You Don't Need Docker for Local Dev: 4 Faster Alternatives

#docker #developmentenvironme #nix #devops

The 800MB Download You Probably Don't Need

Docker Desktop takes 800MB to install and uses 2-4GB of RAM at idle. For local development, that's often massive overkill.

I'm not saying Docker is bad — it's great for production deploys and orchestration at scale. But for running a Python web server or a Postgres database on your laptop? There are lighter, faster options that boot in milliseconds instead of waiting for the Docker daemon to wake up.

This post walks through four setups I've used to replace Docker locally: virtualenv + system packages, pyenv + direnv, Nix, and plain systemd services. Each one boots faster, uses less memory, and gives you tighter control over what's actually running. The tradeoff is you lose some reproducibility across machines, but for solo dev work or small teams on similar OSes, it's usually worth it.