Deprecated and retired Docker products and features
This document provides an overview of Docker features, products, and open-source projects that have been deprecated, retired, or transitioned.
Note
This page does not cover deprecated and removed Docker Engine features. For a detailed list of deprecated Docker Engine features, refer to the Docker Engine Deprecated Features documentation.
Products and features
Support for these deprecated or retired features is no longer provided by Docker, Inc. The projects that have been transitioned to third parties continue to receive updates from their new maintainers.
Docker Machine
Docker Machine was a tool for provisioning and managing Docker hosts across various platforms, including virtual machines and cloud providers. It is no longer maintained, and users are encouraged to use Docker Desktop or Docker Engine directly on supported platforms. Machine's approach to creating and configuring hosts has been superseded by more modern workflows that integrate more closely with Docker Desktop.
Docker Toolbox
Docker Toolbox was used on older systems where Docker Desktop could not run. It bundled Docker Machine, Docker Engine, and Docker Compose into a single installer. Toolbox is no longer maintained and is effectively replaced by Docker Desktop on current systems. References to Docker Toolbox occasionally appear in older documentation or community tutorials, but it is not recommended for new installations.
Docker Cloud integrations
Docker previously offered integrations for Amazon's Elastic Container Service (ECS) and Azure Container Instances (ACI) to streamline container workflows. These integrations have been deprecated, and users should now rely on native cloud tools or third-party solutions to manage their workloads. The move toward platform-specific or universal orchestration tools reduced the need for specialized Docker Cloud integrations.
You can still view the relevant documentation for these integrations in the Compose CLI repository.
Docker Enterprise Edition
Docker Enterprise Edition (EE) was Docker's commercial platform for deploying and managing large-scale container environments. It was acquired by Mirantis in 2019, and users looking for enterprise-level functionality can now explore Mirantis Kubernetes Engine or other products offered by Mirantis. Much of the technology and features found in Docker EE have been absorbed into the Mirantis product line.
Note
For information about enterprise-level features offered by Docker today, see the Docker Business subscription.
Docker Data Center and Docker Trusted Registry
Docker Data Center (DDC) was an umbrella term that encompassed Docker Universal Control Plane (UCP) and Docker Trusted Registry (DTR). These components provided a full-stack solution for managing containers, security, and registry services in enterprise environments. They are now under the Mirantis portfolio following the Docker Enterprise acquisition. Users still encountering references to DDC, UCP, or DTR should refer to Mirantis's documentation for guidance on modern equivalents.
Dev Environments
Dev Environments was a feature introduced in Docker Desktop that allowed developers to spin up development environments quickly. This feature is no longer under active development. Similar workflows can be achieved through Docker Compose or by creating custom configurations tailored to specific project requirements.
Open source projects
Several open-source projects originally maintained by Docker have been archived, discontinued, or transitioned to other maintainers or organizations.
Registry (now CNCF Distribution)
The Docker Registry served as the open-source implementation of a container image registry. It was donated to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) in 2019 and is maintained under the name "Distribution." It remains a cornerstone for managing and distributing container images.
Docker Compose v1 (replaced by Compose v2)
Docker Compose v1 (docker-compose), a Python-based tool for defining
multi-container applications, has been superseded by Compose v2 (docker compose), which is written in Go and integrates with the Docker CLI. Compose
v1 is no longer maintained, and users should migrate to Compose v2.
InfraKit
InfraKit was an open-source toolkit designed to manage declarative infrastructure and automate container deployments. It has been archived, and users are encouraged to explore tools such as Terraform for infrastructure provisioning and orchestration.
Docker Notary (now CNCF Notary)
Docker Notary was a system for signing and verifying the authenticity of container content. It was donated to the CNCF in 2017 and continues to be developed as "Notary." Users seeking secure content verification should consult the CNCF Notary project.
SwarmKit
SwarmKit powers Docker Swarm mode by providing orchestration for container deployments. While Swarm mode remains functional, development has slowed in favor of Kubernetes-based solutions. Individuals evaluating container orchestration options should investigate whether SwarmKit meets modern workload requirements.