a college instructor, teaching students to install Docker was a difficult task due to the lack of straightforward and easy-to-follow documentation. Docker should focus on improving their documentation to make it more user-friendly for all."
"Enhancing artificial intelligence capabilities and cluster management should be a priority. It should facilitate some security management."
"The solution needs to be more scalable for local machines."
"In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved."
"I advise new users to review their website, commands, and the steps for creating images."
"I want to see if new architectures have been incorporated in Docker or if we have to wait for another release."
"Docker needs to improve its pricing."
"If you install Docker on a host, it creates its own firewalls. It can become an issue. Usually, when you want to install Docker, you need to restart the firewall or restart the active tables on the machine, but this is not the case with Kubernetes. It uses the default set up by the next administrator, but with Docker, you have to restart the firewall and restart Docker before the firewall on the system will be okay. If you do not the rules will not be created."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Since AWS CDK is an open-source solution, it's free to use."
"We use the open-source version."
"For commercial use, it's about $30 per month. The license itself isn't expensive, but if there are many users, the price becomes high."
"The current cost for us is nothing as an open source."
"I use the solution's open-source version."
"The solution offers an open-source version that is free and includes a lot of functionality."
"I would rate the pricing of Docker as ten out of ten"
"Docker is a free open-source solution."
"Regarding pricing, we primarily use AWS for our deployments since we have funding for it. We don't spend much on Docker-specific services, just the containerization product. Docker Hub isn't particularly expensive either, so overall, the pricing is pretty reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
No data available
Computer Software Company
16%
Insurance Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about AWS CDK?
The most valuable features of the AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) are its speed and ease of deployment.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for AWS CDK?
Over time, I expect AWS to become more cost-efficient and resilient. Although the pricing is currently high, I hope they continue to improve their system, which will lead to cost reductions.
What needs improvement with AWS CDK?
There is room for improvement in the use of EventBridge and the initial setup of CDK, which can be a bit challenging. The IAM policies could be simplified to make the setup process more straightfor...
What do you like most about Docker?
We are using Docker to host applications.
What needs improvement with Docker?
In terms of communication between services, perhaps the configuration within networks between containers could be improved.
 

Comparisons

No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Expedia, Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Brooks Brothers
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about AWS Cloud Development Kit (CDK) vs. Docker and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,671 professionals have used our research since 2012.