If you had asked me a few years ago if I could imagine working without Docker, I probably would have laughed. Back then, Docker was the default for almost every team I knew. Need a database? docker run it. Need to ensure environment consistency? Use docker-compose.
It sounded perfect, and for a while, it really did solve a lot of problems.
But over time, I slowly realized that, especially for local development, Docker was starting to cause more trouble than it was worth. My team began to ask ourselves a simple question: "Are we still using Docker because it's the best choice, or just because it's what everyone does?"
The surprising answer was that for local development, Docker was slowing us down.
This article isn't a hit piece on Docker; we still use it in our production and CI/CD pipelines. Instead, I want to share why we abandoned it for our local setups and which tools ultimately became better docker alternatives.
From Honeymoon to Headaches
When I first started with Docker, my mind was blown. Sure, it had a steep learning curve and I ran into plenty of pitfalls, but back then, I was on a high, feeling like a genius for taming such a complex tool. Plus, Docker did let me say goodbye to tedious environment setups. Everyone’s database and cache versions were perfectly aligned, which was a huge relief.
There were small issues here and there, of course. But the good times didn't last. Soon, those minor hiccups snowballed into major daily roadblocks.
It Was Eating Our Laptops Alive
Running multiple containers at once—the app server, database, cache, message broker—consumed a huge amount of CPU and memory. My Mac’s fans would spin like jet engines, and the battery would drain in no time. A simple "start coding" session turned into minutes of waiting for containers to boot up, all while my machine crawled.
File Syncing Was a Nightmare
Getting instant feedback after a code change is fundamental for any developer. But with Docker's volume mounts, especially on macOS and Windows, I/O performance was painfully slow. Waiting a few extra seconds for a page to refresh after changing one line of code might sound trivial, but it adds up when you do it hundreds of times a day.
Debugging Became More Complex
When something went wrong inside a container, debugging was far more complicated than running the app natively. Attaching a debugger, inspecting logs, or tracing performance issues all required extra steps. We spent too much time solving "container problems" instead of solving actual business problems.
A Catalyst for Change: The Shift in Business Model
The change in Docker Desktop's business model was a major turning point. This wasn't strictly about the cost; more importantly, it shattered the perception many developers had of it being a fundamental piece of infrastructure.
This shift acted as a catalyst, forcing our team to pause and critically evaluate a tool we used daily. We began to ask ourselves: Has our reliance on Docker Desktop become a habit? Now that it's a commercial product with clear licensing terms, does it still offer the best value for local development?
It was this moment that prompted us to proactively search for and evaluate other options on the market, rather than passively accepting the status quo. Our goal was to find a tool—free or not—that would bring greater efficiency and a better experience to our local development workflow.
My Journey to Find Alternatives: The Two Paths I Explored
My search went in two directions: first, finding more lightweight containerization tools, and second, stepping outside the container mindset altogether and returning to a more direct local development environment.
Path 1: Better Containerization Tools
For developers who still need containers or whose workflows are tightly integrated with Kubernetes, moving away from Docker Desktop doesn't mean giving up on containerization. There are some excellent alternatives available.
- Podman: Developed by Red Hat, its main feature is its daemonless architecture. This means it consumes fewer resources and is more secure. Its command-line interface is nearly identical to Docker's, so you can even use alias docker=podman for a seamless transition with a minimal learning curve.
Colima: If you're a macOS user, Colima is a great choice. It's extremely lightweight, starts up quickly, and has low resource consumption. It uses Lima (Linux virtual machines on macOS) under the hood to provide a Linux environment for containers and is compatible with the Docker CLI.
Rancher Desktop: This open-source project provides a desktop application that integrates both Kubernetes and container management. If you need not only containers but also a local K8s cluster, Rancher Desktop is a comprehensive option.
These tools alleviate some of the performance and licensing concerns of Docker Desktop. However, on macOS and Windows, they still rely on virtualization, which means they can't completely eliminate the inherent performance overhead.
Path 2: Returning to an Old-School but More Efficient Integrated Environment
Just when I was about to give up, I discovered another path: Why does local development have to be in a container? Especially for teams like mine, focused mainly on web development, all we really need is stable versions of PHP, Node.js, MySQL, Redis, and so on.
This led me to explore the new generation of local integrated dev environments.
ServBay
This has been my biggest discovery lately, and it's now my go-to tool. You can think of it as a supercharged version of MAMP. ServBay addresses many of the pain points of traditional integrated environments (like MAMP and XAMPP).
- Superior Performance: Since all services run natively on the host machine, there's no virtualization overhead. This means everything from application response times to file I/O is significantly faster than Docker. Plus, ServBay's installer is incredibly lightweight at just 20MB.
- Flexible Multi-Version Management: ServBay lets you run multiple versions of different development languages and services—including but not limited to Python, Rust, Java, PHP, Node.js, and MySQL—simultaneously. You can even assign specific versions to each of your sites. This is incredibly useful for maintaining multiple legacy projects.
- Ease of Use: It offers a clean graphical interface that makes tasks like adding sites, configuring domains, and enabling SSL with a single click incredibly simple. There's no need to manually edit complex configuration files.
- Complete Toolset: It comes with common tools like Redis, Memcached, a DNS server, local tunneling, and even Local AI built-in, all ready to use out of the box.
For the vast majority of web development scenarios, the speed and convenience ServBay offers have allowed me to finally say goodbye to the fan noise and long waits that came with Docker.
For the vast majority of web development scenarios, the speed and convenience offered by ServBay have allowed me to finally say goodbye to the fan noise and long waits that came with Docker.
MAMP / XAMPP / WAMP
These are the classic integrated environment tools that many developers used when they were first learning to code. They are simple and can handle basic development needs. However, compared to newer solutions, they feel a bit dated, especially when it comes to managing multiple versions, performance, and feature extensibility.
So, How Do You Choose?
The idea to stop using docker isn't an absolute command but a prompt to re-evaluate your tools. The right choice depends on your specific needs.
- If your workflow is deeply tied to Kubernetes or you frequently need to build images for different architectures, container tools like Podman or Rancher Desktop are still your best bet.
- If you're a macOS user just looking for a lightweight container runtime, Colima is worth a try.
- But if you're like me, primarily a web developer (especially with PHP, Node.js, etc.) who values maximum speed and simplicity in your local environment, I strongly recommend trying an integrated tool like ServBay or MAMP. It lets you focus your energy back on writing code, not wrestling with your tools.
Final Thoughts
A tool is neither good nor bad; it's only a matter of fit. Docker is undoubtedly a great technology that has transformed how we ship and deploy software. But for the specific context of local development, it may no longer be the optimal solution.
Our goal is to write code efficiently and enjoyably. If a tool starts to become a burden, don't be afraid to look for an alternative. For me, moving away from Docker Desktop to ServBay was the right call. My laptop is quiet again, and my development workflow is smoother than ever.
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