Why You Should Use Docker over Buildpacks

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Hi lovely community :wave: ,

@benjaminch has recently published an article that discusses why you should consider using Docker over Buildpacks for your projects on Qovery. You can read the full article here: Why You Should Use Docker Over Buildpacks

In summary, although Buildpacks can be a convenient option for deploying applications with common stacks, we have found that they can limit your flexibility and customization options in the long run. Plus, relying on Buildpacks can lead to vendor lock-in and make it challenging to manage and track dependencies in larger applications.

Here are some of the main issues our users have faced with Buildpacks over the last few months:

  1. Failed to launch container (due to changes on Buildpack’s side)
  2. Buildpacks not running the expected command
  3. Buildpacks limitations: e.g., requiring a specific PHP extension
  4. Buildpacks removing compatibility with builder versions
  5. Buildpacks timeout
  6. Limitations in setting up proper file permissions

We have observed that our more mature users tend to use Docker, as it provides more flexibility for future customizations and optimizations. While Docker might seem more complicated to start with, there are numerous examples and resources available online to help you get started.

E.g this article written by @Enzo is a good start.

Moreover, using Buildpacks on Qovery limits your access to some of our platform’s features, such as parallel deployment, ARM architecture, and compatibility with Scaleway registries.

We encourage you to read the full article to get a better understanding of the advantages of using Docker over Buildpacks and why we recommend making the switch for your projects on Qovery. As always, our team is here to support you in your development journey.

Happy coding! :rocket:

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