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Portainer

Portainer

Overview

What is Portainer?

Portainer is a centralized container management platform for containerized apps and IoT device management. It helps accelerate container adoption and reduce time-to-value on Kubernetes, Docker, and Swarm with a management portal, allowing users to deliver and manage containerized applications from…

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Portainer has emerged as a valuable solution for managing Docker environments, assisting users in reducing effort and focusing on other …
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Portainer, best choice!

10 out of 10
October 24, 2023
Incentivized
Allows me to manage everything myself without going through another provider. Can crash quickly if you make a mistake, but the community …
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Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Popular Features

View all 6 features
  • Cluster Management (69)
    8.2
    82%
  • Security and Isolation (77)
    8.0
    80%
  • Resource Allocation and Optimization (72)
    7.7
    77%
  • Analytics, Monitoring, and Logging (78)
    7.5
    75%

Reviewer Pros & Cons

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Pricing

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Portainer Business - 3 Nodes Free

$0

Cloud

Home & Student

$149

Cloud
per year

Starter

$995

Cloud
per year

Entry-level set up fee?

  • Setup fee optional
For the latest information on pricing, visithttps://www.portainer.io/pricing

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos

Putting a UI around Docker with Portainer

YouTube

RBAC: Portainer vs Kubernetes

YouTube

Portainer 2.5.1 Top 5 Features

YouTube

SSO Support & Authentication with Portainer

YouTube

Portainer Deployment - PGBlitz.com

YouTube

How to automate software delivery with simple GitOps integration in Portainer

YouTube
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Features

Container Management

Features commonly found in Container Management software.

7.8
Avg 7.9
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Product Details

What is Portainer?

Portainer is a centralized container management platform for containerized apps and IoT device management. It helps accelerate container adoption and reduce time-to-value on Kubernetes, Docker, and Swarm with a management portal, allowing users to deliver and manage containerized applications from the data center to the edge. Portainer helps -
  • Reduce the operational complexity associated with multi-cluster management
  • Bridge the skills gap and facilitate feature discovery and learning with its UI
  • Codify cloud-native best practices with design templates and default configurations
  • Consistently apply and centrally manage access, permissions and activity logging
Portainer can help with multiple use cases including -
Deploy containers
Troubleshoot apps
Platform management
Security & Compliance
Lifecycle Management
IoT Device Management

Portainer Business is built on Portainer's open-source foundation, which boasts more than 1M users. Portainer is presented as a solution to transition to Kubernetes or speed up the adoption of containers inside an organization.

Portainer Features

Container Management Features

  • Supported: Security and Isolation
  • Supported: Cluster Management
  • Supported: Storage Management
  • Supported: Resource Allocation and Optimization
  • Supported: Discovery Tools
  • Supported: Analytics, Monitoring, and Logging

Additional Features

  • Supported: Platform Access Control

Portainer Screenshots

Screenshot of Portainer is a universal container management platform to help adopt and manage Docker, Kubernetes, Nomad and Edge environments.

Portainer Videos

Portainer for Kubernetes - making multi-cluster container management easier
Introducing Portainer - Container Management

Portainer Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
Supported CountriesWorldwide

Frequently Asked Questions

Red Hat OpenShift, SUSE Rancher, and Mirantis Kubernetes Engine are common alternatives for Portainer.

Reviewers rate Cluster Management highest, with a score of 8.2.

The most common users of Portainer are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(190)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Portainer has emerged as a valuable solution for managing Docker environments, assisting users in reducing effort and focusing on other projects. By offering an intuitive GUI interface, Portainer simplifies the management of Docker containers, eliminating the need for command-line interaction. Users have greatly benefited from the ability to easily view running containers and their logs across multiple machines, streamlining debugging and troubleshooting processes. Moreover, Portainer enables the creation of isolated and sandboxed instances of applications, effectively resolving issues related to version and dependency mismatches. It's particularly useful for small teams as it saves valuable time by eliminating the need to troubleshoot infrastructure software problems. Additionally, Portainer facilitates container management on a single node server, allowing users to conveniently start or stop stacks when problems arise. Its seamless implementation and management capabilities make it an ideal option for getting started with Docker in enterprise environments, offering an intuitive web interface. With its user-friendly design and straightforward usability, Portainer proves to be a valuable tool in managing stacks and services. It simplifies various container management tasks such as starting, stopping, and restarting containers, managing configurations, and monitoring performance. The integration with container registries like Docker Hub further simplifies image deployment. From managing internal and external ports to handling volume management and data organization, Portainer provides comprehensive features that enhance security while simplifying these processes. Suitable for both development and production environments, Portainer is widely used in overseeing Docker installations, facilitating easy cluster deployment and monitoring tasks. It also proves effective in managing Docker Swarm environments by streamlining updates, scaling processes, and providing a comprehensive view of the environment. Portainer's extensive functionalities are valued in organizing and managing databases, websites, storage solutions, and CRM systems with ease of access to stack and container details. Furthermore, it supports secure user authentication through OAuth implementation and allows for role-based access control with flexible user provisioning. The API integration enables seamless container deployment through CI/CD pipelines. Portainer's versatility extends beyond Docker, as it is also utilized in Windows environments for easy adoption of containerization and cost reduction. Overall, Portainer presents a user-friendly interface that simplifies the day-to-day management of Docker containers, enabling users to troubleshoot, configure, and manage containers effectively.

Intuitive and User-Friendly Interface: Users have consistently praised Portainer's intuitive and user-friendly interface, with many reviewers stating that it is easy to navigate and provides a positive user experience. The clean and organized layout of the interface has been particularly appreciated by users, as it allows for efficient management of multiple repositories and reduces incidents. Additionally, users have found the GUI design to be visually appealing and well-suited for users of all levels of expertise.

Seamless User Access Control: Reviewers have commended Portainer's RBAC feature, which integrates seamlessly with SAML IDP services like Azure and Okta. This functionality has received positive feedback from users who appreciate the flexibility it offers in terms of user access control. Furthermore, users value the support for various authentication options provided by Portainer, as it enhances security while ensuring a smooth login experience.

Simplified Management of Complex Clusters: Many users have highlighted Portainer's capability to manage complex clusters such as Swarm or Kubernetes as one of its standout features. With this functionality, deploying new applications, stacks, and clusters becomes simpler and more streamlined. The visualization of the overall infrastructure has also been highly regarded by reviewers, as it provides a comprehensive view of all components in one place, making management and monitoring tasks easier to handle.

Confusing User Interface: Some users have found the user interface of Portainer to be confusing and have expressed difficulties in completing tasks. They mentioned that navigating through the various menus and options can be overwhelming, leading to a steep learning curve.

Performance Issues: Users have frequently reported experiencing performance issues with Portainer. They have noticed that the software can feel slow, especially when working with large clusters or managing multiple containers simultaneously. This has resulted in delays and frustration during their workflow.

Lack of Additional Features: Many users have expressed the need for additional features in Portainer to enhance its functionality. Specifically, they would like to see more add-ons or extensions available that can extend the capabilities of the software. These additional features could potentially improve productivity and provide more flexibility in managing containerized applications.

Users have made several recommendations for Portainer based on their experience with the product. Firstly, many users find Portainer to be user-friendly and easy to use. They appreciate the fact that it has almost no learning curve and is easy to set up as a self-hosted instance. This makes it a great option for beginners who are new to Docker and Kubernetes management. Secondly, Portainer is highly recommended for managing multiple Docker hosts without using Kubernetes. Users find it effective in overseeing and controlling various Docker environments, making it a valuable tool for both beginners and experts. Lastly, users suggest that Portainer is ideal for rapid deployment of services and troubleshooting in Kubernetes clusters. They praise its ability to manage containers efficiently and consider it an excellent solution for Docker management. Many users highly recommend giving it a try for effective containerization. Overall, users recommend Portainer for its ease of use, flexibility in managing multiple hosts, and its ability to rapid deploy and troubleshoot services in Kubernetes clusters.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 81)
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Sathir M. Mansoor | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Connect multiple environments
  • Free key upto 3 nodes
  • Simple ui for everyone to understand
  • IMAP or POP3 Notifications when any containers stopped or something goes wrong
  • I couldn’t find podman related things better if they add or make it easy to access
Kevin Spharler | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Integration with relevant technologies: Docker, Kubernetes, compose, multiple nodes, authentication, GitHub, and more.
  • Intuitive UI, user-friendly layout with understandable descriptions and menus.
  • Home lab, prosumer, and/or small business appeal by offering free (node limited) business license. Enables the paid features without needing to spend money unless deploying to an obvious professional environment (more than 3 nodes or so).
  • Portainer extension in Docker Desktop for Windows is a neat addition, but it doesn't appear to be able to use a license. I believe as a result of this, I am also not able to store/save the GitHub credentials I use in order to create stacks.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
  • Extremely easy container and stack deployment
  • Easy to maintain existing container image updates
  • Secure and trustworthy monitoring of docker containers
  • Automatic email notifications for available updates
  • Built-in, real-time notifications for container uptime
  • More updated image versions for existing app templates
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Allows administering container updates with a few clicks.
  • Stacks help ensure correct container configuration in an easy to read format compared to the docker command line
  • Allows many users each with different permission levels based on what is needed
  • Having an option to select a default environment to connect to would be useful for single environment deployments
  • The option of using SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt in addition to uploading your own
  • Environments public IP being self discovered instead of defaulting to 0.0.0.0
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • User-Friendly Interface
  • Stack and Compose File Support
  • Backup and Restore
  • Docker Swarm and Kubernetes Support
  • Monitoring and Logging could be Improved
  • Application Deployment with a handier way to implement Healtchecks
  • Visualization of the container within a Stack, the ability to show the container in a Tree, grouped by its stack.
Thejus Philip | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Ease of deployment
  • Checks image updates
  • Clear status messages
  • TFA/MFA is missing, would be great to have this as an extra security measure for login.
  • Uninstall of container, leaves behind files/folders under /portainer/Files/AppData/Config/ which needs to be manually removed.
  • Have an option to archive App Template URL. Currently only 1 URL can be specified, it would be nice to be able to save/archives multiple URLs and select which URL must be referred or used by Portainer.
Thibaut Boudier | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Graphical docker gestion
  • Environment datas globally managed
  • K3s management with a simplified window
  • K3s deployment with pre-defined environment
  • First complex set up is a bit hard without explanation
  • Large gap between the use of Portainer on local and once it's used by a group
  • Good for people without knowledge on Docker and K3s, but hard for them to set it up
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Docker Swarm Management
  • Image updates
  • Integration with GitLab container registry
  • LDAP integration
  • Service deployments and service webhooks
  • Full scale Kubernetes cluster deployment and management
  • The API is hard to understand and you need to often "chain" API calls
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