For the self hosters: docker containers or not?
They are so easy / portable but perhaps systemd is a better option as the author suggests.
My server is running on NixOS and I went with systemd containers - really happy with my setup. It was not at all difficult to set it up with Claude
I personally use NixOS and a mix of systemd services and Quadlet-Nix for the few containers that have too many dependencies and moving parts. Works well.
Yes. NixOS running Podman containers is where I ended up after trying almost everything :)
Personally I use docker with portainer to handle the stacks/containers, have done for many years. I like it.
Docker containers are fine. I've moved between 5 NAS' over the years and docker has enabled it to be seemless.
rsync data directories. docker compose up. Done.
On the consumer or even prosumer nas products which have a semi-locked down system (ie Truenas/qnap/Synology). Technically you have root but as soon as you update the OS all/most of the changes end up being broken. Yes you could probably do something and deal with it. But personally I've spent too long babysitting it on the first and second nas that I no longer care.
For several years, Docker with portainer
Podman + systemd is how I run production workloads at work.
For us it's the perfect balance between simplicity, observability (Beszel) and reliability. Not the right tool if you have dynamic workloads but definitely the right tool for boring and predictable workloads.
At home I run K3S, it's awesome. It also breaks a lot and does add a whole bunch of complexity that I would only recommend if you enjoy tinkering and fixing things.