Containerization Retrospective — Simple Beats Complex

Three-Day Circle

Feb 10: Started Docker containerization of OpenClaw multi-agent deployment. Feb 13: Stopped all Docker containers, fully returned to native. Three days.

Not a failure but rapid experimentation. Validated a hypothesis in minimum time: "Is Docker containerization right for my scenario?" Answer: No. Reaching that conclusion quickly is itself a success.

Problems Docker Brought

Volume permission nightmare: Container uid mismatches with host caused endless permission errors. Massive time wasted on chown and chmod.

Token conflicts: The final straw. Same Bot Token in 2 containers during migration → 2 instances fighting over webhooks → all messages lost.

Multi-instance competition: Log files, temp directories, cache space — all contested. More containers, more uncertainty.

Debugging difficulty: docker exec -it into containers, switching between 5 container logs. Native: just tail -f.

Resource waste: 5 Gateway processes × runtime memory. Overkill for 15 lightweight agents.

When Native Wins

My scenario: single physical server, dozen lightweight agents, no need for horizontal scaling, team of one. All signs pointed to "Docker unnecessary."

Lessons Learned

1. No sunk cost thinking in tech decisions
2. Architecture complexity must match actual needs
3. "Looking professional" isn't the same as "being appropriate"
4. Rapid experimentation isn't rapid failure — it's rapid learning

Docker is a great tool. Just not for my scenario. The best tool isn't the coolest one — it's the one that fits your problem.