PM2 vs Docker: From local development to enterprise scale on azure
When kickstarting a new project, speed and agility matters. At the same time, enterprise requirements such as security, scalability, portability, and governance cannot be ignored. Rapid prototyping should be done with enterprise scalability in mind.
Whether you’re quickly spinning up a local development environment or deploying to thousands of users in production, container and process management technologies like PM2 and Docker play a pivotal role. Both are excellent in their respective domains, but they serve different purposes.
This post explores the pros and cons of these tools for rapid local development and enterprise-scale deployments, with a spotlight on Azure for cloud-native scale.
Why Containers and Process Managers Matter
At their core, these technologies solve two recurring problems:
- Consistency - “It works on my machine” becomes “It works everywhere.”
- Resilience & Scale - applications can handle more users, recover from crashes, and scale horizontally without developer heroics.
PM2: Lightweight Process Management
PM2 is a Node.js process manager that helps developers keep apps alive, manage logs, and cluster processes with minimal effort.
Pros (perfect for rapid prototyping)
- Instant productivity: one command line code (
pm2 start app.js) and your app runs with clustering. - Auto-restart on crash: great for fast iteration.
- Built-in monitoring: with minimal setup.
- Zero-dependency: easy to add to small projects.
Cons (enterprise scale)
- Limited orchestration: PM2 can manage complex multi-service topologies, but orchestration becomes challenging at enterprise scale (though still possible).
- Weaker security model: compared to containerized isolation.
- Not cloud-native: scaling across VMs or clusters is manual. PM2 clusters would be needed.
PM2 is excellent for quick prototypes and small-to-medium apps, but becomes limiting as your enterprise footprint grows.
Docker: Containerization at Scale
Docker encapsulates applications and dependencies into portable containers.
Pros (perfect for rapid prototyping, easy integration with azure services)
- Consistency across various environments: the same container runs on dev, test, and prod, in whichever cloud we choose.
- Rapid developer onboarding: new developers run
docker compose upto replicate the whole stack. - Ecosystem rich: Docker Hub, Compose, and dev tools make life easier.
- Cloud-native integration: runs seamlessly on Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Container Apps, and App Service for Containers.
- Security & governance: integrates with Azure Container Registry (ACR) for private images, RBAC, and vulnerability scanning.
- Scalability: auto-scale based on CPU/memory or custom metrics.
- DevOps-ready: CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps or GitHub Actions.
Cons (Local Development)
- Overhead: containers can be heavier than PM2 for very small apps.
- Learning curve: Dockerfiles, networking, and volumes take time to master.
- Complexity overhead: requires orchestration (Kubernetes/ACA).
- Cost considerations: inefficient image or scaling strategy can inflate cloud bills.
PM2 vs Docker: Choosing the Right Tool
| Feature | PM2 | Docker |
|---|---|---|
| Quick Local Setup | ✅ Super simple (single command) | ⚠️ Slight learning curve, but reusable configs |
| Crash Recovery | ✅ Built-in process restart | ✅ Container auto-restart policies |
| Environment Match | ⚠️ Limited (works only on host machine) | ✅ Consistent across all environments |
| Multi-service Support | ❌ Not suited for multi-service orchestration | ✅ Docker Compose / Kubernetes ready |
| Enterprise Scale | ❌ Manual scaling and monitoring required | ✅ Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), ACI, ACR support |
| Performance Overhead | ✅ Very lightweight (no VM/OS isolation) | ⚠️ Slight overhead due to containerization |
| Portability | ⚠️ Bound to host OS/node version | ✅ Fully portable across dev, staging, prod |
| Security | ⚠️ Depends on host OS security practices | ✅ Isolation via namespaces, Azure security policies |
| CI/CD Integration | ⚠️ Works with scripts but manual wiring | ✅ Native Azure DevOps & GitHub Actions workflows |
| Monitoring & Logging | ✅ PM2 dashboard and logs built-in | ✅ Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, OpenTelemetry |
| Community & Ecosystem | ✅ Popular in Node.js ecosystem | ✅ Massive ecosystem across languages & services |
| Learning Curve | ✅ Easy for beginners | ⚠️ Steeper but industry-standard skillset |
Strategy for Enterprise on Azure
If you’re moving from local software experiments to enterprise deployments, here’s a pragmatic path:
-
Prototype locally with PM2 or Docker Compose
- Use PM2 for fast iteration when speed > scale.
- Use Docker Compose when multiple services (DB, cache, API) are needed.
-
Standardize with Containers
- Containerize apps early with Docker.
- Push images to Azure Container Registry (ACR).
-
Scale with Azure-native services
- For smaller workloads → Azure Container Apps (serverless containers).
- For complex, multi-team workloads → Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS).
- For traditional apps → App Service for Containers.
-
Governance & Observability
- Apply Azure Policy for container security.
- Monitor with Azure Monitor + Application Insights.
- Automate deployments with GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps Pipelines.
Quick takeaways
- PM2 → best for quick prototypes and simple apps.
- Docker → best for repeatability, collaboration, and cloud scale.
Use Azure to provide the enterprise-grade runway: security, scalability, and compliance.
Start simple, containerize early, and let Azure handle the heavy lifting when you scale. Container and process management tools are not 'either-or' - they are part of a maturity journey.