7 Best Docker Hosting Services (Feb. 2024)

If you’re a web developer, the last thing you want is to find yourself in a “trust me, bro; it works on my computer” kind of situation. That’s a scenario almost every developer has experienced at some point in their careers. And it’s a common problem Docker aims to solve.

Whether it’s a broken Docker image file, a missing line of code, or anything in between, you don’t want to find yourself in a situation where a certain project runs correctly on your computer but does the opposite on another.

I know how uncomfortable that conversation can be; you know you’ve done your best to create an application or website that works perfectly, but you just can’t prove it unless the other person travels hundreds of miles to witness your work of genius directly from your computer. While Docker helps solve this problem (I’ve discussed how it works at the bottom of this article), finding the best Docker hosting services is equally important.

Here are seven of the best Docker hosting services I’ve used throughout my career as a web developer, including some of the unique features I particularly like about them.

Cloud, dedicated, and VPS hosting are three popular hosting options for anyone looking to use the benefits of Docker on a fast and reliable server. Below, I’ll cover some of the best cloud and VPS hosting options out there. Then, I’ll share a few dedicated hosting providers if cloud and VPS hosting aren’t what you’re looking for.

Every web developer I know, including myself, loves simplicity when working with servers and applications. That’s exactly what Kamatera offers. The one-click deployment feature makes working with a hosting platform incredibly simple. The best part of it all is that you can deploy your server in less than a minute!

Kamatera has also invested heavily in improving its performance with more than18 datacenters on four continents: Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America. I always recommend choosing a server closest to you for even better performance. Now, let’s take a quick look at its Docker hosting capabilities.

The web host supports Docker Engine and allows root admin access to the server. Doing so means you have all the freedom and flexibility you need to work on your projects.

The self-proclaimed ‘fastest cloud on the planet’ has consistently proven that it’s not all talk without action. I noticed this when I first took it for a test run. The servers operate on the fastest Intel Xeon Platinum processors and come with SSD storage! How cool is that?

I don’t know about you, but not every web developer or system administrator out there understands how Docker works. The only reason you probably know about it now is because you found yourself in a “trust me, it works on my end” kind of situation.

You probably rushed to YouTube looking for a solution and learned about this cool program called Docker, and your work has been easier since that landmark discovery. That’s (almost) the story of every web developer or system administrator I know.

Also, it’s the one problem area 1&1 IONOS tries to solve. This web host goes the extra mile to explain how Docker works and why you should work with it. More importantly, the web host explains everything you need to be using on its cloud servers.

I also found a certain section on the 1&1 IONOS website that displays different types of cloud servers, from the lowest to the highest, how much they cost and the kind of features they come with (CPUs, RAM, and storage). That, right there, is a game changer in my opinion. I also find their Docker tutorial quite in-depth and useful. Check it out here.

Other popular cloud hosting options include Amazon Elastic Container Service, also known as Amazon ECS, Google Cloud (uses Google Cloud Run to run containers).

Hostwinds is the king of variety. It offers four VPS options: Linux managed (for Linux containers), Windows managed (for setting up a windows container), Linux unmanaged, and Windows unmanaged.

You don’t need a tech degree to install Docker on Hostwinds servers. This process should be pretty straightforward, but if for some reason you get stuck along the way, you can always refer to its Docker installation tutorials for tips on how to get started with this software on its VPS servers.

Regardless of the operating system or hosting plan you choose from Hostwinds, the company promises a 99.9999% uptime guarantee, solid state drives for better performance, multiple datacenters, an enterprise firewall, free website transfer, and many other features to make your Docker hosting experience the best it can be.

Hostinger has kept tails wagging in the web development sphere for a while now and for good reason. This is just one of those web hosting companies that understand the challenges on both sides of the aisle.

Take, for example, Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans. They make using Docker seem like a walk in the park, even for system administrators or developers who’ve never used this open-source software before.

You also have the freedom to choose your preferred operating system, whether it’s CentOS 7, Ubuntu, Debian, or anything else. And with a container limit of up to 250 gigabytes, you have all the space you need to run your applications and even scale up as your needs grow.

I also love the fact that Hostinger walks you through the steps of creating a Docker container on their servers. And if you ever feel stuck, its 24/7 customer service team will come to your rescue.

Now that we have cloud and VPS hosting out of the way let’s see what the world of dedicated hosting has to offer for anyone looking for a dedicated server to host Docker.

The whole point of using Docker is to ensure that your website or applications run smoothly on different platforms. Adding a dedicated server to the equation makes everything even better. That’s where 1&1 IONOS comes in — again.

We’ve already seen how good its cloud hosting solutions are for developers and system administrators intending to use Docker. But 1&1 IONOS’s dedicated hosting options are equally great, if not better.

The first time I used 1&1 IONOS Docker hosting solutions on its dedicated server was in 2021 while working on an eCommerce project for one of my favorite clients. The incredible speeds, in particular, caught my attention.

Just to give you some perspective, the Docker host uses AMD servers and powerful Epyc processors. That’s the combination you need to run applications or websites with high CPU usage. Add that to its scalable Intel servers with SSD storage, and you get a monster of a virtual machine.

Liquid Web is celebrating more than 25 years of providing top-notch web hosting services to its clients. A quick look at its Docker hosting service shows exactly why it’s come this far. Make no mistake, though; Docker hosting isn’t the only hosting service it offers.

I know a thing or two about the feeling of being stuck while working on a project. This is something many web developers and system administrators experience at some point in their careers.

Technology has a funny way of humbling even the most experienced in this field. Liquid Web fully understands this problem and solves it by offering a comprehensive tutorial on installing and using Docker on its platform.

So, what’s its secret, you ask? The clue is in its Intel Xeon processors, SSD storage, regular backups, and powerful container security features. And when it comes to operating systems, you can choose between CentOS, Ubuntu, CloudLinux, and Windows server to run Docker.

A2 Hosting’s lightning-fast speed is every developer’s dream. The company clocks up to 20 times faster speeds than many web hosts thanks to its Turbo servers. As a developer or administrator, I’m sure you appreciate the importance of speed and performance when running applications such as Docker.

This host lets you install Docker on various operating systems, including Ubuntu and CentOS 6 and 7. I also love the convenience of Secure Shell access, which is used to run all kinds of commands remotely.

All the hosting providers I’ve mentioned so far are great in their own right, but when it comes to powerful speeds, A2 Hosting takes the crown uncontested. So whether you’ll host Docker on this platform will depend on what exactly you intend to build or manage on the server. If you’re running powerful applications that require fast speeds, A2 Hosting is what you need.

The main purpose of Docker is to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of applications using a process known as containerization.

Docker Compose is a tool used to define and manage multi-container Docker applications. This is the tool you need to define a set of services, each running in its own container, and specify how these multiple containers should interact with each other.

This is a central location where Docker images are stored and shared. In this context, a Docker container image refers to a lightweight, standalone, and executable software package with everything you need to run a piece of software. This could be anything from the code, runtime environment, system tools, libraries, and dependencies. Images are the building blocks of container technology in Docker.

Yes, they do, but you can’t count on their performance, especially when running resource-intensive applications or websites. That’s why most people opt for other hosting options, such as VPS, cloud, or dedicated.

Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), are the most popular choices. Ultimately, it all boils down to your specific requirements and factors such as stability, community support, package availability, and just how familiar you are with that particular distribution.

There you have it — the best Docker hosting services you’ll come across anywhere on the internet. With just a few clicks of a button, you’ll be ready to “dockerize” and finally put an end to the “trust me, it works on my computer” type of situation when building containerized applications.