ServBay vs Docker

Are you in search of a Docker alternative and considering a transition to ServBay? ServBay distinguishes itself with several advantages over Docker, including a more user-friendly interface, wider support for programming languages and databases, and a range of built-in functionalities. This comparison will highlight why ServBay is a preferable option for many users.

Download ServBay 1.4.5
ServBay is free and is compatible with macOS 12 or newer
ServBay vs Docker
Features\Products ServBay ServBay Pro Docker
Pricing
Pricing free $99 free
Free version 5 hosts, Ulimited functions / /
Free trial / 14 days /
Functions
macOS support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Native macOS App Swift + SwiftUI Swift + SwiftUI /
Install package size 13 MB 13 MB N/A
Package upgradeable ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manually
Security updates ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manually
Oprating System
Non-intrusive ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Launch at login ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Start with system ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
CLI support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
APP GUI
Newbie friendly ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Quick control/Menubar ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Service control panel ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No, via CLI/Docker Desktop
Multilingual ✅ Yes, 12 languages ✅ Yes, 12 languages ❌ No
Easy to use APP ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Configurable via GUI ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Easy backup ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Hosts / Websites
Configurable via GUI ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Multiple Hosts ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Max Hosts 5 unlimited ❗️unlimited, manual config
Custom Domains ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Custom TLDs ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Multiple Domains/Alias ❌ No ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
SSL support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manually, may cost money
Free private/self-sign SSL ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manually, may cost money
Local private/self-sign CA ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install & config, requires 3rd party package
Selectable PHP Version ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Static Web Support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Reverse Proxy ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Docker/Node.js Proxy ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Redirection(301/302) ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Programing Languages
PHP support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Multiple PHP versions 5.6 - 8.4 5.6 - 8.4 5.4 - 8.3
PHP 8.4 ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Multiple PHP instances ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Instantly switch PHP versions ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Node.js support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Node.js 22 ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Multiple Node.js versions 12 - 22 12 - 22 12 - 22
Instantly switch Node.js versions ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Web Servers
Apache HTTPd ❌ No ❌ No ❗️ Yes, Manual install
NGINX ❗️ No, Coming soon ❗️ No, Coming soon ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Caddy ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Databases
MySQL support ❌ No ❌ No ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Multiple MySQL versions / / ❗️Manual install & config
Instantly switch MySQL versions ❌ No ❌ No ✅ Yes
MariaDB support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Multiple MariaDB versions 10.4 - 11.5 10.4 - 11.5 10 - 11
Instantly switch MariaDB versions ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
PostgreSQL support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Multiple PostgreSQL versions 10 - 16 10 - 16 10 - 16
Instantly switch PostgreSQL versions ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Redis support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Memcached support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
SQLite 3 ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Tools
phpMyAdmin ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Adminer ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
OpenSSL ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
Composer ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
cURL ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
npm ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
pnpm ✅ Yes ✅ Yes N/A
yarn ✅ Yes ✅ Yes N/A
Mail Server
Built-in Mail Server ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️ Yes, Manual install
DNS
Built-in DNS Server ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
Custom domains 5 unlimited ❌ No
hosts file manage GUI ❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No
host domain resolution via /etc/hosts ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
host domain resolution via local Built-in DNS Server ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️manual config
Common PHP Modules
APC/APCu ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
xDebug ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
opcache ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
IMAP ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
gd ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
cURL ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
OpenLDAP ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
mysql ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
pgsql ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
sqlite ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
pdo-* ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
sodium ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
MongoDB ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
redis ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
memcache ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
memcached ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
imagick ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
Phalcon ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
Swoole ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
Tunnels/Reverse Proxy
Cloudflared ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
frpc ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❗️Manual install, requires 3rd party package
Development tools
Development Library ✅ Yes, Independent package ✅ Yes, Independent package /
Re-Compile support ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Additional PHP Extensions Compile ✅ Yes ✅ Yes N/A
Support
Documents ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ❌ No
Community ✅ Yes ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
E-Mail ❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No
Pay support ❌ No ✅ Yes ❌ No
Discord/Telegram ✅ Yes ✅ Yes N/A

User Interface and System Integration

ServBay triumphs with its intuitive and user-friendly application interface. It supports 11 languages, offers quick control through a menubar, and features a newbie-friendly service control panel, all accessible via a graphical user interface. In contrast, Docker relies more on manual configurations and CLI operations, lacking an easy-to-use, multilingual UI. ServBay also excels in system integration with features like non-intrusive operation, launch at login, and starting with the system.

Hosting and Development Support

ServBay offers a more seamless hosting experience. It supports multiple hosts (up to 5 for free, unlimited in the paid version) and allows for easy configuration of custom domains and SSL support. Docker, while supporting multiple hosts, requires manual configuration for each, which can be cumbersome. Furthermore, ServBay’s unique features like custom PHP version support, static web support, and built-in Docker/Node.js proxy are more streamlined compared to Docker's manual configuration approach.

Programming Language and Database Flexibility

ServBay provides extensive support for programming languages. It supports multiple PHP versions (from 5.6 to 8.4) and Node.js versions (from 12 to 22) with the ability to switch instantly, a convenience not fully matched by Docker. Additionally, ServBay’s database support is superior, offering MariaDB, PostgreSQL , Redis , and SQLite 3 with the ability to switch versions instantly. Docker, while supporting these databases, often requires manual installation and configuration.

Tools and Additional Features

ServBay includes an array of built-in tools such as phpMyAdmin, Adminer, OpenSSL, Composer, and npm, which are readily available and easy to configure. Docker, in contrast, requires manual installation and configuration for these tools. ServBay’s built-in mail server and DNS server, along with support for common PHP modules like APC/APCu, xDebug, opcache, and others, further highlight its comprehensive feature set compared to Docker.

Support and Community

ServBay ensures robust support with comprehensive documentation, active community engagement, email support, and paid support options, offering a more supportive environment for users. Docker, while having a strong community, lacks in areas like dedicated email support and extensive documentation.

In conclusion, ServBay offers a more integrated, user-friendly, and feature-rich development environment compared to Docker. Its ease of use, combined with powerful hosting capabilities, extensive programming language support, and a wide array of built-in tools and features, makes ServBay an ideal choice for users seeking a comprehensive, efficient, and versatile software development toolkit.

Download ServBay 1.4.5
ServBay is free and is compatible with macOS 12 or newer
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