· Docker Compose
Docker Compose, not Kubernetes, for client apps
A small business app with a database and a few hundred users fits in one Compose file. Here is what that buys you, and where it stops.
What it is
Docker Compose describes an app, its database and its helpers in one text file. One command starts the lot on any Linux server, in the same way every time.
Why I use it for clients
A job-sheet app with a few hundred users needs one web process, one database and a nightly backup. Compose handles that with a file you can read, and any developer who has used Docker will understand it on day one.
What it costs you
Nothing in licences. It keeps hosting cheap, because the whole system fits on one small server, and it keeps handover cheap, because there is little to explain.
Where it stops
Compose runs on one machine. If an app must keep running while a server is replaced, or serves thousands of people at once, Kubernetes or a managed platform earns its extra cost. Few small-business apps get there.
Verdict
The default for client apps. Revisit it when the app must survive losing a whole server without anyone noticing.