Podman vs Docker Desktop: Choose Your Runtime

TL;DR: The homelab project now supports both Podman and Docker Desktop as container runtimes. The Makefile auto-detects which one is available, or you can explicitly choose with RUNTIME=docker or RUNTIME=podman.

Based on feedback from readers, I’ve added Docker Desktop support to the homelab project. Now you can choose whichever container runtime fits your workflow better.

Why Both?

Different users have different preferences and constraints:

Consideration	Podman	Docker Desktop
Licensing	Apache 2.0 (fully open source)	Free for personal use
Resource usage	Lighter (~500MB VM)	Heavier (~2GB with GUI)
Familiarity	Newer, Red Hat ecosystem	Industry standard
macOS integration	CLI-focused	Native GUI app
k3d compatibility	Supported	Native support

Both work great with k3d. Choose based on your preference.

Quick Start

Option A: Docker Desktop

# Install
brew install --cask docker

# Start Docker Desktop from Applications (or it auto-starts)

# Create cluster
make setup

Option B: Podman

# Install
brew install podman

# Initialize VM
make init-podman

# Create cluster
make setup

Runtime Auto-Detection

The Makefile automatically detects which runtime is available:

make start   # Detects Docker or Podman, starts the appropriate one
make status  # Shows which runtime is active

To force a specific runtime:

RUNTIME=docker make start
RUNTIME=podman make start

Switching Runtimes

If you want to switch from one runtime to another:

# 1. Backup Sealed Secrets keys (important!)
make sealed-secrets-backup

# 2. Delete the cluster
make clean

# 3. Stop current runtime
make stop

# 4. Start new runtime and recreate cluster
RUNTIME=docker make setup   # or RUNTIME=podman

Your GitOps configuration (ArgoCD ApplicationSets) will automatically resync all applications.

New Makefile Targets

Target	Description
`make init-docker`	Verify Docker Desktop is running
`make init-podman`	Initialize Podman machine
`make docker-start`	Start Docker Desktop
`make docker-status`	Show Docker Desktop status
`make runtime-start`	Start detected runtime
`make runtime-status`	Show active runtime
`make cluster-restart`	Full cluster recreate (with Sealed Secrets backup)
`make sealed-secrets-backup`	Backup encryption keys
`make sealed-secrets-restore`	Restore encryption keys

Architecture

Both runtimes provide the same end result:

macOS
└── Podman VM or Docker Desktop VM
    └── k3d cluster "homelab"
        ├── 1 server + 3 agents
        ├── kubeAPI on Tailscale IP
        └── GitOps Stack (ArgoCD, Sealed Secrets, External Secrets)

The cluster configuration, GitOps setup, and all Kubernetes resources remain identical regardless of which runtime you choose.

Summary

Docker Desktop: Choose if you want a familiar, GUI-based experience
Podman: Choose if you prefer open source and lighter resource usage

Both are first-class citizens in this project. Pick one and get started!

Questions or feedback? Open an issue in the cd-homelab repository.