--- title: "How to Use Different Container Runtimes: Docker, Podman, and Containerd Explained" url: https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-use-different-container-runtimes-docker-podman-and-containerd-explained-ytiletjfy source_url: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-use-different-container-runtimes-docker-podman-and-containerd-explained/ type: article source: "freeCodeCamp" published: 2026-02-18T10:53:45.230Z updated: 2026-02-18T10:54:07.796Z tags: ["kubernetes", "docker", "containers"] reading_time: 24 upvotes: 4 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to Use Different Container Runtimes: Docker, Podman, and Containerd Explained **[freeCodeCamp](https://daily.dev/sources/freecodecamp)** · 24 min read · 4 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A practical comparison of three container runtimes — Docker, Podman, and containerd — covering installation, core commands, and real-world use cases. Docker serves as the familiar baseline; Podman offers a daemonless, rootless alternative with native pod support and Kubernetes YAML generation; containerd provides the smallest footprint for edge and production Kubernetes environments. All three runtimes follow OCI standards, making images fully portable across them via registries or tar export/import. Includes a command reference table and guidance on when to choose each runtime. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: --- Tags: [#kubernetes](https://daily.dev/tags/kubernetes), [#docker](https://daily.dev/tags/docker), [#containers](https://daily.dev/tags/containers) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/how-to-use-different-container-runtimes-docker-podman-and-containerd-explained-ytiletjfy)